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Representation of atomic clusters formed by gold, arsenic and sulfur in arsenian pyrite (shown in the background as imaged using Scanning Electron Microscopy; not to scale).

A mineral pump for gold in the Earth’s crust

An international team of scientists with participation of mineralogist Dr. Maria Kokh from the University of Potsdam was able to elucidate the mystery …
Peter van der Beek during a sampling campaign in the Alps | Foto: T.F. Schildgen

Looking at smallest atoms to understand large-scale Mountain ranges – A welcome to Peter van der Beek at the Institute of Geosciences

Peter van der Beek has joined the academic leadership at the Institute of Geosciences at Potsdam University. The internationally well-known Earth …
Humboldt Fellow Gautier Nicoli (3.v.l.) does his research at the Skaergaard Intrusion, Greenland …

Seen from the root of mountains – Humboldt Fellow Gautier Nicoli links plate tectonics and the carbon cycle

As a petrologist, Gautier Nicoli deals with the occurrence, composition and formation of rocks. He collects samples of metamorphic rocks from all over …
The Olorgesailie Basin in the Kenya Rift Valley, part of the Eastern Branch of the East African Rift System. In the background the high topography of the Rift’s border faults. | Photo: Corinna Kalich, University of Potsdam

Calculated – Why a whole region is rotating in the middle of Africa

For the first time ever, the causes for the strange motion of a tectionic plate have been identified by using three dimensional computer models. The …
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wagener | Photo: Seila Fernandez Arconada

Environmental researcher Thorsten Wagener joins University of Potsdam with Humboldt Professorship

Environmental scientist Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wagener has been awarded a Humboldt Professorship and will be joining the University of Potsdam to carry …
Eva Eibl documents the status of a station after recording overnight and before it is moved to a new location. The steam of the hot water in the pool is visible in the background. | Photo: Daniel Vollmer

Fire and Ice – why Eva Eibl does research in Iceland in the mid of winter

Iceland is worth a trip or two. Well known for its awesome landscape, its famous horses and its un-pronounceable volcanoes Iceland is flooded by …
Paleoclimatologist Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr | Photo: Antje Horn-Conrad

Popcorn and Snail Shells – Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr Measures Climate “Pulse” with Microfossils and Statistics

Some look like popcorn, others like flattened snail shells - protozoa floating in the ocean or colonizing its ground. The microorganisms known as …
Prof. Peter van der Beek. Photo: T. Schildgen.

The Ups and Downs of Mountains – Peter van der Beek, guest scientists at the University of Potsdam, obtains an ERC Advanced Grant

The internationally well-known geologist Prof. Peter van der Beek who is currently a guest professor and scientist at the Institute for Geosciences …
Simon Schneider and Yannick Garcin. Photo: Corinna Kallich

The Mystery of the Rainforest – Geoscientists show that humans were already shaping the central African landscape 2,600 years ago

Fields, roads, and towns but also forests planted in neat rows, and dead-straight rivers: people shape nature to better suit their purposes. The fact …
Flechten und Moose auf Bäumen (Foto: Hartmut Thiel)

Unscheinbar und doch wichtig – Flechten und Moose tragen zum globalen Wasserkreislauf bei

Flechten und Moose sind eher unscheinbare Gewächse. Sie wachsen auf Felsen, Mauern oder Baumstämmen. Forscher der Universität Potsdam, des …