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Top award for Tobias Erb

The director and head of the department "Biochemistry and Synthetic Metabolism" receives the Future Insight Prize 2022 from the Merck company for his work on artificial photosynthesis

A wise counsel for synthetic biology

Machine learning is transforming many areas of science and industry. Now a research team at MPI-TM has developed a user-friendly workflow to optimize biological systems.

LOEWE Funding for MPI research

How do microorganisms on the leaf surface influence the adaptability and resilience of trees, and how are these interactions affected by climate change? Four MPI-TM research groups are part of the new LOEWE focus "TreeM".

The Microcosm Earth Center welcomes its first research group

Which processes begin, almost invisibly, at the microbial level to ultimately culminate in the major biogeochemical processes of our Earth? These are the questions Dr. Judith Klatt is addressing. She starts this month as the first of three research groups at the new Future Center, which will be officially opened this September.

Congratulations, SYNMIKRO!

12 years cutting-edge research and training: symposium on June 21 and 22

Welcome to the
Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology

The aim of our research is to understand the diversity and function of microorganisms. They are more numerous and diverse than all other living organisms – there is no place on earth they do not colonize. There are mainly three main reasons for their success: their immense metabolic capacities, a great ability to adapt to environmental changes, and a wide range of interactions with other organisms. Whether by their indispensable role in the global cycles of matter, the conversion of atmospheric greenhouse gases or their numerous interactions with humans, animals and plants - microorganisms decisively shape life on earth.

Like all of the over 80 Max Planck Institutes, we conduct basic research, true to Max Planck`s saying: "Insight must precede application." A fundamental understanding of processes and interrelationships is prerequisite for any medical or technological innovation. We use state-of-the-art technologies in combination with computer modeling and analysis as well as synthetic biology methods.