We investigate the chemical communication between different organisms - plants, insects and microbes - in Jena, Germany.https://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mrrksrygy22fResearchers from our @oconnorlab.bsky.social found that the oil beetle's parasitic larvae mimic floral scent to attract bees, allowing them to sneak into their nests. This is the first example of an animal mimicking flower odors to manipulate an ecological interaction www.ice.mpg.de/563251/PR_Alam https://www.ice.mpg.de/563251/PR_Alam29 Jul 2026 09:00 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrrksrygy22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mrrkcsyees2fAhmed R Ismaieel and Sonja Bisch-Knaden from our Lepidopteran Neuroethology Group describe in a new paper in @jexpbiol.bsky.social that Manduca sexta moths also use their wings to smell. [contains quote post or other embedded content]29 Jul 2026 08:52 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrrkcsyees2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mr3cg2iyxc24The ERC-funded EPIDEMIC project using clonal raider ants as a model for studying social behavior has officially concluded. Here are the surprising insights that @yukoulrich.bsky.social and her team gained, as well as what they are investigating now: https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/466244-investigating-the-social-determinants-of-disease-risk?WT.mc_id=exp20 Jul 2026 12:32 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr3cg2iyxc24https://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mq2lwvnaxc2kSince 2024, the Beutenberg Campus institutes have focused on mowing less frequently, rotating mowing areas, and preserving untouched refuges. The biodiversity concept is paying off. 47 plant species were identified and 120 insect species were observed in one morning. https://www.ice.mpg.de/561217/biodiversity_concept07 Jul 2026 12:24 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq2lwvnaxc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mondtmlc3s25We are delighted to announce that Ahmed R. Ismaieel successfully defended his PhD thesis on the olfactory role of mouthparts, legs and genitalia in the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. Congratulations to Ahmed and his supervisors, Sonja Bisch-Knaden, @nmvandam.bsky.social, and Bill Hansson. Well done!19 Jun 2026 12:29 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mondtmlc3s25https://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3moierkicgc2mWe are thrilled that Matilde Florean, a former PhD in the @oconnorlab.bsky.social, received the Otto Hahn Medal by @maxplanck.de for groundbreaking research on the convergent evolution of the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites in plants. Congratulations, Matilde! https://www.ice.mpg.de/558167/otto-hahn-medal-matilde-florean17 Jun 2026 13:03 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3moierkicgc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mmt5scvxf22yResearchers from the @museuciencies.cat, @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social, and our @kaltenpoth-lab.bsky.social have discovered UV-induced blue-green biofluorescence in the fire salamander which may be involved in courtship, migration, or predator warning. https://www.ice.mpg.de/557727/PR_Burriel_Brunetti27 May 2026 09:07 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmt5scvxf22yhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mmbhlfvpb227Our international team of 24 ran strong for "Max Planck!" at the Jenaer Firmenlauf. On #DiversityDay2026, we also ran for #WeltoffenesThüringen because Thuringia should be a place where everyone feels welcome, valued, and safe. Thumbs up to our team for spreading the word! #JenasFirmenLaufen20 May 2026 08:14 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmbhlfvpb227https://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mkz7gcsqq224Congratulations to @hellmichgroup.bsky.social! The Max Planck Society awarded her a Max Planck Fellowship. We are happy to have her as a Max Planck Fellow and look forward to intensifying our collaboration with her. https://www.ice.mpg.de/556225/ute-hellmich-becomes-max-planck-fellow04 May 2026 08:02 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkz7gcsqq224https://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mkmm26ytmc2gAre you a master's student who is passionate about insects, smells, and discovery? We are offering a hands-on master's thesis project studying how flies respond to complex odors in nature, and you could join the research team! Apply now: https://jobs.ice.mpg.de/jobposting/2d9cbb02d4e23ad85eea4d74ba6f91e910982758029 Apr 2026 07:43 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkmm26ytmc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mjgxe64nu22aFascinating research results from a team in our @oconnorlab.bsky.social including Ryan Alam, Tobias Köllner and Danny Kessler on blister beetle larvae mimicking flowers and their scent. [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Apr 2026 08:24 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjgxe64nu22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mj534ldvnc26Happy to announce that Anh Hai Vu� from the @oconnorlab.bsky.social has successfully defended her PhD thesis on "Understanding plant natural product biosynthesis using single-cell mass spectrometry"! Congratulations to her and her supervisors Sarah O'Connor and Lorenzo Caputi!10 Apr 2026 10:05 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj534ldvnc26https://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mj2uluhsic2dA