© Sarah Jonek/ Bielefeld University
Why No Individual Is Like Another
Why do animals behave differently, and what are the consequences of this? A research team from the Collaborative Research Centre NC³ now provides a new explanation: epigenetic processes may play a key role.
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© Oliver Krüger
The Power of the Individual
At the Individualisation Symposium 2026, leading international researchers will gather at Bielefeld University to explore how individual differences shape social relationships in humans and animals.
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© Sergio Luna
How cities are changing social behaviour in urban animals
Cities profoundly shape how animals interact with one another. A new comprehensive review by researchers at Bielefeld University shows that urbanisation alters animal social behaviour – from mate choice to group living.
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What Our Meadows Reveal About the Future
Meadows are quietly losing their diversity – often before we even notice. A research team led by Prof. Dr Lena Neuenkamp has now demonstrated in Nature Ecology & Evolution that spatial data can predict changes in species diversity over time with astonishing accuracy.
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© Oliver Krüger
Focusing on the individual: how diversity advances research
What makes individuals unique—and why is that important? The new focus area InChangE delivers insights.
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© Universität Bielefeld /Sarah Jonek
Research Team Explores Inclusion at Conferences
A research team from Bielefeld University investigates how inclusive academic conferences really are and offers concrete recommendations to promote participation and diversity.
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© Marc Gilles
City lizards turn out to be surprisingly social
Narrow walls, few hideouts: in cities, wall lizards build more social ties and form stable bonds, unlike their more solitary counterparts in natural habitats.
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How Cells Build Complex Structures as a Team
How does the collective interaction of many individual cells create a perfectly formed organism? This question is the focus of a new study.
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Strategic links with Asia strengthened
The Rector of the University Professor Dr Angelika Epple and Professor Dr Michaela Vogt, Vice Rector for International Affairs, Diversity and Society, visiting partner institutions in China and Japan.
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‘We are the ones who reflect on science’
The new Institute for Studies of Science (ISoS) helps researchers to critically scrutinise their academic work.
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© Fortunato Rayan
Unexpected Animal Partnership Discovered in the Amazon
Researchers from Bielefeld University documented a puzzling relationship between ocelots and opossums in the rainforest for the first time – potentially an unknown cooperation between these two species.
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How reliable are behavioural tests with insects?
Research team from Bielefeld, Münster and Jena finds evidence that behavioural experiments with insects are also affected by the ‘reproducibility crisis’.
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How the past can help understand the climate
Interview with Dr. Franz Mauelshagen about climate, society, and the new graduate school IMPRS-ModA.
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Meta-analysis questions assumptions about egg hormones
Do maternal hormones in bird eggs influence reproductive success? A new study shows surprisingly small effects. Dr Alfredo Sánchez-Tójar explains why previous assumptions need to be questioned.
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‘Basic principles of nature preserved in marine sponges’
Bielefeld physicists and international colleagues discover ‘evolutionary toolbox’.
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© Alisha Jucevic
Individualisation in Change
How do humans and animals navigate life transitions? The Individualisation Symposium 2025 explores biological, psychological, and social turning points – on March 25 at ZiF Bielefeld.
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© Bielefeld University
Why Scientific Results Vary
Different analytical methods have a significant impact on the results of scientific studies. This is demonstrated by a study conducted by an international research team, which includes researchers from Bielefeld University.
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© Bielefeld University
Plant chemicals shape animal social lives
Bielefeld researchers reveal food-independent plant-insect interactions. Publication in the ‘Journal of Animal Ecology’.
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Philosophical Engagement with Biology and Medicine
In an interview, philosopher of science Alkistis Elliott-Graves describes the special features and challenges of the ZiF workshop “Philosophical engagement on biology and medicine”.
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© Universität Bielefeld/Martin Stoffel
Return of the Elephants Seals: From a Few to Thousands
A new international study led by Bielefeld University has revealed the genetic impact of hunting on northern elephant seals.
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© Bielefeld University
Celiac disease: New findings on the effects of gluten
New study reveals how a certain protein byproduct from wheat reduces the protective barrier of the gut lining.
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‘Individualization is essential in both prevention and therapy’
How individual factors impact on everyday life, whether on performance or the distribution of risks. We interviewed two researchers from the JICE Institute.
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© Bielefeld University/Mike-Dennis Müller
From splicing to survival: how plants respond to stress
Biologists at the university investigated altered gene expression. They cooperated with researchers in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The study has now been published in ‘The Plant Cell’.
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Understanding individualisation through modelling
Mathematician Dr Olena Orlova studies individualisation in complex interdisciplinary problems such as forest protection.
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