Biodiversity, Systematics and Evolution

Humanity shares its living space with up to 20 million other species — animals, fungi, plants, protists and bacteria. Of these, less than 2 million species have been scientifically recorded.

Biodiversity and Environment

Biodiversity and ecosystem functions are of the utmost importance to humans: They provide us - free of charge, so to speak - with clean water, food and raw materials, and they have a stabilizing effect on the climate.

Biodiversity and Climate

The loss of biodiversity and climate change count amongst the greatest challenges of the era. These factors exercise a mutual influence on each other.

Biodiversity and Earth System Dynamics

The dynamics of the 'System Earth' have remained a focal point of research at Senckenberg to this day. What role did the planet's geodynamic processes play in bringing about life?

Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum

Frankfurt/M.

Frankfurt am Main is the headquarters location of Senckenberg – Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research (SGN). It is the home of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, which also comprises the research stations Weimar, Gelnhausen, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Messel Pit.”

Senckenberg Natural History Collections

Dresden

Since January 1, 2009 the group formerly known as the State Natural History Collections of Dresden has been a member of the Senckenberg – Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research, together with the Zoology Museum and the Museum for Mineralogy and Geology. The roots of the Dresden Natural History Collections extend back into the 16th century.

Senckenberg Museum of Natural History  

Görlitz

The roots of the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz go back to the year 1811, when the “Ornithological Society of Görlitz” was founded. Today the scientists at the museum record the diversity of life on earth, the interactions between organisms, and the organisms’ status and function within the ecosystems. Experts around the globe make use of these museum collections to find answers to their scientific questions.

The Hidden Beauty of the Deep Sea

Interview with Senckenberg’s Head of the Department for Ecological Biodiversity Research Dr. Gritta Veit-Köhler

Senckenberg up close

Why are we the way we are?

An Interview with archaeologist Bárbara Rodriguez Álvarez

Since Bárbara Rodriguez Álvarez got a fossil of an ammonite by her dad when she was a kid, she has been studying the traces of the past as an archaeologist.

A big and very challenging puzzle

Interview with Dr. habil. Krister T. Smith

How does climate (change) influence ecological cycles and what can fossils teach us about the climate of past times? Paleontologist Dr.Smith is fascinated about the roots of life. In this interview, he explains the origins of his excitement for Paleoherpetology and sheds light on the secrets hidden in the Messel Pit.

Senckenberg Topics

Science provides impetus

Those who want to bring science into the realm of politics and society face new challenges. The director of the Biodiversity and Climate Research Center and Senckenberg board member Katrin Böhning­-Gaese identifies what these challenges are and how Senckenberg will approach them constructively.