International Newsletter 03 | 2025

Front Row Seats to History in the Making

Freie Universität’s annual Golden and Silver Doctoral Jubilee celebration is a chance to reflect on the past. Two of this year’s attendees share memories of Berlin’s turbulent history – from the rise of the Berlin Wall to its fall.

A sediment core taken from a lake in Ethiopia contains 600,000 years of climate history.

Fire and Water – Climate Lessons from the Past

Researchers are looking to the past to answer current questions about climate change. Sediment cores provide a wealth of knowledge about life on Earth hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Lippia graveolens, a Mexican oregano species whose essential oils have antibacterial properties.

Exploring the Medicinal Secrets of Plants

Researchers in a German-Brazilian project are investigating the efficacy of medicinal plants in Brazil. They want to find out if they can be used as ingredients for cosmetics and medicines.

While scuba diving at the Caye d’Olbian reef, Martinique, Gabriel Cardoso encountered very few massive Siderastrea siderea coral that were still alive.

Endangered Reefs

Resilient corals are vital to preserving marine life. How much longer do they have? Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin explore the possible lessons we can learn from the ocean’s memory.

Flight, room, and board: The Berlin Center for Global Engagement supports research visits between Berlin University Alliance researchers and their partners in the Global South.

“No amount of reading could have given me these impressions.”

Four Berlin University Alliance researchers from the Global South talk about how important the Berlin Center for Global Engagement’s Flexible Travel Funds have been to their work, enabling research travel in both directions.

The artist’s impression illustrates the Cassini space probe exploring the ice volcanoes of Enceladus.

Where Is Life Possible?

Searching for liquid water on distant moons: The possibility of life could mean survival for the crews of space missions.

Ryan Sweke thinks that in the future quantum computers and classical computers will both be used to solve different types of problems.

How Sustainable Are Quantum Computers?

Proving the impossible: Mathematician Ryan Sweke designs algorithms for supercomputers.

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