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Accompanied by neuroscientist Maren Urner, a group of students from the „Sustainable Transformation Design“ degree programme at FH Münster visited the AWI. Their agenda was filled with lectures on sustainability, science and science communication. Topics included, for example, the connection between the climate crisis and the food system as well as the potential that the sea offers for sustainable nutrition. Another highlight of the programme was a tour of the Centre of Aquaculture Research.

Die AWI-Wissenschaftler Oliver Hauck und Björn Suckow nahmen an der North Sea Conference 2025 in Oldenburg teil und wurden dort gleich doppelt ausgezeichnet. Beim North Sea Video & Photo Contest erreichten ihre Beiträge den ersten Platz in zwei Kategorien: Ein Foto von AWI-Fotografin Esther Horvath siegte in der Kategorie „North Sea Places“. Das von Heide Matz und Carlotta Labitzke produzierte Video gewann in der Kategorie „Free for All“. Die Beiträge zeigen die Arbeit des CLANCY-Projekts zur Eindämmung der invasiven Chinesischen Wollhandkrabbe.

The Vice President of the Shanghai Ocean University, Min Jiang, has visited the AWI in Bremerhaven. The delegation was welcomed by AWI Director Maarten Boersma and Christian Bock, head of the section Integrative Ecophysiology and others. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss current projects, scientific collaboration and funding opportunities. The participants were also given an overview of the structures and departments of both institutes. Finally, they visited the NMR laboratory and the AWI's seawater circulation system.
 

At this year's UN Ocean Conference in Nice, AWI scientists Antje Boetius, Nicole Biebow and Alexander Haumann presented the international Antarctic research project “Antarctica Insync” to the scientific community. On board the research vessel Meteor, researchers exchanged ideas on the topic of “Polar Oceans, Climate and Biodiversity: Advancing Synergies and Sustainability of International Science Collaboration!”. In addition to Antarctica Insync, the POLARIN and Tara Polar Drift projects were also presented.

Antje Boetius, former Director of the AWI, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, one of the world's highest scientific honours. This recognition is in acknowledgement of her exceptional contributions to deep-sea and polar research. She is among this year's international selection of over 90 researchers, including experts in fields such as AI, global health and neuroscience. Congratulations!

The U Bremen Research Alliance, of which the AWI is a member, aims to actively contribute to the further development of the AI ecosystem in Germany. In a joint declaration, the participating institutions reaffirm their intention to play an active role in shaping the national AI strategy. Prompted by the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Federal States' resolution adopted on March 12, 2025, the declaration emphasizes the central importance of AI for Germany's innovation and competitiveness, calling for the expansion of high-performance regional…

Language processing in humans depends on the neuronal connection between language areas in the brain. Until now, it was assumed that the anatomical structures supporting language only emerged in humans. Researchers of the Max Planck Society and AWI have now identified a comparable neuronal connection in the brains of chimpanzees. 
Press release of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences

On Easter Sunday, April 20, the new National Geographic documentary series “Secrets of the Penguins” will premiere on the Disney + streaming platform. Large parts of the penguin documentary were filmed at our Neumayer Station III in the Antarctic.

The German Arctic Office published a policy brief entitled “Reception of Germany’s new Arctic Policy Guidelines (2024)”, which deals with the perception and implementation of the new German Arctic Guidelines in the Arctic states. Another publication is the fact sheet called “Remote Sensing in the Arctic”. It explains the importance and applications of remote sensing techniques in Arctic research. The aim is to create a better understanding of current developments and challenges in the Arctic and to make scientific findings more accessible for politics…

The Alfred Wegener Institute invites scientists to apply for a guest research stay at the marine stations on Helgoland or Sylt. The stays, which last longer than 15 working days, offer the opportunity to conduct research in the immediate vicinity of the rocky tidal flats. The stations have well-equipped guest laboratories with Internet, seawater connection and basic laboratory equipment. Applications are possible until 31 July 2025. Further information.