Ten minutes, scientific content and a lot of fun: these were the rules of the 9th Oldenburg Science Slam. Five young scientists competed this year in the sold-out Exerzierhalle.

First Qatar, now Oldenburg: the "2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research" took place at the university at the end of May. Student Greta Lotte Kuhls was part of the organising team and looks back on three exciting days.

By Christoph Lienau. We discuss the story behind our recent Nature Nano paper introducing plasmonic nanofocusing as a powerful technique for light-scattering spectroscopy of single nano-objects with few nanometer spatial resolution and high sensitivity.

Work on the Centre for Marine Sensors is progressing: the foundation stone for the extension building was laid today at the Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment in Wilhelmshaven in the presence of Science Minister Björn Thümler.

Scientists from Oldenburg and Bremen have shown that the associations of marine plankton in the present are markedly different from those of pre-industrial times. The study underlines how climate change effects biodiversity.

Hardly any other school subject is taught as often as politics. Yet this discipline contributes to the continued existence of democracy. Political didactics expert Tonio Oeftering on the value of political education - also with a view to the European elections.

Urologists from the Klinikum Oldenburg and scientists from the Faculty of Medicine are conducting joint research in the field of prostate cancer – with visible international success.

Significantly improved acoustics, new technology, more space for instruments: Over the past ten months, the Chamber Music Hall at the Institute of Music has been completely refurbished.

Sport is seen as the engine of integration. But is that even true? Two young Oldenburg academics take a critical look at the claims behind this theory - and put forward their own concept to counter it.

Special physical laws apply to distances of less than a hair's breadth. The physicist Svend-Age Biehs explores these amazing phenomena. He recently received the Gustav Hertz Prize from the German Physical Society.

On 11 May, Oldenburg Master's students will open the self-organised exhibition "HOW WE KNOW - Interfaces between research and everyday life". Pieces from the university's collections will be placed in an unusual context.

Yesterday, the World Biodiversity Council IPBES published its first report on the state of biodiversity. Dr Ute Jacob from the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg (HIFMB) was present in Paris.

How did tobacco, tea, caffeine, sugar, chocolate and opium transform life in northern Europe's port cities from the 17th century onwards? Historians from the universities of Oldenburg, Sheffield, Utrecht and Stockholm will investigate this impact.

Minimalism, cubic shapes and right angles: students at the University of Oldenburg were inspired by the works of various Bauhaus artists. Their project work can now be seen at the State Museum of Art and Cultural History.

An image, a thought or a text - composer Violeta Dinescu is inspired by a wide variety of things. Above all, the university lecturer wants to teach her students how to compose authentic music. An interview.

In the REENEA project, scientists led by sociologist Jannika Mattes are researching the regional energy transition as a social process. The initial results from Oldenburg are now available - and generated discussion at a stakeholder workshop.

Writing a seminar paper, bachelor's or master's thesis can be quite challenging. Students of the humanities and social sciences can find support with the "Writing support for term papers and theses".

Voting with a cigarette butt? On the Haarentor campus, smokers can now use so-called ballot bins - bright yellow ashtrays that students regularly use to "choke off".

Medical physicists at the University of Oldenburg are investigating not only terrestrial but also cosmic radiation - a connection that only appears unusual at first glance.

More than 300 speakers from 36 countries will be coming to the university at the end of May to present and discuss their findings and network at the World Congress for Student Research.