Migratory birds find their way with astonishing accuracy. But how they determine their east-west position has long been unclear. Now Oldenburg migratory bird expert Henrik Mouritsen and an international team of scientists have shown how reed warblers solve this longitude problem.

Oldenburg postdoc Pamela Rossel is researching hydrothermal vents in the deep sea - not a topic that is easy to communicate. In the project "Once upon a time ... scientific short stories", the geochemist has taken up the challenge.

Is it possible to predict meteorite impacts on Earth? A group of international scientists wants to try to do just that. Together with the European Space Agency ESA, radiation physicist Björn Poppe will set up a corresponding facility at the university.

Assessing the state of an ecosystem solely on the basis of short-term changes in the number of different species it contains can lead to false conclusions, a new study by an international team of researchers led by the ecologist Helmut Hillebrand shows. In order to assess ecosystems experts should…

On 1 August, Oldenburg's pedestrian zone turned 50 years old. It was the first shopping centre in Germany to encompass several streets. In this interview, urban sociologist Norbert Gestring from the Institute of Social Sciences explains the extent to which this has changed the region and how the…

Citizens as researchers are in demand in marine science, determining water colours via smartphone, among other things. Marine physicist Oliver Zielinski talks about the clouding coastal sea, tried-and-tested research methods - and a vision for the future of citizen science.

Is there a northern limit for dangerous algae? An expedition led by Oldenburg on the research vessel Maria S. Merian "MSM65" is currently investigating this key question. The scientists want to find out more about the impact of global climate change on biodiversity.

Getting married even though your partner belongs to a different religion or denomination? In past centuries, such marriages were considered a disruptive factor. In this interview, historian Dagmar Freist talks about external pressure, escalating conflicts between parents over the faith of their…

Stephan Weil also stopped off at the ForWind wind researchers on his summer trip through the north. During his tour, the Minister President inspected the new WindLab and was impressed: "The University of Oldenburg is actively contributing to the success of the energy transition."

Antarctic krill, a small crustacean, is the food source for many animals in the Southern Ocean - and one of the most abundant species in the world. New findings from researchers in Oldenburg now show that competition for food in particular causes krill populations in the Southern Ocean to fluctuate…

Researching biodiversity in the oceans and developing practical concepts for nature conservation - this is the challenge that the scientists at the newly founded Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity want to tackle. In this interview, biodiversity expert Helmut Hillebrand talks…

Closing research gaps and creating a scientific basis for marine conservation - these are the goals of the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity. The Institute was officially founded at the University of Oldenburg on Wednesday.

More and more young people are beginning to study after leaving school. However, some students leave university without a degree or change their degree programme. The reasons why some drop out of their studies and how the number of dropouts can be reduced are now being investigated by Oldenburg…

Mixtures of hydrocarbons - such as crude oil or natural gas - are the basis for many products, from painkillers to plastic packaging. How can carbon-hydrogen bonds be brought to direct reactions in a targeted manner? This is what doctoral students in a new Oldenburg research training group will soon…

A team led by biochemists Karl-Wilhelm Koch and Farina Vocke has succeeded in elucidating the molecular basis of a genetic retinal disease. The findings could help to better understand more common forms of retinal degeneration.

When ADHD patients become adults, their disorder is not necessarily over - but treatment often stops, according to scientists at the university. The Oldenburg ADHD outpatient clinic would therefore also like to better dovetail adolescent and adult psychiatry.

On Ardley Island in the Antarctic, a colony of gentoo penguins lives dangerously close to a volcano: the penguins have been brought to the brink of extinction several times over the past 7,000 years by volcanic eruptions. This is shown by a recent study in which Oldenburg researchers were involved.

It is not a beauty, pale and rather inconspicuous - but in terms of evolutionary biology it is a sensation: the first known cave fish in Europe. Oldenburg genomicist Arne Nolte was also involved in the spectacular discovery north of Lake Constance.

It is wafer-thin, but nevertheless important - the boundary layer between the ocean and the atmosphere. It influences the exchange of gases between water and air - and thus has an impact on the climate. An international team of researchers is now investigating this layer in the Jade Bay.

Is the agricultural industry producing the right seeds for sustainable agriculture? Can common property rights to varieties change plant cultivation socially and ecologically? The "Right Seeds" research group is focussing on these questions.