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DPZ aktuell published

In the fourth issue 2019 you will learn, among other things, what criteria Assamese macaques use to make friends, how brain rhythms organize our visual perception and give an overview of a new Europe-wide project on heart research.
Two male Assamese macaques in Thailand. Photo: Oliver Schülke
Titelseite von DPZ aktuell 4/2019. Gestaltung: Heike Klensang
Cover of DPZ aktuell 4/2019. Design: Heike Klensang

“Birds of feather flock together” or rather “opposites attract”? In a study in Thailand, behavioral biologists and psychologists from the DPZ and the University of Göttingen investigated this question. They observed male Assamese macaques and studied their relationships to each other on the basis of different personality profiles. You can read what they found out on page 3.

When we look at moving objects, we are able to capture both the appearance of the object and the movement at the same time. Our brain uses anatomically separated circuits to process the visual characteristics of color and direction of movement. DPZ neuroscientists, in collaboration with an Iranian research team, have investigated how this information is finally combined into a uniform perception of a moving object in a study with rhesus monkeys. Their findings on the complex mechanisms in the brain are presented on page 6.

REANIMA is the name of a new research program starting in January 2020 in which eleven other European research institutions are involved in addition to the DPZ. The project will receive a total of eight million euros in funding from the European Union over a period of five years. Scientists and partners from industry are working closely together to investigate new mechanisms of tissue regeneration in heart diseases and to develop new therapies. The DPZ's Laboratory Animal Science Unit, headed by Rabea Hinkel, is involved. More information about the project can be found on page 13.

Furthermore, we will report on how our scientists successfully presented their research to visitors at the Göttingen event “Wissenswert – Science goes City”, introduce you to our four new Animal Welfare Officers and invite you to get to know our institute with our new virtual tour.

We hope you enjoy reading!

"DPZ aktuell" is published four times a year. The magazine can be subscribed to free of charge. If you are interested, you can find further information here. Of course, the magazine is also available in-house: You can find it at the reception or in the library.