Allgemein Archive - Geist Heidelberg English

Under this year’s theme, “Beyond Borders,” we invite you to join us for the 16th edition of the International Science Festival – Geist Heidelberg, taking place from October 24 through November 28. Which borders protect us—and which must we overcome? Together with renowned partners such as Heidelberg University, the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation, Spektrum der Wissenschaft, and many other institutions, we bring cutting-edge research and the latest scientific questions into direct dialogue with society.

Even before the festival officially begins, Turing Award winner Gilles Brassard will open the scientific conversation with a discussion of quantum computing and digital security. At the festival’s official opening on October 24, Nobel laureate Didier Queloz will speak about the discovery of the first exoplanet and how it transformed our understanding of the universe.

From there, Geist Heidelberg takes us on a journey through human history, neuroscience, climate change, and artificial intelligence. Philosopher Lea Ypi interweaves personal experience with profound social and political upheaval. Johannes Krause explores migration as a constant throughout human history and joins Ulli Lust in a conversation about how science and art can bring the past to life. Hannah Monyer delves into Proust’s worlds of memory from the perspective of neuroscience.

Physician and science communicator Giulia Enders, together with her guests, explores mucus as a fascinating boundary between protection and permeability—and asks what our aversion to slimy substances reveals about us.

Artificial intelligence is another major focus of this year’s festival. Ramesh Srinivasan offers visions of our digital future, while Christoph Koch considers whether machines might one day become emotional companions. Florence Gaub invites us to think of the future as a realm of possibilities that we can actively shape, while biologist Bernhard Kegel shows how climate change is altering the course of evolution.

Personal and societal boundaries also take center stage. Peter Sloterdijk and Svenja Flaßpöhler discuss periods of profound change, while Thomas Schulz and Martin Korte explore the possibilities and limits of longevity and aging.

Marine scientist Antje Boetius turns our attention to the ocean, revealing how ecological interdependencies transcend national borders. Science thus becomes an invitation to question the boundaries that divide us and to discover new connections.

This year also marks the launch of our new discussion format, the Science Bar, which brings researchers and audiences together in an informal setting. Scientists step outside the lecture hall and laboratory to bring their fields to life through short presentations, conversation, and music. Admission is free.

We warmly invite you to join this interdisciplinary conversation with leading researchers and outstanding emerging voices. Choose your personal festival highlights and secure your tickets now—advance ticket sales are open.

We look forward to welcoming you to Geist Heidelberg 2026!

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This year’s International Science Festival — Geist Heidelberg 2025 — has come to an end. Under the motto “CoScience: Science Needs Collaboration”, our festival has once again demonstrated how much our knowledge, understanding, and progress are supported by collaborative work. Many renowned scientists from various fields such as biology and medicine, physics and astronomy, AI, and science and society presented amazing results from interdisciplinary cooperation, such as micro-robots traveling through blood, the special dynamics of ecosystems, and the dialogue between nerve and tumor cells. Our guests provided us with fascinating new perspectives and many answers to the big questions of our time.

The Geist Heidelberg festival itself is also such a collaborative success. We would like to thank all our partners, sponsors, and above all our audience for their overwhelming interest!

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Our Geist Heidelberg brochure is ready! The printed version will be available at all familiar locations in two weeks. For those who can’t wait, the digital version is already online – browse through it today and secure tickets for your personal highlights.

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Under the motto CoScience: Science Needs Collaboration, we invite you from October 17 to December 09 for the 15th time to our science festival Geist Heidelberg. Together with renowned partners such as Heidelberg University, the German Cancer Research Center, the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation, and many other institutions, we bring current research into direct conversation with society.

Neurologist Simone Spuler opens the festival with a lecture on the use of stem cells and the CRISPR gene-editing tool to treat muscle diseases. Frank Winkler, recipient of the 2025 Brain Prize, explains how brain tumor cells communicate with nerve cells – a breakthrough for new therapies. Ana Pombo shows how DNA controls our genes and contributes to a better understanding of diseases.
Maria Leptin and Wolfgang Wick discuss political interference in science under Trump and the new significance of Germany as a research hub.
Giulia Enders takes the audience on an entertaining journey through the human body. Elaine Chew sheds light on the role of music in heart research, while Christoph Biermann explores the power of chance in football. Physicist Metin Tolan humorously explains why Santa Claus has the toughest job in the world.
To conclude the festival, Nobel Prize winner Aaron Ciechanover speaks about the opportunities and risks of personalized medicine.

