News from the Academy

* 16. Oktober 1955     † 04. Mai 2026  

Thomas Hauschild war im Fachgebiet Ethnologie zuletzt an der Universität Halle-Wittenberg tätig.

Am 11. Juni 2026 wurde der Landesforschungspreis von Ministerin Olschowski vergeben. Präsident Kräusslich sprach als Vorsitzender des Auswahlausschusses und hielt die Laudationes.

Rohini Kuner has been awarded the 2026Prize Medicine for her groundbreaking work in the field of pain research. 

* September 7, 1951 † May 12, 2026 

Prof. Dr. Klaus Fiedler war im Fachgebiet Sozialpsychologie zuletzt an der Universität Heidelberg tätig.

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)