News from the Academy

* October 25, 1946 † April 29, 2026

Hilbert von Löhneysen most recently worked in the field of solid-state physics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He had been a full member of the Academy since 2001. 

On April 24, 2026, the historical materials—which are among the earliest surviving manuscript traditions in Nepal—were formally transferred to the Nepalese government through a jointly signed deed of donation at the Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS). The Indologist Axel Michaels discovered and cataloged the materials and advocated for their return to Nepal.

Press: "A Unique Treasure," in RNZ, April 28, 2026

It is well known that the antiepileptic drug valproate increases the risk of brain developmental disorders in unborn children. A study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the University of Tübingen, and the University of Heidelberg, using laboratory-grown tissue models of the human brain, now provides new insights into how the drug affects early brain development—and thus opens up new avenues for research into risk minimization during pregnancy. Published in Molecular Psychiatry. (DOI: 10.1038/s41380-026-03585-5)

A new study by the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, the University of Tübingen, and the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities State Academy of Baden-Württemberg) highlights the enormous upheavals in the genetic history of Neanderthals.

Theologian Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Michael Welker has been awardedPrize his lifetime scholarly achievements.

The Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities elected musicologist Prof. Dr. Christiane Wiesenfeldt as a full member.