Digital map treasures
The University and State Library Saxony-Anhalt (ULB) is making part of its extensive collection of historical maps available online. The first 1,000 maps are already accessible, including some amazing unique objects. Read more
A researcher, DNA and rye under stress
There was a time when Dr Steven Dreissig would not have chosen to go into research - now, the agricultural scientist heads an Emmy Noether junior research group in which he is tracking down the genetic mechanisms of evolution. Read more
The secrets of ancient coins
Historians are still partly in the dark when it comes to the history of Central Asia. Little is known about the Greek kingdoms that were established in the course of Alexander the Great’s conquests. Gunnar Dumke, an ancient historian and archaeologist, has examined 4,500 coins that provide far more information about the rulers than any written sources. Read more
Sodium on the move
A team of physicists from the MLU are taking part in a collaborative project to investigate which processes lead to interface defects in thin-film solar cells. Read more
What is allowed in citizen science?
Citizen science projects enrich science - but a clear legal framework has yet to be established. Therapy-oriented initiatives particularly need a defined ethical and legal research framework. Biologist and lawyer Dr Timo Faltus is currently working to establish this. Read more
Science for everyone
Citizen scientists are playing an ever more pivotal role. They collect data, decipher old manuscripts and more – an invaluable resource. Read more
Genius? Plagiarist? Or both?
Georg Friedrich Handel based his compositions on the works of other artists more than almost any other musician of his era. Although such practices are often rejected as “plagiarism” or “forgery” in the modern world, they should be studied carefully in Handel’s case. The musicologist Professor Wolfgang Hirschmann reviews the research carried out so far. Read more
Time travel
Research presented in an unusual way: A graphic novel depicts how the dinosaur Europasaurus lived 154 million years ago. The book is also based on excavations by a scientist from the University of Halle. Read more
Living on a prehistoric island
Palaeontologist Dr Oliver Wings has been conducting research for years in a quarry in Lower Saxony, where bones of the giant dinosaur Europasaurus were first found in 1998. The results of this scientific work are now available in an unusual format: as a graphic novel. Read more