Coincident with the arrival of Europeans in North and South America, there was a significant decline in the indigenous populations on both continents. This is what scientists working at Göttingen University and the University of Washington, Seattle, have demonstrated for the first time using genetic studies. By extensively analysing female genomes, the researchers succeeded in proving that a transient contraction in population sizes by around 50 percent took place some 500 years ago. more...

Over the course of their lifetimes, trees absorb huge amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) and store it for extended periods of time. That makes forests a natural and highly effective “climate regulator” that incurs comparatively little cost to operate. In order that future generations of forestry scientists become familiar with this complex topic, researchers and students from the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology at Göttingen University are organising a workshop as part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2011 in Durban, South Africa. A total of 45 students and professors from 21 countries will be attending the workshop. more...

Starting January 1, 2012, the German Research Foundation (DFG) will be funding two new Collabora-tive Research Centres (CRC) at the University of Göttingen. The international CRC 990 titled “Ecological and socioeconomic functions of tropical lowland rainforest transformation systems (Sumatra, Indonesia)” is managed under the auspices of the Faculty of Biology. Scientists from a total of six faculties at the University of Göttingen as well as three partner universities in Indonesia are involved in the 25 sub-projects. more...

Is there life on planets outside of our solar system?

Prof. Ansgar Reiners, astrophysicist at Göttingen University, has received a “Starting Independent Researcher Grant” for his pioneering basic research in the field of planet searching. The European Research Council (ERC) is the sponsor of this acclaimed grant. The amount awarded to the project is € 1.4 million for a term of five years. more...

Exchange with Central Asia and the Caucasus region: applications until March 2012

In the coming years, the University of Göttingen is able to assign a total of 226 international scholarships to scientists, students, and staff of universities in Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus region. The application period has now begun. It will be open until 15 March 2012. Funding by the European Union for the exchange programmes amounts to a total of 5,3 million Euros over the next four years. more...