Scientific highlights 2020

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2020 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 12 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year

December 21, 2020
Neandertal gene variant increases risk of severe Covid-19
A segment of DNA that causes their carriers to have an up to three times higher risk of developing severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals more
German Counties: People in the South Live Longer than those in the North
People do not reach the same age everywhere in Germany. Roland Rau calculated the average life expectancy for men and women in all 402 German counties. He discovered that the numbers varied by more than five years and attributed that difference to poverty more
3D printed Damascus steel
A composite material with metal layers of varying hardness can be produced through clever temperature variation more
Our deepest view of the X-ray sky
The eROSITA telescope has provided a new, sharp view of hot and energetic processes across the Universe more
Oldest Connection with Native Americans Identified Near Lake Baikal in Siberia
Newly sequenced genomes from prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the region of Lake Baikal reveal connections with First Americans and across Eurasia more
Quantifying the impact of interventions
A Göttingen team analyzes the progression of the epidemic in Germany more
Photosynthesis in a droplet
Researchers develop an artificial chloroplast more
Quantum jump tipping the balance
Measuring tiny differences in mass between different quantum states provides new insights into heavy atoms more
The roots of language
Early evolutionary origin of the human language pathway discovered more
Dance around the heart of our Milky Way
The star S2 orbits the supermassive black hole on a rosette-shaped orbit and confirms Einstein's theory more
The facial expressions of mice
The face of a mouse reveals its emotions. Similar to humans, the face of a mouse looks completely different when it tastes something sweet or bitter, or when it becomes anxious. With this new possibility to render the emotions of mice measurable, neurobiologists can now investigate the basic mechanisms of how emotions are generated and processed in the brain.
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More precise Cas9 variant
Researchers develop more specific CRISPR-Cas9 gene scissors more

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