Research in Germany

• Nest-building in fish: Shell-dwelling cichlids build nests from empty snail shells, using them for shelter and to raise their young. • Stereotypical behavioral sequence: The fish follow a set sequence of actions to bury the shell in the sand. However, they can respond flexibly to variables, such as the shape of a snail shell. • Innate behavior: Even fish with no prior exposure to snail shells know how to transform one into a nest. However, it takes them longer the first time and they become more skilled with practice. • Cognitive components: Alongside instinctive behaviors, the ability to adapt and learn also plays a role in nest-building.

Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels is not only making the continent economically and politically vulnerable, it also has dramatic consequences for the population’s health. Growing air pollution, heat damage and the climate-related spread of infectious diseases are looming, warns the 2026 Europe Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, which its co-directors Prof. Dr Joacim Rocklöv and Prof. Dr Cathryn Tonne are about to present to the public. Together with other experts from academia, practice and policy they will discuss the report’s results during a public event at Heidelberg University. The launch event with livestreaming is to take place on 22 April 2026.

The halomethane compound bromoform (CHBr3) has devastating effects on the ozone layer. In the upper layers of the atmosphere, bromoform reacts with UV radiation, releasing bromine molecules which destroy ozone molecules. This reaction, however, has long puzzled scientists; the molecules involved seem to wander relative to each other in a way that energetically does not make sense. Scientists at European XFEL have now revealed structural evidence for this roaming mechanism for the first time, establishing it as a universal characteristic of photochemical reactions.

Quantum computers are considered one of the most important technologies of the 21st century, which is why Germany’s federal government is investing billions of euros in their development. The enormous potential of these computers derives from their ability to solve problems that conventional computers cannot solve. However, while these computers have a great deal of potential, their technology is fragile. A team of international researchers, including Freie Universität quantum physics professor Jens Eisert, published a study in Nature Physics exploring the limitations of fault-tolerant quantum computing which could significantly inform strategic political and industrial decisions.

The ability to recreate a study and produce the same result is a cornerstone of research credibility. So how is credibility impacted if half of a discipline’s research findings cannot be replicated? That is the question facing the social and behavioral sciences following the publication of a landmark new study in Nature, which found researchers could only successfully replicate the results of published studies about half the time. In the largest-ever effort of its kind, Constructor University researchers joined more than 800 social scientists from around the world to assess nearly 4,000 claims from several hundred published studies for reproducibility, replicability and robustness.

Heavy calcium ions or light electrons captured in the same trap