Max Planck Society

15/09/2026

Reading for fun is... a health measure!😁Reading for pleasure is linked to better mental health, greater empathy, slower cognitive decline & a lower risk of dementia, according to a new review by researchers at the University of Cambridge, published in Psychological Medicine. 📚

Even better: It doesn’t matter what you read - novels, comics, magazines - all count! And the benefits show up across the lifespan, from children to older adults.

Yet more perfect reasons to curl up with your favourite books (or comics, or magazines…) and give your brain a little love / health benefit!📖😊
Review in Psychological Medicine: https://cup.org/4gVMwDm
Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmx2zdp1wvl1o

University of Cambridge academics say reading at any age improves brain and mental health.

09/09/2026

We are hiring! Start at a Max Planck Institute with your own independent Max Planck Research Group. This position is equivalent to a W2 Professorship at a German university, or Associate Professor internationally. 🔗Apply until October 14th!

https://www.mpg.de/career/max-planck-research-groups/applications

02/09/2026

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Ada Yonath, who died Aug. 31, aged 87. The structural biologist pioneered cryo-crystallography to map the 3D atomic structure of the ribosome, a breakthrough that earned her the 2009 in Chemistry & revolutionized modern antibiotic design. Yonath maintained close ties to the Max Planck Society across several decades, leading research units in Berlin and at DESY in Hamburg.

01/09/2026

Apply to our postdoc program! 🤓🧑‍🔬
Applications are now open until October 13th, 2026 - don’t miss your chance to take your research to the next level with expert mentorship, workshops, coaching and more.
👉 Learn more and apply today - and don’t forget to like and share with someone who should apply as well!🤝😊
ℹ️ More info: https://www.mpg.de/en/max-planck-postdoc-program
🧑‍💻 Application portal: https://postdocprogram.mpg.de/

31/08/2026

'Memories last a lifetime, but they're built out of molecules that have very short lifetimes. So how do you get permanence in a system like that?': Meet Erin Schuman, the 2026 Laureate in Neuroscience & Director at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av_VT6PA9Yw&list=PLGfr88T8l0jyTA8tvpPLislAIcvrMUiwE&index=3 The Kavli Foundation

"Memories last a lifetime, but they're built out of molecules that ...

26/08/2026

's Roman Space Telescope, named after NASA 1st chief astronomer, Nancy Grace Roman, is set to launch Aug. 30🔭✨. It's designed to directly image using complex opto-mechanical systems developed by our very own colleagues 😊from Max Planck Institute for in Heidelberg.

Researchers in Heidelberg developed precision mechanisms for the Roman Space Telescope to make planets visible next to their stars.

14/08/2026

This is so amazing - astronomers have discovered an entirely new class of cosmic object: a "black hole star"! 🌌Dubbed MoM-BH*-1, the object looks like a star but shines ~100 billion times brighter & is wrapped in a solar-system-sized cloud of hydrogen.

The discovery could help explain the mysterious "little red dots" JWST keeps spotting in the early universe.

The body is the size of the entire solar system and glows with a brilliant red light billions of light years from Earth

13/08/2026

That’s ! The 2026 seen through a colander – and through a telescope.

Many thanks to ©️ Ben Knispel / Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics