Staff photo taken from above in the institute's entrance area on the occasion of the institute's Diversity Day

Welcome to the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen

Learn more about us and our organisation.
Close-up of a researcher in blue gloves using tweezers and thread to adjust samples under a microscope.

Research overview

Find out more about the scientific research areas.
Researchers in lab coats examine plant specimens on display at the MPI for Biology's Diversity Day

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Director Andrei Lupas in a lab meeting with department colleagues

Latest Research News and Events

Stay up to date on all scientific seminars, lectures, and news.
Female doctoral researcher working at a microscope, surrounded by green lighting and lab equipment

Scientific Facilities and Services

The Institute has a wide range of specialized high-end instrumentation in our dedicated research facilities.

News
Viral symptoms observed in the filamentous brown algae Ectocarpus sp.

Sleeping giants: How hidden viruses wake up inside seaweed, and pass on to future generations

May 18, 2026

Researchers discover that giant viruses can lie dormant within a multicellular host genome, reactivate on cue, and be inherited like a super-gene.
 
more
Drawing of an orange-coloured Pristionchus pacificus nematode as it sucks the life out of a small Caenorhabditis elegans larva

Vitamin B12 Found to Drive Inherited Behavioural Changes Across Generations

April 10, 2026

A new study reveals how diet shapes inherited behaviour.

 
more
High-resolution fluorescence imaging of a tissue cross-section highlighting cellular boundaries (red) and nuclei (grey)

When oxygen determines if a limb can regrow

April 09, 2026

Can Aztekin and his team have discovered how oxygen-sensing explains why amphibians regenerate limbs and mammals do not.
more
More news

Talks and Events

DSSS - cancelled

Jun 11, 2026 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
MPH lecture hall, Max-Planck-Ring 6

DSSS - From DNA to ecosystems – the promise of metabarcoding biological archives for biodiversity monitoring

Jun 25, 2026 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
MPH lecture hall, Max-Planck-Ring 6

DSSS - tba

Jul 2, 2026 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
MPH lecture hall, Max-Planck-Ring 6
May 2026
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
More events

Videos


Photo of Director Andrei Lupas talking about the research undertaken in his department

The Origin of Life

Youtube-Video
Introduction into the key research fields of the Department of Protein Evolution, led by Andrei Lupas. 
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Photo of Director Ruth Ley in the laboratory

On the Trail of Gut Microbes

Youtube-Video
Get to know the Department of Microbiome Science which is headed by Ruth Ley.
more
Photo of Director Susana Coelho in the laboratory

The Evolution of Sexual Systems

Youtube-Video
Dive into algal research and the science behind the evolution of the sexes at the Department of Algal Devolopment and Evolution, directed by Susana Coelho.
more
Photo of Director Ralf Sommer walking through his department's lab

Adaptability of Life

Youtube-Video
Learn more about the adpatability of organisms to their environment which the reseach department of Ralf Sommer is focusing on. 
more
Photo of Director Detlef Weigel in the laboratory greenhouse

The Future of Biodiversity

Youtube-Video
How can the diversity of life become preserved? Learn more about the research and answers of Detlef Weigel at his Department of Molecular Biology. 
more
Director Detlef Weigel in an interview held in the laboratory greenhouse

The Consequences of Climate Change

Youtube-Video
Climate change forces plant populations to adapt. Detlef Weigel has studied how the future climate will affect their survival.
more
Research Group Leader Honour McCann in an interview holding a bunch of bananas and discussing plant pathogen evolution

Plant Pathogen Evolution: Bananas

Honour McCann's introduces the impact of the plant pathogen on banana plantations.
more
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