News from the Academy

A collection of Neanderthal skeletal remains found in the Goyet Cave in Belgium; three of them are examined in this study.

Research

Late Neanderthals in Europe originated from a single population

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.

A portrait photo of Michael Welker smiling at the camera.

Prices

Michael Welker ReceivesPrize

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

Portrait photo of Christiane Wiesenfeldt. She looks directly at the viewer and smiles slightly. She has shoulder-length blonde hair worn loose.

The Academy

Christiane Wiesenfeldt is a new member of the Academy

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

Photos of the three state research award winners: On the left (Largus Angenen) is an older man with glasses and short hair, in the middle is a woman with chin-length dark hair (Irena Kogan), and on the right is a younger man with short brown hair (Robert Zeiser).

Prices

State research awards 2026 go to Tübingen, Mannheim, and Freiburg

This year, Prize research Prize —the most lucrative of its kind, with a total prize fund of 200,000 euros—honors outstanding scientific achievements in microbiotechnology, migration studies, and immunology.

Portrait photo of Klaus Blaum. Front view of a man smiling at the viewer. He is not wearing glasses and has short brown hair.

Prices

Klaus Blaum to Receive Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2026

Physicist Prof. Dr. Klaus Blaum is receiving the Prize for his work on physical constants and symmetries in nature, which is based on precision measurements using ions in electromagnetic traps.

Chest portrait of Stefan Maul. He wears round glasses, has short gray hair, and smiles at the viewer. He wears a shirt, tie, and suit jacket.

Prices

Stefan M. Maul is "University Teacher of the Year"

Assyriologist Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Stefan Maul has been awarded the Prize German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV). Since 2019, he has been directing the excavation of ancient Nineveh, the former capital of the Assyrian Empire (now Iraq).