Once again, the University of Bonn was represented by some high-level figures at this year’s German Academic International Network (GAIN) conference from August 29 to 31 in Boston. Rector Professor Michael Hoch, Vice Rector for International Affairs Professor Birgit Ulrike Münch and Vice Rector for Research and Career Development Professor Ilona Grunwald all attended the congress, the largest networking event for international academic careers in Germany. The level of interest in GAIN was particularly high this year due to the situation currently facing the US academic sector. 

The University of Bonn will be hosting the prestigious Tropentag (TT25) from September 10 to 12, 2025, together with the Center for Development Research (ZEF), the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) and the Council for Tropical and Subtropical Agricultural Research (ATSAF). Around 900 experts from the worlds of research, teaching and practice from all over the globe are expected at the international symposium, which will focus on debates about current challenges and innovative potential solutions in three fields: tropical agriculture, sustainable land use and global food security. 

What do old maps, aristocrats’ autograph books and travel journals all have in common? Across the world, historians are attempting to make historical sources like these accessible electronically. These digital treasure troves are a real font of information, including for University of Bonn students who are encountering historical sources for the first time. It is hardly surprising that the Department of Early Modern History and Rhenish Regional History is indexing precisely these kinds of data source and showcasing them on Instagram as part of the “Datendonner” (“Data Thursdays”) project, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary in July 2025.

Quantum physics—for many, a mystery involving cats, strange particles, and formulas that make your head spin. And yet it has long been shaping our everyday lives: in smartphones, laser pointers, and modern medicine. All this has been made possible by over 100 years of tireless basic research.

Today a desert – as far as the eye can see. However, anyone looking more closely will discover hundreds of images carved into the rock. This ancient Egyptian graffiti attests to the fact that a new claim to sovereignty emerged here on the periphery over 5,000 years ago. One of these kings was known as Scorpion. He demonstrated his power with portrayals of himself as a divine ruler and with brutal depictions of violence. Together with Mohamed Abdelhay Abu Bakr, Egyptologist Prof. Dr. Ludwig Morenz from the University of Bonn has now published in his book the latest findings concerning the visualization of claims to sovereignty in pre-Pharaonic Egypt.

Emergencies, night shifts, high-pressure decision-making ... it takes more than specialized knowledge to work in medicine. That’s why the University of Bonn Faculty of Medicine offers courses specifically designed to help students become more mentally resilient, in cooperation with Jung-Stilling Siegen Hospital—a protestant social services clinic. Extreme athlete Joey Kelly returned as one of this year’s special course participants at University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and in Siegen, who did a night hike with outdoor sleeping together with students. 

Too much fat can be unhealthy: how fat cells, so-called adipocytes, develop, is crucial for the function of the fat tissue. That is why a team led by researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn investigated the influence of primary cilia dysfunction on adipocyte precursor cells in a mouse model. They found that overactivation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway causes abnormal development into connective tissue-like cells instead of white fat cells. Their findings have now been published in The EMBO Journal.

In the interest of greater security to make the public feel safer, the Bonn police have declared Bonn city center a weapon and knife-free zone. The ban applies from noon Fridays to 3 am Mondays, and from noon on days preceding public holidays to 3 am on the day following the holiday[HE1] . The zone extends from Bonn Central Station (Thomas-Mann-Straße) to the Central Bus Station (ZOB), Kaiserplatz and the Hofgarten at the University Main Building, which are on campus. Also included in the zone are Poststraße up to Münsterplatz and Wesselstraße up to Martinsplatz.