Press Release

26 Jul 2024

New Mathematical Framework to Understand Dynamics of Natural Systems

Ghost Channels Explain Transient Behaviors of Complex Systems Like Climate Processes or Neuronal Networks. A team of researchers has developed a new mathematical framework that describe, for the first time, how long transient behaviors might occur in complex systems. They introduce ghost channels and ghost cycles as novel objects that explain how natural systems can be stable over prolonged period of time, yet still be able to rapidly switch to another state. This might help us understand tipping cascades, such as those affecting biodiversity or the consequences of ice melt in the Arctic, but also neuronal dynamics that governs how we encode taste, for example.

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Press Release

28 Nov 2022

Neuroscientists illuminate how brain cells deep in the cortex operate in freely moving mice

How can we see what neurons deep in the cortex are doing during behavior? Our researchers at the Department of Behavior and Brain Organization have developed a miniature microscope small enough to be carried on the head of a freely moving mouse and capable of measuring neuronal activity in all cortical layers, even the deepest ones. The two-gram microscope can be controlled remotely, which minimizes the need to handle the animal. The microscope also incorporates new technology enabling imaging in lit environments, something that all comparable microscopes struggled to do. Neuronal activity can now be imaged from all cortical layers in the freely moving mouse during the full range of the animal’s behaviors. This new microscope is a game changer for exploring the link between neural activity and complex animal behavior.

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Press Release

16 Jan 2022

New Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar now full member of the Max Planck Society

Since January 01st 2022, the research center caesar in Bonn has become the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar. Scientists from more than 35 nations study how the collective activity of vast numbers of neurons gives rise to the variety of animal behaviors across many species. They are now part of a large network that offers not only new scientific infrastructures, exchange and collaborations, but also a wide range of training and career opportunities. “Bringing the institute into the Max Planck family is an exciting time for us” agree the two directors Jason Kerr and Kevin Briggman.

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Press Release

16 Feb 2021

Cells decide their fate collectively

It is one of the great mysteries in biology - from apparently uniform stem cells, a plethora of diverse, specialized cell types arise through so called differentiation processes. Although we know that the special functions of the cells are founded in the genes, one central question still remains open: How is this differentiation process controlled? What ensures that the vital proportions of cell types are present within the population?

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Press Release

7 Jan 2021

Keeping Sperm Cells on Track - Researchers point to a new mechanism underlying male infertility

One essential component of each eukaryotic cell is the cytoskeleton. Microtubules, tiny tubes consisting of a protein called tubulin, are part of this skeleton of cells. Cilia and flagella, which are antenna-like structures that protrude from most of the cells in our body, contain many microtubules. An example of flagell is the sperm tail, which is essential for male fertility and thus for sexual reproduction. The flagellum has to beat in a very precise and coordinated manner to allow progressive swimming of the sperm. Failure to do so can lead to male infertility. Researchers at the Institut Curie in Paris, the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden, the research center caesar in Bonn together with the University of Bonn, the Institut Cochin in Paris and the Human Technopole in Milan now show that one particular enzymatic modification of the protein tubulin, called glycylation, is essential to keep sperm swimming in a straight line. These findings imply that a perturbation of this modification could underlie some forms of male infertility in humans.

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