Press release, 17-03-2022 The ERC, the most important European funding organisation for excellent frontier research, has announced this year’s ERC prizewinners. One of them is the palaeontologist Faysal Bibi from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin with the project PALEONILE. It is the first large-scale systematic palaeontological project to be carried out in Sudan with Sudanese researchers. The … More Faysal awarded ERC Consolidator Grant

Johannes did three nights with our museum’s scientific variety show, Glitzern und Denken, discussing the definitions of life and death, complete with orchestra! https://www.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin/en/press/press-releases/immortal-finale-science-variety-show-glitzern-denken In English: In German:

Johannes talks to Radio Eins about parthenogenesis in lizards https://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/die_profis/archivierte_sendungen/beitraege/waranweibchen-bringt-ohne-befruchtung-nachwuchs-zur-welt.html

Despite a global pandemic, political uncertainty, snowstorms, and lost luggage, Faysal and team made it out to the Middle Atbara River for a fourth field season in Jan-Feb 2022. After having had to miss the 2021 season due to covid lockdowns, it was so great to be out in the field with everyone again. This … More Fieldwork in eastern Sudan

After Johannes, now it’s Faysal’s turn to appear on the Beast and Bones podcast, this time talking about all the things that make humans peculiar. Episode description: Big brains, dexterous hands and an upright gait – we humans were on the fast track to evolution. How this was possible and why sex and social interaction … More Beats and Bones – Homo sapiens

Shrimp, beef, pork, chicken, crab, fish, tofu, mushrooms – sampling a significant portion of the tree of life in hot pots at Nin Hao Chinese restaurant (chosen by our resident hot pot expert Jijia).

In August our entire group took part in an outdoor first aid course with the Johanniter, and which was held in Volkspark Friedrichshain. Broken bones, severed fingers, or heart attack in the field? We’re on it.

Johannes Müller is featured on the award-winning podcast series Beats and Bones, discussing a 13,000-year-old fossil assemblage from northern Germany https://beats-and-bones.podigee.io/28-neue-episode (in German) Episode description A badger’s burrow in northern Germany: from the outside it is quite inconspicuous, but hidden inside are the remains of 13,000 years of animal and plant life. Paleontologist and excavation … More The Badger’s Burrow

Faysal Bibi’s research has been covered in a program called ‘I Have A Story’ (عندي حكاية) on German channel Deutsche Welle Arabic. The full episode – discussing animal evolution, extinction, and discoveries from the Pleistocene of Sudan – is available to see here (in Arabic): https://www.dw.com/ar/عندي-حكاية-فيصل-بيبي-في-أثر-غزال-المها/av-59749436 https://p.dw.com/p/42hYa

A new study reveals the hidden genetic diversity preserved in museum collections, by lab group members Elisabeth Hempel, Faysal Bibi, and Johannes Müller. The addax is a critically endangered antelope that used to roam the Sahara Desert in large numbers, but is today restricted to a few small vulnerable populations in the wild. An international … More New study on museum DNA of endangered addax antelope