MPI for Biological Intelligence
@mpiforbi.bsky.social
Max Planck Institute investigating how animals acquire, store, apply and pass on knowledge about their environment.
We warmly congratulate Dr. Auguste von Bayern on her appointment as a new external member of the University of Bayreuth’s university council. She took up her role on 15 November 2025, with her appointment running until 14 November 2029.
🔗 Press release: www.uni-bayreuth.de/en/press-rel...
🔗 Press release: www.uni-bayreuth.de/en/press-rel...
November 21, 2025 at 12:36 PM
We warmly congratulate Dr. Auguste von Bayern on her appointment as a new external member of the University of Bayreuth’s university council. She took up her role on 15 November 2025, with her appointment running until 14 November 2029.
🔗 Press release: www.uni-bayreuth.de/en/press-rel...
🔗 Press release: www.uni-bayreuth.de/en/press-rel...
Thank you for 312 applications from 48 different countries spread over 5 different continents for our IMPRS-BI graduate program 2026! We are truly impressed by your enthusiasm and interest. After reviewing your applications, we will send out interview invitations in December. Good luck! 🍀
November 18, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Thank you for 312 applications from 48 different countries spread over 5 different continents for our IMPRS-BI graduate program 2026! We are truly impressed by your enthusiasm and interest. After reviewing your applications, we will send out interview invitations in December. Good luck! 🍀
How does a fish know when to blend in? Scientists identified a key circuit controlling camouflage in zebrafish – from cells in the retina sensing light to nerve cells in the brain controlling the release of a hormone that pales the skin to match bright backgrounds.
www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-11...
www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-11...
November 10, 2025 at 3:08 PM
How does a fish know when to blend in? Scientists identified a key circuit controlling camouflage in zebrafish – from cells in the retina sensing light to nerve cells in the brain controlling the release of a hormone that pales the skin to match bright backgrounds.
www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-11...
www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-11...
How does the brain maintain dormant core abilities even when they're not used? A new study in female canaries shows that their neural circuit for song learning remains intact throughout life, even though the females usually never sing.
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-10...
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-10...
October 21, 2025 at 8:48 AM
How does the brain maintain dormant core abilities even when they're not used? A new study in female canaries shows that their neural circuit for song learning remains intact throughout life, even though the females usually never sing.
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-10...
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-10...
What is the genetic basis of bird migration? Find out in our next keynote lecture by Miriam Liedvogel @genmig.bsky.social, Professor of Ornithology at the Uni Oldenburg and Director of the Institute of Avian Research!
📍October 21 at 11am in House 4 in Seewiesen
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
📍October 21 at 11am in House 4 in Seewiesen
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
October 16, 2025 at 3:29 PM
What is the genetic basis of bird migration? Find out in our next keynote lecture by Miriam Liedvogel @genmig.bsky.social, Professor of Ornithology at the Uni Oldenburg and Director of the Institute of Avian Research!
📍October 21 at 11am in House 4 in Seewiesen
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
📍October 21 at 11am in House 4 in Seewiesen
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
Our PhD students led a summer school on animal bioacoustics in The Gambia! Ten undergrads learned to record, analyze & understand wildlife sounds — supported by the Bridging Minds Max Planck Africa Initiative.
October 15, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Our PhD students led a summer school on animal bioacoustics in The Gambia! Ten undergrads learned to record, analyze & understand wildlife sounds — supported by the Bridging Minds Max Planck Africa Initiative.
We are happy to welcome Joseph Parker, the Director of the Center for Evolutionary Science at Caltech, as keynote speaker at our Institute next week! Join us for his lecture on October 14, 11 am in the large lecture hall in Martinsried!
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
October 9, 2025 at 2:31 PM
We are happy to welcome Joseph Parker, the Director of the Center for Evolutionary Science at Caltech, as keynote speaker at our Institute next week! Join us for his lecture on October 14, 11 am in the large lecture hall in Martinsried!
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
#pictureofthemonth: A male white-browed sparrow-weaver in the Kalahari savannah takes a break from
feeding its chicks.
Find out more: www.bi.mpg.de/gahr
October – Institute calendar of @mpibiochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social
Picture by Lisa Trost
feeding its chicks.
Find out more: www.bi.mpg.de/gahr
October – Institute calendar of @mpibiochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social
Picture by Lisa Trost
October 5, 2025 at 6:33 AM
#pictureofthemonth: A male white-browed sparrow-weaver in the Kalahari savannah takes a break from
feeding its chicks.
Find out more: www.bi.mpg.de/gahr
October – Institute calendar of @mpibiochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social
Picture by Lisa Trost
feeding its chicks.
Find out more: www.bi.mpg.de/gahr
October – Institute calendar of @mpibiochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social
Picture by Lisa Trost
How do we investigate the complexities of the brain? Step into our labs and find out firsthand! From experiments to lab tours – have a look on October 25 and talk to us about our research!
