Alexander von Humboldt

A physician wearing a 17th-century plague-preventive head covering.Illustration: Wellcome CollectionIf you happened to find yourself in 17th-century Naples, you were in for a rough time. The Plague of 1656 was in full swing and would claim an estimated 300,000 lives in Naples alone. If you were one of the unlucky…

The hoisting of a Christianised dome to top off Berlin's rebuilt imperial palace-turned-museum complex has run into controversy. Critics say Germany is missing a chance to portray post-colonial multicultural diversity. Berlin wind-conditions permitting, a crane was due Friday to host the 17-ton dome reminiscent of Prussian imperialism to top off…

Abstract Salt metathesis of 1‐methyl‐2,4,6‐triphenylphosphacyclohexadienyl lithium and chlorobis(pentafluorophenyl)borane affords a 1‐phospha‐7‐bora‐norbornadiene derivative 2 . The C≡N triple bonds of nitriles insert into the P−B bond of 2 with concomitant C−B bond cleavage, whereas the C≡C bonds of phenylacetylenes react with 2 to form λ4‐phosphabarrelenes. Even though 2 must formally be…

IMAGE: Dr. Dominique Laniel, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation research fellow, at the Bavarian Research Institute of Experimental Geochemistry & Geophysics (BGI). view more  Credit: Photo: Christian Wißler. In the periodic table of elements there is one golden rule for carbon, oxygen, and other light elements. Under high pressures they have similar…

This article is about the Swiss-American biologist and geologist. For the American ornithologist, illustrator and artist, see Louis Agassiz Fuertes. Louis Agassiz Born May 28, 1807Haut-Vully, Switzerland Died December 14, 1873 (aged 66)Cambridge, Massachusetts Citizenship United States Fields Paleontology Glaciology Geology Natural history Institutions University of NeuchâtelHarvard UniversityCornell University Alma mater…

Fluorescence microscopy, including single-molecule and super-resolution imaging, has evolved as a powerful tool to study the structure and dynamics of biological systems in vitro and in vivo down to the molecular level. A greatly improved performance of the contrast agents—fluorescent dyes and proteins—is achieved via suppression of undesired long-lived and…

Prof. Gilad Perez, a theoretical physicist from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, is coming to Mainz with the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He will continue his research alongside his academic host, Prof. Dmitry Budker from the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz…

A new understanding of our planet's deepest earthquakes could help unravel one of the most mysterious geophysical processes on Earth. Deep earthquakes -- those at least 300 kilometers below the surface -- don't typically cause damage, but they are often widely felt. These earthquakes can provide vital clues to understanding…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new understanding of our planet's deepest earthquakes could help unravel one of the most mysterious geophysical processes on Earth. Deep earthquakes—those at least 300 kilometers below the surface—don't typically cause damage, but they are often widely felt. These earthquakes can provide vital clues to understanding…

A new understanding of our planet's deepest earthquakes could help unravel one of the most mysterious geophysical processes on Earth. Deep earthquakes -- those at least 300 kilometers below the surface -- don't typically cause damage, but they are often widely felt. These earthquakes can provide vital clues to understanding…