In the Media - 2026
Jul 2, 2026: Wie ist die Sprache entstanden, Julia Fischer?
Katharina Menne and Carsten Könneker of the "Spektrum der Wissenschaft"-podcast "Die großen Fragen der Wissenschaft" sat down with Julia Fischer to discuss what defines language and how animal communication is different from human language. The entire podcast is available at Spektrum der WissenschaftJan 20, 2026: Why is it so hard to suppress laughter?
This question was the center of a recent SFB publication from the Cognition, Emotion and Behavior Lab at the University of Göttingen. SFB members Vanessa Mitschke, Annika Ziereis, Sriranjani Manivasagam and Anne Schacht showed not only that laughing is indeed very contagious, but also that hearing someone laugh makes jokes funnier. The new study was published in Communications Psychology and met with large public interest, being picked up by multiple media outlets.We here present a selection of media reports:
NDR - Das rote Sofa
Spektrum der Wissenschaft
EurekAlert!
Nautilus
NDR
Radio 1
RBB Die Profis – Der Wissenschaftspodcast (Jan 10, 2026)
Deutschlandfunk Nova
StudyFinds
Indian Express
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Prof. Alexander Gail
Sensorimotor Neuroscience & Neuroprosthetics
University of Göttingen & German Primate Center Göttingen
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Dr. Christian Schloegl
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