Science Tunnel Themes
1. From gene to organism:
Which programs control the development of organism?
Like many organisms, a human being develops from a single cell. Today, the
human genome has been completely decoded. Surprisingly discovery: our blue
print contains many molecular similarities to other living beings. But how does an
organism develop from such a plan? How can completely different cells develop
from one set of genetic information? Cells react with their surroundings, making
use of different nutritional sources, repairing defects, and coordinating their
activities in the growth and development cycle. How does the cell use the
information encoded in the genome to fulfill its function? We know that an
organisms not defined only by its genes. In addition to protein-encoded areas,
DNA also contains region that control the gene expression.
This explains why the number of genes does not continue to rise as the organism
becomes more complex, or consequently why the same number of genes can
produce a mouse or a person. But how does a gene interact in networks, and
what influence do external factors exert? Many afflictions, such as cancer,
cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, results from the interactions of numerous
genes and environmental factors. What is the difference between a sick and a
healthy organism?
How can the natural control system be used for new therapy forms? Can we
reprogram body cells? Today, researchers have the chance to study and
understand life as a complex “system”. Together with new technologies, this
could lead to new medicines that treat illness according to the individual genetic
deposition.
2. Architecture of the mind:
How does the brain work?
The human brain is the most complex structure in the universe. It contains
roughly 100 billion nerve cells, each of which has thousands of connections to
other neurons. Their interaction controls each of the body’s functions, allows
thoughts, perception, memories, feelings, and also movements and
communication. Understanding just how the brain works, in health or in sickness,
is one of the greatest challenges of our time. What is determined by genes, what
is formed by experience? Neuroscientists are investigating all aspects of their
nervous system.
Great programs can be expected in visualizing and modeling brain function, as
well as in research into their biological basis. Today, it is assumed that 30 to 50
percent of human genes exercise their function chiefly in the brain. This gives an
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indication of the complexity of the genetic control and development. The cause
of many neurological diseases lies in defects in genes that play a role in
development. Half of all genetic diseases affect the nervous system. The brain
can only reach its full capability through interaction with its surroundings.
Researchers are examining the interaction of genes and experiences with regard
to the expression and fine-tuning of neuronal circuits in the brain. How do nerve
cell processes find their goal? How do different brain areas develop? How do
cognitive functions mature? Thanks to research, the prevention and cure of
many brain diseases seems possible for the first time. Better knowledge of the
way the brain processes information could, moreover, make new computers
possible.
3. The World of Senses:
What is consciousness?
The ability to communicate using complex language and to think actively about
one’s own history and future make us as humans unique. How did our brain?
What is the origin of language and that of cognitive and cultural human skills?
Researchers want to throw light on important aspects of human evolution.
Properties of individual nerve cells are already well research today. However,
when we think, smell, feel, make plans or learn, extremely complex processes
are at work in our brain; they require the interaction of many neurons in
different areas of the brain. New imaging methods make it possible to observe
the brain as it produces cognitive results, and to trace at which times areas of
the brain are activated. But how does the brain use the different information to
produce an image of the world.
Research is focusing on more and more complex cognitive processes and
structures: how do we recognize and distinguish faces, and how is language
processed in the brain? Furthermore, what is the connection between individual
differences in learning and intelligent with variations in the brain? How far can
these differences be traced to a different genetic background?
Additional progress should results in the new integrative methods, which
researchers are currently developing, to allow observation of the extensively
branched neural networks and the development of functional organization in the
brain. The goal is for smart agents and functional MRIs to make it possible to see
changes in ion and molecular concentration, both of which are involved in
signaling processes.
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4. Spaceship earth:
How can we preserve the earth’s protective system?
Life on earth is only possible because of the complex coexistence among land
ecosystems, oceans, atmosphere and the substances that circulate among them.
Small changes can have far-reaching effects. This is why scientists are looking
for a unified understanding of the earth. To this purpose, they take
measurements on the ground and air, and development computer models.
Microorganisms era ubiquitous and, like plants, animals and people, sustain the
biosphere. They control the circulation of life’s most important raw materialscarbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, sulfur, iron, manganese, and water.
Research into microorganisms is necessary interesting enzymes and metabolic
products. The earth itself is very active, as revealed by earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions. This is why the researchers are looking at the earth‘s interior, where a
gigantic dynamo generates an invisible shield that protects us on the earth from
deadly radiation from space. Scientists also want to explore earth‘s surroundings
in space, as solar weather can have serious consequences for our daily life. Only
when we understand the complex interaction of all of these components can we
achieve sustainable use of the earth‘s resources. There are many open
questions. Which regions and components are particularly sensitive to changes?
What the thresholds that, if exceeded, can result in abrupt changes on earth and
just how much influences does mankind have? Are the possibilities for long term
control of the earth’s behavior?
5. Our Home in the cosmos:
How do stars and planets originate?
