Earthquakes regularly cause devastating destruction in many regions around the world. Even though analysis and measurement methods have steadily evolved over the past decades, reliable prediction is still not possible. The occurrence of earthquakes within the stable interiors of tectonic plates is still an enigma. Gujarat, in northwest India, is one such region that witnessed two devastating earthquakes in a span of 200 years. FIAS and the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) in Gandhinagar have now agreed on long-term research cooperation using novel artificial intelligence methods to understand the earthquake occurrence in the region.

Starting next year, Goethe University and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) will intensify and expand joint research projects and the exchange of scientific knowledge. A new cooperation agreement has laid the legal foundations for this. The contract was signed yesterday, on November 11th.

In his new book, Luciano Rezzolla takes us on a voyage of discovery to black holes. In doing so, he manages to reach readers of all knowledge levels and to draw a fascinating arc from the basic principles of gravity to the modern research results of relativistic astrophysics. The popular science book is published in German by C. H. Beck, the English version by Cambridge University Press is available since March 2023.

Discovering new things in nature, making models, solving puzzles, or making estimates - all this is waiting for for children and teens aged 10 and up and their families during the 21 stages of the ProLOEWE science rally. It starts on August 2 at ProLOEWE.de. FIAS and the LOEWE focus CMMS are also taking part in the event.

Volker Mosbrugger, the current president of the Polytechnic Society and former director of the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (until December 2020), will support the work of the Foundation Board with immediate effect. The Foundation Board oversees the work of the Board of Directors and appoints its members. It decides on the FIAS budget and advises the Board on all matters of strategic importance. In recent years, for example, it has made a significant contribution to the successful restructuring of the research areas at FIAS and provided support in this process.

Magarete Puschmann was an indispensable member of the FIAS family for over 15. years. In addition to her generous donations, she participated in FIAS social activities, scientific lectures, award ceremonies, and summer parties, despite her advanced age, until the beginning of the pandemic. She has now passed away in Bad Homburg on the morning of June 8, 2021.

How can we meet the increasing demand for computer power and data centers in the Rhine-Main region while at the same time respecting nature and climate protection goals? On May 27, hr-iNFO devoted itself to this question. As one of the experts consulted, FIAS Chairman Prof. Dr. Volker Lindenstruth explained his concept of GREEN-IT and how it can be used to enormously reduce the power consumption of data centers.

How does our brain work? Several international institutions in Frankfurt are trying to find answers to this question: The Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, the Ernst Strüngmann Institute and the Goethe University Frankfurt have been researching the brain - in some cases for decades - while the non-profit Hertie Foundation has been funding neuroscience research since the early 1970s.

We congratulate our long-time supporter and friend Margarete Puschmann on her 100th birthday, which she celebrates today in Oberursel on March 15, 2021.

Researchers from FIAS and other Frankfurt research institutions will give an insight into their research as part of the "Insights to..." YouTube series.

To gain a more comprehensive understanding of both simple molecular processes, such as the mode of action of an enzyme, and the complex behavior of organisms, the collaboration of scientists from a wide range of disciplines is necessary. In our public lecture series from February 22 to March 4, 2021, interested parties can experience exciting insights into the diverse world of modern cell biology. Renowned experts from academia and industry will provide insights into their research work and visions of future developments. The topics come from artificial intelligence, microscopy, modeling but also the practical application of research will be addressed.

As announced today, the cluster project ENABLE will be funded by the State of Hesse for the next four years. The project, led by Goethe University, aims to identify key sites relevant for diseases and to enable innovative therapeutic strategies.

Almost one year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Germany is in its third lockdown, having emerged as an extension and tightening of the lockdown light measures introduced in November 2020. Many wonder about the efficacy and duration of the current stricter measures and we use here a simple mathematical model to illustrate that for the successful control of the pandemic it is important that as many people as possible reduce their contacts. To this end a simple mathematical model is used, assuming that only part of the population adheres to specified contact restrictions.

The research work of Maria Barbarossa and Jan Fuhrmann from the JSC of Forschungszentrum Jülich has been picked up by some media in the last few days and we would like to give you a short overview of the coverage.

In order to make better use of the amount of data generated by high-energy experiments, scientists at FIAS have developed a new Deep Learning (DL) analysis method. The models based on the PointNet architecture enable a fast online analysis of collision events at event rates of several million collisions per second. For this purpose, the determination of the centrality of heavy ion collisions at the Compressed Baryonic Matter Experiment (CBM) of the FAIR facility, which is currently under construction at the GSI Helmoltzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, was exemplarily investigated.

Are the current COVID measures slowing down the pandemic in Germany? A collaboration of researchers from FIAS and the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) used mathematical models to calculate possible scenarios for the further course of the pandemic

The Scientific Advisory Board is one of the basic pillars of the FIAS. Its high-profile members from all over the world meet every 3 years to evaluate and advise the FIAS in its scientific orientation. Normally this evaluation is integrated into our Fellow Conference, which due to the Corona Pandemic 2020 has to be held online for the first time and in two phases.

The astrophysicist Prof. Dr. Luciano Rezzolla will support the board of the FIAS in the future.

The Chairman of the FIAS Board of Trustees, Prof. Dr. Rudolf Steinberg, has been awarded the Federal Cross of Merit with Ribbon. During a ceremony he was presented with the award by Volker Bouffier, the Prime Minister of the State of Hesse.

Among all forces of nature, earthquakes are considered one of the most devastating threats. They cause enormous human and structural losses worldwide. Even though analysis and measurement methods have been further developed over the past decades, reliable predictions are still not possible today. Although many indications of an increased earthquake probability are known, they do not allow an exact prediction of the location and time of catastrophic earthquakes. Over the next four years, the research group at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), headed by Dr. Nishtha Srivastava will be funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BmBF) with more than 1.6 million euros as part of the "Promotion of female AI junior scientists" program. Nishtha Srivastava will use methods of artificial intelligence (AI), the application of which in the geosciences, especially in seismology, is still in an early stage of research, to expand our understanding of the origin of earthquakes and improve predictions.