research team from @yukoulrich.bsky.social‘s lab at our institute has identified the first brood pheromone in ants—thereby proving that larvae of clonal raider ants actively influence the colony’s reproduction cycle. https://www.ice.mpg.de/550783/PR_Piqueret09 Apr 2026 13:03 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj2uluhsic2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mih3d2ayqc2mRonja Krüsemer and Martin Kaltenpoth of @kaltenpoth-lab.bsky.social et al. report in @natcomms.nature.com on the rapid loss of a beetle symbiont following infection with another bacterium. This could be the key to systematically investigating symbiont exchange. https://www.ice.mpg.de/549447/PR_Kruesemer01 Apr 2026 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mih3d2ayqc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mi2h5kr3nk2mWe are very proud: Julio Antonio Otárola Jiménez successfully defended his PhD thesis today! His research topic was "From Courtship to Egg-Laying: How Chemical Cues and Experience Shape Reproductive Strategies in Drosophila melanogaster". Congratulations, Julio!27 Mar 2026 15:37 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi2h5kr3nk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mhfnixvygk25In this Nature podcast, our director, Sarah O'Connor from the @oconnorlab.bsky.social, explains how she and her team solved the mystery of quinine biosynthesis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeN8LWF8ulQ19 Mar 2026 09:05 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhfnixvygk25https://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mhdvbomzo223The process by which the cinchona tree produces quinine has been elucidated. In a new study published in @nature.com, researchers from the @oconnorlab.bsky.social and the @universityofga.bsky.social unveil the biosynthetic pathway behind this 400-year-old secret. https://www.ice.mpg.de/548102/PR_Kimbadi-Lombe_Zhou18 Mar 2026 16:19 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhdvbomzo223https://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mel4ey2ook2mOn the International Day of Women and Girls in Science we feature 6 amazing women — @mariferrarini.bsky.social, Shristee Panthee, Sonja Bisch-Knaden, @yukoulrich.bsky.social, Xinyi Cheng and @shabmohammadi.bsky.social. Their statements inspire a more inclusive future for women in science.11 Feb 2026 08:59 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mel4ey2ook2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mdwy6zu4ss2nMarkus Knaden et al. from the Odor-Guided Behavior Group in collab. with @yukoulrich.bsky.social report in PNAS that ozone destroys colony-specific odors causing attacks within the colony – a dramatic example of how human pollution can disrupt social systems in nature. https://www.ice.mpg.de/530492/PR_Jiang03 Feb 2026 08:51 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdwy6zu4ss2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mcjvoiv5wk25Researchers from our Dept. of Biochemistry and @uni-kiel.de led by @sunsicker.bsky.social show in @pnas.org that the loss of plant diversity has an impact on the odor signals emitted by plant communities—with consequences for their interactions with other organisms. https://www.ice.mpg.de/527832/PR_Medina16 Jan 2026 10:36 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcjvoiv5wk25https://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mb6zxv4xo22vRuo Sun, Jonathan Gershenzon et al. from our Biochemistry Dept. report in PNAS that the insect-pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana can detoxify the defense substances of bark beetles, which originate from plant precursors, and successfully infect the insects. www.ice.mpg.de/526562/PR_Sun https://www.ice.mpg.de/526562/PR_Sun30 Dec 2025 09:28 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mb6zxv4xo22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3mabd4z63xc2nThe new PULS/CE is out! Topics: Science depends on trust A recipe from two eras Pseudoenzyme controls indole production Plus: An inspiring interview with @shabmohammadi.bsky.social on her life as a researcher and mother, and how science has always been her dream. https://www.ice.mpg.de/257126/newsletter-puls-ce18 Dec 2025 13:52 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mabd4z63xc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3m73vmbow422dMaximilian Lehenberger, Jonathan Gershenzon et al. show in The ISME Journal how a symbiotic fungus helps the ship-timber beetle survive in dead wood. https://www.ice.mpg.de/525357/PR_Lehenberger03 Dec 2025 16:42 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3m73vmbow422dhttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3m652v2zobk2aThe reed leafhopper has become a major crop pest targeting sugar beets & potatoes. Scientists from @kaltenpoth-lab.bsky.social et al. show that it hosts 7 bacteria, 2 of which spread plant diseases. The microbial community may be key to its success in switching hosts. https://www.ice.mpg.de/524703/PR_Vogel21 Nov 2025 10:23 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3m652v2zobk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/mpi-ce.bsky.social/post/3m52gkebkrk2sHuge congratulations to Pamela Medina van Berkum on successfully defending her PhD! Supervised by @sunsicker.bsky.social and Jonathan Gershenzon, her work on how plant biodiversity shapes chemical defenses bridges ecology, chemistry, and evolution. Pam is now part of Sybille’s group at @uni-kiel.de.07 Nov 2025 15:49 +0000at://did:plc:fx3k2tvsaonx4o3k6slc3fbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3m52gkebkrk2s