There is one main requirement for success in science: having a tangible target in mind and pursuing it consistently. In the Portraits series, successful scientists share how they confronted this challenge and illustrate that there may be a variety of ways to achieve one’s goals.
There are 60,000 texts stored in the basement of the Vienna Hofburg palace – on papyrus and clay fragments. A large part of them hold accounts of the early days of Islam in Egypt. For two decades, the papyrologist Federico Morelli has been vetting these historical testimonials, gaining insights into processes that contradict accepted historical […] Continue reading “A gigantic jigsaw puzzle”
The chemist and materials scientist Miriam Unterlass produces high-performance materials that can withstand temperatures above 600 degrees as well as cosmic radiation – and she only uses hot water to do it. Continue reading “High-performance materials from a pressure cooker”
The biologist Eva Ringler talks about strategic planning for poison dart frogs, surprising moments in field research and why there are so many roads to success. Continue reading “From cannibal to model father”
The historian Dirk Rupnow on the political instrumentalisation of Holocaust remembrance, migration as a major theme in contemporary history and the difficulty of establishing a position vis-à-vis politics. Continue reading ““We should be vigilant””
Silviculturist Rupert Seidl talks about the positive effects of bark beetle and forest fires, at what point the forest ecosystem could collapse and why the climate problem needs to be solved mainly from the bottom up. Continue reading “Forest man – working hand in glove with practitioners”
The expert in European Ethnology, Silke Meyer, on Tyrolean houses in Turkey, Turkish powdered soup in Fulpmes and why carrying debt makes you an entrepreneurial spirit in the USA but a loser in Germany. Continue reading “Not between, but on two stools”
For almost three decades, Peter Holzer has been dealing with the question of how the bowels and the brain communicate with each other. The results are remarkable. Continue reading ““Never stop, always keep thinking things over””
The IT specialist Ivona Brandić talks about her traumatic experience of fleeing from home, about how she promotes environmental protection through her work in IT, and why there should be more risk appetite in research funding. Continue reading ““No risk, no gain””
Human ecologist Helmut Haberl about the connection between hunger riots and bio-energy, why environmental protection makes economic sense, and why there can be no carbon-neutral society without fundamental changes. Continue reading ““It’s not a question of giving up comfort, it’s about a better life!””
The mathematician Erika Hausenblas about integrating coincidence in mathematical computations, why she was socialised among men and is sometimes mistaken for a secretary. Continue reading ““I don’t fit the mould””