Robots that come close to human behaviour and one day even subjugate us - is this something from Hollywood or is the advancement of artificial intelligence actually a threat to humanity? Five experts tackled this question at the Oldenburg Castle Talks.

University organises first nationwide conference for researching students / Submission of contributions now open

Accepting refugees, maintaining the swimming pool or the location of the new kindergarten - local elected representatives shape politics in cities and municipalities. Political scientist Markus Tepe wants to take a closer look at the factors that play a role in their election and participation.

What do climate-related increases in rainfall mean for a region that lies one third below sea level? How can and must it adapt its drainage management? These questions are the driving force behind a new research project at the university.

"Freiheitsraum Reformation", a co-operation project between the University of Oldenburg and partners from culture, science and society to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, will receive further funding in the coming year.

Corporal punishment in school sports, Aristotle's reflections on drunkenness or the colourful world of "Lolita": using examples like these, experts from Japan and Germany analysed the development of self-images and world views at the University of Oldenburg.

Deepwater Horizon, Exxon Valdez, Prestige - how does nature manage to recover from such immense interventions? Scientists have known for some time that bacteria play a key role here. Oldenburg researchers have now discovered how these microorganisms manage to clean their environment.

Who wouldn't sometimes like to be able to split up and be in several places at the same time? Jellyfish can do this: reproduce, for example, by simply cutting off parts from which a new individual then emerges. Biology student Anneke Heins got to the bottom of the strategies of one particular…

Hearing damage caused by noise has hardly been recognised to date. Oldenburg hearing researcher Sarah Verhulst wants to change this. The junior professor in the "Hearing4all" cluster of excellence is receiving 1.5 million euros from the European Research Council.

Making scientific knowledge gained at the university freely accessible to everyone: This is the aim of an Open Access Publication Fund, which the University Executive Board is now setting up with the help of funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Doctoral researchers are currently being called upon to elect their representatives to the DFG's review boards and thus help shape the research landscape of the coming years. In this interview, Katharina Al-Shamery, Vice President for Research and Transfer, explains why it is important to take part…

A new research network in the marine sciences is aiming for a future cluster of excellence together with Bremen. Coordinator Helmut Hillebrand from the Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) talks about developing a joint agenda - and a new perspective on biodiversity.

The oceans are becoming more acidic. What does this mean for the global climate? To find out, researchers have simulated the ocean of the future off the coast of Sweden. A team from Oldenburg took part - and were in for a surprise.

Small and always online: "Smart cameras" concealed on glasses, jewellery or bicycle helmets could soon completely digitalise our lives in public spaces. A new research project is analysing technical opportunities and the need for legal regulation - an interview with project leader Jürgen Taeger.

More than half of the Earth is covered by water, but even the far side of the moon has been more thoroughly explored than the world's oceans. Researchers have now solved one of the oceans' mysteries: they have discovered how the hot springs in the deep sea help to keep the global climate stable.

The interdisciplinary Research Centre Neurosensory Science (FZN) at the University of Oldenburg has a new board of directors. Following a unanimous election, biochemist Prof. Dr Karl-Wilhelm Koch will serve as Managing Director of the cross-faculty centre for the next two years.

Migratory birds are masters at navigating. Young animals that do not learn this in the first few months of their lives permanently lack a sense of direction - or so biologists previously thought. A team of researchers from Oldenburg has now discovered that nature gives animals a second chance, for…

Together with four South and East African partners, the university has launched an international scientific centre. The aim: to take educational research and management in Africa to a new level.

What happens to the sensitive ecology of the coast as Europe grows ever closer together? What problems will arise and how can they be solved? Oldenburg researchers are looking for the answers at the newly established Jean Monnet Centre "Europeanising Coastal Regions".

Engineering sciences also made it into the top ten.