🧪🧠Find out more (in German): mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
🧪🧠Find out more (in German): mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
October 3, 2025 at 3:37 PM
How do we investigate the complexities of the brain? Step into our labs and find out firsthand! From experiments to lab tours – have a look on October 25 and talk to us about our research!
🧪🧠Find out more (in German): mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
🧪🧠Find out more (in German): mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
Elektrizität als Sprache von Lebewesen: Für ein “Heimspiel Wissenschaft” kehrt unser Wissenschaftler Etienne Serbe-Kamp in sein Heimatdorf ins Allgäu zurück, um mit spannenden Mitmach-Experimenten für Forschung zu begeistern!🧪🧠⚡
Mehr Infos: heimspiel-wissenschaft.de/veranstaltun...
@maxplanck.de
Mehr Infos: heimspiel-wissenschaft.de/veranstaltun...
@maxplanck.de
October 1, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Elektrizität als Sprache von Lebewesen: Für ein “Heimspiel Wissenschaft” kehrt unser Wissenschaftler Etienne Serbe-Kamp in sein Heimatdorf ins Allgäu zurück, um mit spannenden Mitmach-Experimenten für Forschung zu begeistern!🧪🧠⚡
Mehr Infos: heimspiel-wissenschaft.de/veranstaltun...
@maxplanck.de
Mehr Infos: heimspiel-wissenschaft.de/veranstaltun...
@maxplanck.de
We are recruiting PhD students! Join us in exploring the multiple dimensions of biological intelligence at our international and fully funded graduate program IMPRS-BI in the Munich area, Germany!
🔔 Application period: 1 October to 10 November
🧪 Apply here: imprs-bi.mpg.de
🔔 Application period: 1 October to 10 November
🧪 Apply here: imprs-bi.mpg.de
October 1, 2025 at 7:44 AM
We are recruiting PhD students! Join us in exploring the multiple dimensions of biological intelligence at our international and fully funded graduate program IMPRS-BI in the Munich area, Germany!
🔔 Application period: 1 October to 10 November
🧪 Apply here: imprs-bi.mpg.de
🔔 Application period: 1 October to 10 November
🧪 Apply here: imprs-bi.mpg.de
Call them Dr., please! 🎓 We are incredibly proud of our recently graduated PhDs and wish them all the best for their future! 🎉✨
September 26, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Call them Dr., please! 🎓 We are incredibly proud of our recently graduated PhDs and wish them all the best for their future! 🎉✨
Curious about how your body and brain interact when you learn? Find out more at our next "Emerging Scientist Talk" with Christopher Zimmerman, a postdoc at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute!
📍September 30 at 11am in NQ105 in Martinsried
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
📍September 30 at 11am in NQ105 in Martinsried
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
September 25, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Curious about how your body and brain interact when you learn? Find out more at our next "Emerging Scientist Talk" with Christopher Zimmerman, a postdoc at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute!
📍September 30 at 11am in NQ105 in Martinsried
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
📍September 30 at 11am in NQ105 in Martinsried
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
Apply now to become a speaker at our Institute! We invite excellent postdocs in neuroscience, ecology and other fields related to our research to apply for our Emerging Scientist Talk Series. Apply by October 24: www.bi.mpg.de/ess
@chr-mayer.bsky.social @fleyes.bsky.social @michaelahau.bsky.social
@chr-mayer.bsky.social @fleyes.bsky.social @michaelahau.bsky.social
September 19, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Apply now to become a speaker at our Institute! We invite excellent postdocs in neuroscience, ecology and other fields related to our research to apply for our Emerging Scientist Talk Series. Apply by October 24: www.bi.mpg.de/ess
@chr-mayer.bsky.social @fleyes.bsky.social @michaelahau.bsky.social
@chr-mayer.bsky.social @fleyes.bsky.social @michaelahau.bsky.social
🧪Want to work in the lab like a pro? Do hands-on experiments yourself at our Open Day!
In our visitors’ laboratory, we offer different courses – and that’s only one of many exciting program points throughout the day!
Find out more (in German): mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
@mpibiochem.bsky.social
In our visitors’ laboratory, we offer different courses – and that’s only one of many exciting program points throughout the day!
Find out more (in German): mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
@mpibiochem.bsky.social
September 18, 2025 at 12:49 PM
🧪Want to work in the lab like a pro? Do hands-on experiments yourself at our Open Day!
In our visitors’ laboratory, we offer different courses – and that’s only one of many exciting program points throughout the day!
Find out more (in German): mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
@mpibiochem.bsky.social
In our visitors’ laboratory, we offer different courses – and that’s only one of many exciting program points throughout the day!
Find out more (in German): mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
@mpibiochem.bsky.social
Come find out at our Open Day on October 25! Tours, talks, experiments – we'll give you exclusive insight into what we do.
More details: mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
@mpibiochem.bsky.social
More details: mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
@mpibiochem.bsky.social
September 11, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Come find out at our Open Day on October 25! Tours, talks, experiments – we'll give you exclusive insight into what we do.