We warmly invite you to join our interdisciplinary exchange with leading researchers and young talents. Secure your tickets for your personal highlights – advance sales are now open.

We look forward to seeing you!

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Dear visitors of our International Science Festival – Geist Heidelberg,

We look back on many stimulating events this fall, where we heard the latest findings from a wide range of disciplines that sparked many lively discussions between our guests and the audience. Thank you for coming, for your curiosity, and your enthusiasm for debate!

This 14^th Geist Heidelberg Festival was the last one curated by our long-time director and festival founder, Jakob Köllhofer. He retired from the DAI at the end of 2024. We thank him very much for many outstanding lectures and conferences, for his range of thought, and for the ever-new horizons he opened to us as a team and to our visitors. We wish him all the best, happiness, and well-being for his future endeavors.

Together with you we look forward to the 15^th festival in fall 2025 – under the direction of our new director, Lena Jöhnk.

And, as Jakob Köllhofer used to say: stay tuned!
Kind regards from the DAI,
Your DAI team

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A series of warm-up events forms the preliminary program for this year’s International Science Festival – Geist Heidelberg. On Tuesday, October 8, at 8 p.m., virologist Hendrik Streeck will analyze the past corona pandemic and its consequences for our society. On Friday, October 11, at 8 p.m., biologist Josef H. Reichholf will take a closer look at the evolutionary history of humans and present the latest research findings on the question of what humans actually are and why they fail to behave in a future-oriented manner. On Thursday, October 17, at 8 p.m., the well-known psychiatrist Manfred Spitzer will explain the extent to which artificial intelligence is already superior to humans and the dangers this poses for the future.

Here you can find the entire festival program from October to December 2024.

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Here we go again! The 14th International Science Festival Geist Heidelberg takes place this year from October 18^th to December 17^th. We will be featuring distinguished national and international speakers from the world of science– including four Nobel Prize winners, popular science communicators and promising young researchers. With their help, we will discuss, debate, and disclose pressing issues of our time while presenting the latest findings on topics ranging from neuroscience, astrophysics, biology, philosophy all the way to artificial intelligence.

Don’t miss our kick-off lecture with Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society and talks by Nobel Prize winners Venki Ramakrishnan, Benjamin List, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhardt and Aaron Ciechanover. As we strive to democratize scientific knowledge, be sure to listen to science communicators Harald Lesch, Mai Thi Nguyen Kim, Lucy Cooke and many more!

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The brochure with all events of the International Science Festival – Geist Heidelberg is now available for you as an online brochure. Secure your tickets for your personal highlights now.

Here is a small insight into the extensive program:

On November 12, the philosopher and deputy chairman of the German Ethics Council, Julian Nida-Rümelin, will discuss the effects of cancel culture and its significance for democracy in today’s world. He pleads for independent thinking and tolerating other opinions.

John C. Mather, astrophysicist, Nobel laureate and project manager of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, will provide insights into his award-winning research on space and open up new perspectives on the universe on November 16 at 8 pm.

On December 3, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, human rights activist and lawyer Shirin Ebadi will give a lecture in the Neue Aula of Heidelberg University as part of the three-day Empathy Conference. In it, she will discuss the ongoing protests against the Iranian regime since 2022, especially by Iranian women, and how we can provide support from the outside.

Browse through now and discover many more exciting events.

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The three-day Empathy Conference from December 01 to 03 is characterized by strong women: U.S. writer Siri Hustvedt, renowned sociologist Eva Illouz and the Peace Nobel laureate and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi will address the topic of empathy from different perspectives. Tickets are now available online.

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Advance ticket sales for all events of the 13th International Science Festival – Geist Heidelberg are now open.
Secure your tickets for your personal highlights today at DAI-Ticketshop or at all known Reservix advance booking offices.
We are looking forward to an exciting festival autumn with illustrious guests and lively discussions.