Press Releases

Grey outline of a zebrafish brain with individual neurons that are depicted as colorful spheres with long extensions.

Brain circuits for vision develop without any kind of input from the retina in zebrafish more

Microscopy image of a fruit fly brain in cross section. Different areas and cells are highlighted in blue, red and white.

Lukas Groschner receives ERC Starting Grant to study temporal signal processing in the brain of the fruit fly more

Female scientist standing with large microphone and binoculars in a meadow.

Study highlights the interplay of song development and territorial behavior in winter quarters more

Two brown-grey birds with open beaks, looking at each other. Musical notes and sound waves illustrate that they are singing.

Nightingales match the pitch of their whistle songs to those of their rivals in real time more

Photo of the two awardees and other officals from the institute. From left to right: Manfred Gahr, Herwig Baier, Johannes Kappel, Ilaria Vitali, Christian Mayer, Helmut Uhl

Ilaria Vitali and Johannes Kappel receive Young Scientist Award more

A white and grey pigeon carefully held in the hands of a person.

When pigeons dream

June 05, 2023

Birds show remarkably similar sleep patterns to humans and may experience flight in their dreams more

Reconstruction of a blue CT1 neuron on a black background

A neuronal microcircuit leverages the same type of signal for multiple purposes more

Drawing of a mouse, sitting on a piece of cheese amidst other fruits and pastries, chewing on a piece of chocolate.

A hormone and specialized brain cells regulate feeding behavior in mice more

An info board showing text and pictures of a researcher and a bird is standing underneath cherry trees in blossom in front of a building.

New walkaround at the Campus Martinsried provides exciting insights into research and everyday life at the institutes more

Zebrafish brain shown as grey outlines with bright colored dots, representing the expression of genes in specific cells.

Mapping unknown territory

February 22, 2023

A detailed atlas of gene expression in the zebrafish brain more

A wooden nest-box with two birds sitting at the entrance, looking at each other.

Daurian redstarts move closer to humans to protect their nests from brood parasitism more

Scientist wearing a white lab coat stands behind a table that holds a large experimental setup.

Lukas Groschner receives Schilling Research Award of the German Neuroscience Society 2023 more

An expanding life science hub for the scientists of the future

Two new international programs for doctoral students start at the Max Planck Institutes in Martinsried and Seewiesen more

A scientist is on the left of the picture, raising a finger. The blue-throated macaw on the right of the picture is sitting on a perch and holding one foot aloft

This ability is an important prerequisite for self-representation and episodic memory more

Portrait photo of group leader Angelika Harbauer with text “ERC Starting Grant – Angelika Harbauer”.

Angelika Harbauer receives ERC Starting Grant for her research on mitochondria more

Illustration of two birds in yellow, grey, and black, sitting next to two thermometers showing high and low environmental temperatures, respectively.

Great tits reveal how birds cope with changes in environmental temperatures more

Three female and three male persons are standing outdoors on a lawn. The females are holding flower bouquets.

Sandra Reinert, Renée Vieira and Sandra Fendl recognized for outstanding publications more

Close-up of a fly head, seen from the front, in rainbow colors against black background.

Fly eyes are less rigid than we thought more

Close-up image of an eye’s iris in blue and orange. Wave diagrams superimposed onto the pupil.

New Neuropixels technology provides evidence of mosaic-like neural connections more

Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)

Sweet sap, savory ants

August 18, 2022

Woodpeckers taste sweet, but wrynecks—unusual woodpeckers that specialize on ants—lost the ability to taste sugars more

Illustration of a fish head with eye and brain cells. Several zebrafish in the background.

Specialized nerve cells in the zebrafish visual system enable recognition of conspecifics more

Four brown-gray birds in flight, seen from the side against a dark background.

Zebra finches communicate via eye contact and calls to coordinate their spatial positions during flocking flight more

Auguste von Bayern from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence with a macaw in the breeding station of the Loro Parque Foundation. Since 2014, von Bayern has been leading the Comparative Cognition Research Group at the MPI and runs a research station on Tenerife where her team investigates the cognitive abilities of different parrot species comparatively, collaborating with the Loro Parque Foundation, which keeps the largest collection of parrots in the world.

Interview with zoologist Auguste of Bavaria on endangered parrots and their suitability as pets more

Citizens reveal that pairs of rufous horneros have specific preferences when it comes to nest building 

The breeding pair jointly builds a complex nest with asymmetric architecture more

Illustration of a sailboat in the shape of a cellular power plant. Sitting on it is a figure that represents a molecule sailing along.

Cellular power plants carry along blueprints to make new proteins at their destination more

Omnipresent and yet hardly explored: Electrical synapses

Omnipresent and yet hardly explored: Electrical synapses more

Zebra finch males sing in dialects and females pay attention

Artificial intelligence succeeds where we struggle more

One bird's joy is another bird's sorrow

A genetic conflict between the sexes promotes intraspecific diversity in ruffs more

Asymmetry as a building block of neuronal computations

Structure and function of neurons are closely linked in the cerebral cortex more

The algebra of neurons

The algebra of neurons

February 23, 2022

Study deciphers how a single nerve cell can multiply more

How red phalaropes end up caring for another male’s offspring

A test of the sperm storage hypothesis more

The origin of neuronal diversity

Insights into the mechanisms leading to different cell types in the brain more

New Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence

The MPI of Neurobiology and the MPI for Ornithology will merge to form a new institute as of January 1st 2022 more

Migratory birds have lighter-colored feathers

As a result, the plumage absorbs less solar energy and thus prevents overheating during long flights. more

Balancing fear

Balancing fear

November 18, 2021

The brain uses bodily signals to regulate fear. more

Female finches are picky but pragmatic when choosing a mate

Females remain unmated when competition for preferred mates is too big - but then often smuggle their eggs into other nests more

New Marshmallow-Test in parrots

African grey parrots may have better self-control than macaws more

Bird pupils behave unexpectedly different

Pupil size changes in awake and sleeping birds in opposite ways to mammals more

Bird pupils behave unexpectedly different

Pupil size changes in awake and sleeping birds in opposite ways to mammals more

From amateur to expert

From amateur to expert

September 20, 2021

Mice’s learning skills help researchers pinpointing brain areas where acquired knowledge is stored. more

From amateur to expert

From amateur to expert

September 20, 2021

Mice’s learning skills help researchers pinpointing brain areas where acquired knowledge is stored. more

Flawed quality control in the brain

New mouse type reveals when neurons fail to cope with misfolded proteins more

Flawed quality control in the brain

New mouse type reveals when neurons fail to cope with misfolded proteins more

Recognition for outstanding publications by young scientists

Young Scientist Award 2020 goes to Nikolai Hörmann and Nate Nejc Dolensek more

The complex task of staying on course

To fly straight, fruit flies need the ability to detect motion. more

The complex task of staying on course

To fly straight, fruit flies need the ability to detect motion. more

Remember more by taking breaks

Longer breaks during learning lead to more stable activation patterns in the brain. more

Remember more by taking breaks

Longer breaks during learning lead to more stable activation patterns in the brain. more

Songbirds like it sweet

Songbirds like it sweet

July 09, 2021

Songbird ancestors evolved a new way to taste sugar more

Songbirds like it sweet

Songbirds like it sweet

July 09, 2021

Songbird ancestors evolved a new way to taste sugar more

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