More details: mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
@mpibiochem.bsky.social
More details: mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
@mpibiochem.bsky.social
From RNA to evolution: Come join our next keynote lecture on the choreography of brain development by @debbysilver.bsky.social, Professor at Duke University!
📍September 15 at 11am in NQ105 in Martinsried
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
📍September 15 at 11am in NQ105 in Martinsried
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
September 11, 2025 at 8:23 AM
From RNA to evolution: Come join our next keynote lecture on the choreography of brain development by @debbysilver.bsky.social, Professor at Duke University!
📍September 15 at 11am in NQ105 in Martinsried
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
📍September 15 at 11am in NQ105 in Martinsried
Art by @somedonkey.bsky.social
Blue-throated macaws can learn to respond to unknown gestures by observing interaction of peers, an ability referred to as third party imitation, so far documented only in humans.
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-09...
Scientific paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@loroparque.bsky.social
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-09...
Scientific paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@loroparque.bsky.social
September 5, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Blue-throated macaws can learn to respond to unknown gestures by observing interaction of peers, an ability referred to as third party imitation, so far documented only in humans.
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-09...
Scientific paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@loroparque.bsky.social
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-09...
Scientific paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@loroparque.bsky.social
🧠🧪Brain-bending news: A new study reveals how changes in cell behavior and number affect the formation of distinct grooves and ridges in the brain.
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-08...
Scientific publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-08...
Scientific publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 29, 2025 at 8:46 AM
🧠🧪Brain-bending news: A new study reveals how changes in cell behavior and number affect the formation of distinct grooves and ridges in the brain.
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-08...
Scientific publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Read more: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-08...
Scientific publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
SAVE THE DATE: We, the @mpiforbi.bsky.social and @mpibiochem.bsky.social, are opening our doors for you on October 25! Tours, talks, experiments – Join us to learn more about us and our science!
More information: mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
More information: mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
August 28, 2025 at 1:37 PM
SAVE THE DATE: We, the @mpiforbi.bsky.social and @mpibiochem.bsky.social, are opening our doors for you on October 25! Tours, talks, experiments – Join us to learn more about us and our science!
More information: mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
More information: mpi.lineupr.com/tdot/
In robins, males and females sing to defend a territory. A new paper in @royalsocietypublishing.org shows that both increase vocal effort when hearing the song of an intruder, regardless of its sex. This highlights the role of female birdsong in displaying aggression: doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
August 27, 2025 at 8:33 AM
In robins, males and females sing to defend a territory. A new paper in @royalsocietypublishing.org shows that both increase vocal effort when hearing the song of an intruder, regardless of its sex. This highlights the role of female birdsong in displaying aggression: doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Are you passionate about communicating science on social media? Join our communications team as content creator! We are looking for someone with video skills to take over our institutes' social media accounts.
Apply here: www.bi.mpg.de/2775468/job_...
Apply here: www.bi.mpg.de/2775468/job_...
August 21, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Are you passionate about communicating science on social media? Join our communications team as content creator! We are looking for someone with video skills to take over our institutes' social media accounts.
Apply here: www.bi.mpg.de/2775468/job_...
Apply here: www.bi.mpg.de/2775468/job_...
To be heard over roaring rivers, white-throated dippers swap from song to flashing their bright eyelids. New research reveals one of the clearest examples yet of animals switching between senses to communicate – showing how noisy environments can shape evolution: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-08...
August 15, 2025 at 3:33 PM
To be heard over roaring rivers, white-throated dippers swap from song to flashing their bright eyelids. New research reveals one of the clearest examples yet of animals switching between senses to communicate – showing how noisy environments can shape evolution: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-08...
#pictureofthemonth: Pairs of white-browed coucals often duet. Here you see a coucal listening to a playback recording of its own species. Find out more: www.bi.mpg.de/goymann
August – Institute calendar of @mpibiochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social
Picture by @dudumizi.bsky.social
August – Institute calendar of @mpibiochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social
Picture by @dudumizi.bsky.social
August 6, 2025 at 7:23 AM
#pictureofthemonth: Pairs of white-browed coucals often duet. Here you see a coucal listening to a playback recording of its own species. Find out more: www.bi.mpg.de/goymann
August – Institute calendar of @mpibiochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social
Picture by @dudumizi.bsky.social
August – Institute calendar of @mpibiochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social
Picture by @dudumizi.bsky.social
We might be nerdy, but we’re definitely fast! At the #B2Run Munich, 60 employees of the @mpibiochem.bsky.social ochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social sky.social laced up their running shoes and showed the world that scientists can be seriously fit, despite spending a lot of time in the lab!
July 18, 2025 at 4:36 PM
We might be nerdy, but we’re definitely fast! At the #B2Run Munich, 60 employees of the @mpibiochem.bsky.social ochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social sky.social laced up their running shoes and showed the world that scientists can be seriously fit, despite spending a lot of time in the lab!