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Around two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest could shift into degraded forest or savannah-like ecosystems at 1.5-1.9°C of global warming if deforestation increases to roughly 22-28 percent of the Amazon, according to a new study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) published in Nature. Without additional deforestation, by contrast, such large-scale changes would likely occur only at much higher warming levels of around 3.7-4°C.

Many properties of molecules cannot be predicted from the properties of the atoms they consist of these properties only emerge when they are combined – a phenomenon known in science as “emergence.” A publication by Goethe University Frankfurt examines, from chemical, biological, and philosophical perspectives, how emergence and complexity are connected.

Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society, delivered a lecture on gene transcription and regulation as part of his Rolf Sammet Visiting Professorship.

The protein p53 is mutated in many cancer cells, meaning it can no longer fulfill its protective function against tumor development. A team of scientists from Goethe University Frankfurt, along with the universities of Marburg, Cologne, and Zurich, has now succeeded in developing a type of mini-antibody (known as DARPins) that restores p53 functionality in the laboratory. These mini-antibodies can stabilize many p53 mutants and could therefore be suitable as therapeutic agents for a wide range of cancers in the future.

Religions look beyond the visible world. However, most believers also look to them for help with everyday problems. In Christian Europe, these hopes were long realized in “spiritual home remedies”: Compiled without fixed rules, they contained—well into the 20th century—religious and religion-inspired objects that were believed to provide relief from both physical and emotional suffering. 

Science-Policy Dialogue at Goethe University Frankfurt and upcoming Environmental Ministers’ Conference focus on organized environmental crime and the illicit trade in fluorinated greenhouse gases.

Innovative ideas for a more sustainable future took center stage yesterday at the grand finale of the Goethe SDG Contest 2026 at Goethe University Frankfurt. Six finalist teams pitched their concepts to an audience of around 100 guests from academia, industry, and the startup ecosystem after emerging from an intensive bootcamp involving 12 selected projects. Organized by Goethe Unibator in partnership with Santander Germany, the competition supports entrepreneurial approaches that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On April 29, the discussion series “Frankfurt School” will continue at the cinema of the German Film Institute & Film Museum (DFF). The panel discussion with film scholar Gertrud Koch and journalist Bert Rebhandl will explore the question of whether the concept of “culture industry” is still relevant today and how it can be interpreted within the context of digital and global media landscapes.

Artificial intelligence and digital technologies are rapidly transforming the way people learn – from schools and universities to professional training and lifelong education. They enable more personalized learning experiences, support learners and educators alike, and open up entirely new approaches to teaching and instruction. Yet their effective and responsible use requires expertise that is still rarely taught in a systematic way. This is the starting point for the new master’s program “AI and Digital Technology in Learning and Instruction” (ALI) at Goethe University Frankfurt. The interdisciplinary, research-oriented program prepares students for scientific, strategic, and applied roles at the intersection of artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and education. 

Keynote by humor researcher Désirée Krüger on Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. in the Casino (Room 823) on the Westend Campus.

There are places no one will ever visit, simply because they don’t exist in our everyday reality. Mathematicians in the research project CRC/TRR 326 GAUS explore such places daily: they investigate fascinating objects that can neither be touched nor drawn and that no one can truly imagine. To make this possible, they must get creative and approach these inaccessible objects through something they can grasp: they construct models of the objects, study the resulting structures, and, through this indirect method, uncover the properties of the original forms – properties they could never have identified directly.

Under the patronage of the Minister President of Hesse, Boris Rhein, the German Association of Classical Philologists will hold its national congress from April 7 to April 11, 2026, in collaboration with the Institute for Classical Philology at Goethe University. This is the largest professional development event for Latin and Greek instructors, held every two years—at least in the German-speaking world, and quite possibly worldwide—with approximately 500 participants expected.

Some evenings offer more than a meal. In Frankfurt, a handful of tables became the setting for conversations reaching from Tokyo to Kolkata, from Nigeria to South Africa, from philosophy to immunology. The Social Dinners hosted by the Foundation for the Promotion of International Academic Relations at Goethe University serve as a first taste of global science in its most vital form: personal, curious and based on exchange. 

Biologist Horst Lange-Bertalot has devoted his life to the study of diatoms. The internationally acclaimed scientist celebrated his 90th birthday in February.

Academic excellence depends on diversity, freedom and fair opportunities. But independent research can only thrive when institutions provide the right conditions: strong onboarding, awareness of diversity, and reliable support for researchers with different career paths and life circumstances. Goethe University Frankfurt is breaking new ground in this area. A new university-wide study examines the experiences and needs of researchers across all career stages – and identifies where action is needed.

For as long as she can remember, Britta Baumert knew one thing: she wanted to become a teacher. Having reached that decision while still at school, it initially did not seem so important what she would teach rather than the fact that she would teach at all. Although she was raised Catholic and active in parish life as a child and teenager, religion classes at school did little to inspire her. She also viewed the Church with a healthy degree of skepticism. Catholic theology, in other words, was not the obvious path.