Research in Germany

As humanitarian funding shrinks, conventional fundraising wisdom says to hold on to loyal donors. But new research shows that the value of a donor depends on how a nonprofit is set up. For many organizations, winning new donors matters more than keeping loyal ones.

One of the central problems in psychiatry is the lack of objective biomarkers: While other areas of medicine have reliable methods for diagnosis and treatment, like X-rays or blood tests, psychiatrists and researchers rely on the patient’s self-reported symptoms. In a new study, researchers identified connectivity within the hippocampus as a novel biomarker candidate for the early risk stages of psychotic disorders - and a potential predictor for difficult-to-treat negative symptoms.

Satisfaction with democracy in Germany has reached an all-time low. At the same time, people are idealising the past and expressing a longing for an apocalyptic break with the present. There is also growing demand for a strong political party, reflecting authoritarian attitudes, while anti-Semitic statements attract high levels of agreement. These are among the key findings of the 2026 Leipzig Authoritarianism Study, whose German title translates as “The Resistible Rise of Authoritarianism”. The study was presented today (11 November) at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin by Professor Oliver Decker (Leipzig University) and Dr Ayline Heller (GESIS).

New Study Shows That Polymetallic Nodules Are Important Habitats for Tiny Marine Organisms

Reliable population-based information on suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts is essential for effective suicide prevention but remains limited in Germany. In the 2024 RKI Panel ‘Health in Germany’, more than 27,000 adults were surveyed about these topics. The results have now been published in RKI’s Journal of Health Monitoring ().

Weather stations, Earth observation satellites and seismographs collect extensive data that help predict natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. How such technologies can be used more effectively through international cooperation is the subject of the statement published yesterday by the G20 science academies “Enabling the Effective Use of Technology for Resilience to Natural Hazards and Disasters through International Collaboration”. Ahead of the G20 Summit on 14 and 15 December 2026 in Miami, USA, the science academies of these countries, including the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, are presenting science-based recommendations in the Science20 format.