With global warming, glaciers are melting rapidly in the Arctic. This meltdown leads to globally rising sea-levels and locally affected marine ecosystems. In summer, glaciers that are in direct contact with the sea are known biological hotspots. Large amounts of glacial meltwater enter the fjord... click to read more

The status of life on Earth is of fundamental scientific interest and societal importance. Based on media headlines, one might believe that we have already lost the majority of wildlife across the world, with bold headlines indicating “Wildlife has declined 68% since 1970” and “Human... click to read more

As evolutionary biologists, one of our major objectives is to understand how competition for resources regulates the appearance and extinction of species and can lead to the increase or decline of entire groups of species. This is particularly difficult to study because each group has... click to read more

The central regions of disk galaxies are large-scale powerhouses. Galactic nuclei usually host super-massive black holes that release huge amounts of energy when matter spirals around them and eventually falls onto them. Many galaxies also show strong star formation activity in their inner regions, with... click to read more

Freshwater ecosystems cover a tiny portion of the Earth surface yet host an outstanding biodiversity. About one tenth of all known species inhabit rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, or floodplains. They are also essential to human well-being providing us with food, clean water, and leisure. Freshwater... click to read more