Beyond the Earth‘s magnetosphere lies interplanetary space. This is filled with
solar wind: electromagnetic wave fields and particle showers, radiating form the
Sun. this is the central star of the planetary system and thus at the center of
attention our solar system researchers. These scientists want to know how the
sun works: what does its magnetic activities look-like? How are the highly
charged particles heated and dispersed in powerful pulses? Which energy
transformation result in the heating of the sun‘s corona and emission of the solar
wind? The researchers are also keeping an eye on the sun ‘s influence on the
Earth: they are investigating the ways in which the sun affects communication
and navigation systems on the earth, as well as long term impact on climate
change. Exploration of the sun, however, entails studying the plants, their
atmospheres and moons, as well as uncovering how they formed and hoe they
developed. This early history of the solar system and the planets can also be
gleaned from comets and meteorites
A prerequisite to clearing up questions is not only powerful earth-based
telescopes, but also space missions. Max plank researchers are involved
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internationally with thee projects, including such successful missions as Mars
Express and the ESO’s large telescopes.
6. The Universe:
How and when did the universe come into existence?
Where do we come from? This question has fascinated mankind throughout
history. But today we want to know more. How did the universe come to be?
Why does it have its present shape and structure? We want to understand
cosmic processes. To find answers to these questions, astronomers and
astrophysicists study the birth and death of stars, and the creation of galaxies
and black holes. They do try to determine how “dark matter” and “dark energy”
is dispersed throughout the universe. We know a great deal about the four
percent of visible matter- however about 96 percent of the invisible stuff in
between, we know next to nothing. To improve their chances of shedding some
light on these matters, astronomers are now, more than ever before teaming up
wit nuclear physicist, particle physicist, cosmologist and mathematicians to model
and simulate structure and processes, bringing together quantum mechanics and
the Theory of Relativity. Their hope is to answer the burning question of how the
universe originated and evolved. How did it come to have the order and
structure we know today, given its apparent I initial chaos? In their quest for
answers, scientists rely on increasingly powerful and complex instruments. This
includes telescopes set up on earth and in space designed to cover the entire
radiation spectrum. Astronomy, today, has already entered a golden era, with
instruments more accurate than ever before, enabling scientist to look far of in t
the universe. We are first human beings to study extrasolar planets and solar
systems.
7. On the way to the Big Bang:
Why are the laws of nature the way they are?
Why wasn’t the world annihilated in to light during the Big Bang, instead of
forming stable matter? How did the universe expand to its current size? What
determined its speed? How constant are “natural constant”? And why do
elementary particles have the mass that they do? Such are the questions at the
core of modern physics- and at the essence of the creation .Human life may
never have developed in a world with even slightly different universal constant.
In the search for answers, physicists are examining the elementary components
of the material world and their interactions, the four fundamental forces: strong
interaction (I) that binds quarks and atoms; the weak interaction (II) important
in radioactive decay; electromagnetic interaction (III) and gravitation (IV).The
latter is still beyond a uniform theory. Physicists are thus developing a model of
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“physics beyond the standard model” and searching for associated fields-such as
the Higgs fields, as the key to gravitation. This is being accomplished with the
world’s largest accelerators: the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the forthcoming
International Linear Collider and the accelerator in Brookhaven. In smaller
experiments, they are determining natural constants more precisely than before.
To this end, particle physicists, astrophysicists and cosmologists of the Max Plank
Society are cooperating internationally across the boundaries of their disciplines:
at the molecular level with biologists, with IT specialists in the field of quantum
information and with mathematicians for the string theory.
8. Nano cosmos:
How can we systematically influence materials?
The nanocosmos are providing the physical, chemical and material sciencerelated foundations for better, more compact and less-expensive future products.
Technical applications are born- from the micro milling machine and ideal
catalytic converter through to semi conducting polymers for optics and
electronics. The targeted development of specific catalysts allows molecular
designing of custom polymers.
New phenomena present challenges for scientists- the gigantic magneto
resistance (GMR) for new storage media, modern high-temperature
superconductors or quantum states of matter, like Bose-Einstein condensate. The
study of materials and their fabrication has long since reached the atomic level.
Researchers at the Max Planck Society are breaking down chemical processes
and the fundamentals interactions between individual atoms chronologically.
They are studying their magnetic, electrical and optical properties with new
microscopy procedures and with synchrotron light. Their view of the anatomy,
formation and the transformation of matter have never been sharper.
Progress has also been made in material production with entirely new properties:
away fro the random creation of internal structures and towards targeted
manipulation, even of individual atoms. Materials can now be customized, atomic
layer by atomic layer, and nature has thus far assisted researchers in this
through its own ordering processes. In the “ExtreMat” project, scientists from the
Max Planck Society are coordinating research Europe-wide into new highstrength materials for extreme applications.
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9. Building Block of Life:
What is life?
The structures of living beings are complex and come in various shapes and
forms. This holds true for the macroscopic organization of their tissues and
organs as well as for microscopic interaction of their molecules, which interact
with practically inconceivable dynamics. Among the highly complex
macromolecules are information carriers that can be copied any number of times,
tracks and engines that transport molecular loads, carriers that determine not
only the static of the cells, but also their mobility, and finally, membranes that
seal the cells off from outside, while still allowing material exchange and
communication with the surroundings. Thanks to new analysis and detection
methods, research into the three-dimensional structures of these giant molecules
and their functions in the cell is progressing rapidly. This depends on the
refinement of existing methods and the development of new ones for imagingfor examinations in living cells-and on computer simulation.
To understand the processes in living cells, it is necessary to know more than the
structure of macromolecules; knowledge of their interaction in groups, and
temporal changes to which they are subject is also necessary. But how do
enzymes ensure that chemical reactions, which are crucial for the way the cells
function, take place in time and space? Can cells repair themselves? Which
imbalances lead to diseases, whether developmental disturbances in childhood or
sign of aging? An understanding of these processes is the potential for
developing new medical agents or materials based on nature’s example.
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Technologies for the Future:
Can complex systems be measured?
Extremely sensitive measuring instruments are required in order to understand
what actually holds the world together and how processes occur in space or in
living cells. They extend human sensory organs that render the invisible visible.
They provide data for new theories. The technology involved is currently
undergoing radical change: sensors are now of molecular proportions and can be
made of polymers, coated ionic conductors or proteins. They function on the
basis of atomic and quantum phenomena, and are becoming increasingly
accurate at the same time. It is now already possible to measure the frequency
of the hydrogen line to14 decimal places. Consequently, the mountain of data
continues to grow. Mainframe computers and distributed computing via grid
computing form the basis for data handling. This results in a need for
increasingly sophisticated selection strategies and new algorithms for data
compression. Mathematical methods are the only way of understanding those
organizational principles of nature that form the basis for the measured data , as
well as the complex networks into which man is integrated-ranging from the food
chain, social behaviour and chaotic irregularities during heart attacks, through to
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the fault susceptibility of the mains supply or mobile networks. How can this
chaos be controlled? How can computers be used to recognize patterns as
effectively as the brain? Or to what extent is it possible to employ computers in
verifying and testing software? Such questions will have an increasing influence
on research and on our lives?
11.
From Data to Knowledge:
How does complexity arise?
In research, questions as to “how” and “why” are gaining in complexity. The gap
between the theoretical description of nature and current experimental questions
continues to widen. Through modelling and simulation, computers aid in closing
this gap. Models serve as the basis, reflecting aspects of the reality. They are the
foundation for simulations with which scientists imitate specific changes in
individual parameter. Visual images play an important role in both cases, making
the results far more comprehensible. Today scientists can, for example, describe
the behaviour of atoms and molecules on the computer and calculate not only
the basic chemical reactions, but–by adjusting the scale-also the macroscopic
properties of solids by integrating quantum mechanics in computer models.
Knowledge of the biological processes has also grown enormously over the past
few years. The life sciences have at their disposal an ever-increasing number of
parameter to include in their models, leading to ever more detailed results. In
the future, the behaviour of the entire cellular signal chain and complex
bioprocesses will be examined. This will require processing and analyzing greater
data volumes. Researchers strive to understand networks and emergent
phenomena, which result from the interaction of many individual phenomena.
Data mining and computational biology will thus continue to gain in importance.
Today’s genetic analysts and system biologists work together with statisticians
and computer scientists, and astrophysicists to analyze astronomical data, and
physicists to conduct acceleration experiments.
12.
Global Challenges:
What constitutes sustainable development?
More than 6 billion people inhabit the earth today. Feeding them, keeping them
healthy and providing them with energy are true global challenges. Fundamental
research is performing groundwork for solving these challenges. In health, one
aspect of the work here involves chronic diseases, which kill many million of
people each year. But is also concentrating on the no less dangerous infectious
diseases, such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Researches are focusing on
finding the molecular causes of diseases and developing targeted therapies and
tailored medicines. Yet in the long run, particularly in societies with aging
populations and falling birth rates, preventive measures play a leading role in
avoiding illness. The foreseeable dwindling of fossil fuels and the consequences
of unrestrained carbon emission on the climate are encouraging new ideas for
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generating energy. This includes research into nuclear fusion of hydrogen into
helium, development of new technologies for generating, transporting and
storing hydrogen, through to artificial photosynthesis, as well as the
development of innovative material for robust and powerful fuel and solar cells.
Given the limited resources, humanity must take a new path of sustainable
development. If research can understand the expression of characteristics in
plants, this could provide new raw materials for the production of synthetic
materials, dyes and fibre that are no longer based on limited petrochemicals. Or
grains, whose cultivation requires fewer pesticides and less irrigation.
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