Leibniz-Institut DSMZ

Cassava is the staple that feeds millions in sub Saharan Africa – similar to the potato in Europe. Climate change and new plant diseases can wipe out harvests and cause hunger. The #DSMZ examines every #cassava sample moving between South America and Africa with a thorough laboratory protocol. Invisible viruses, bacteria, fungi are identified before they reach new fields. This protects #FoodSecurity and enables global breeding efforts.
Learn more →  https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/virus-checks-for-global-food-security

#PlantProtection

Navigationshilfe durch den Paragrafen-Dschungel: DSMZ-Forschende veröffentlichen Leitfaden zum Nagoya-Protokoll: https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/navigationshilfe-durch-den-paragrafen-dschungel-dsmz-forschende-veroeffentlichen-leitfaden-zum-nagoya-protokoll

Today is International Biodiversity Day. DSMZ’s collection contains over 94,000 bioresources – many of them beeing the unseen architects of soils, oceans and the air we breathe. By preserving, analysing and sharing these tiny life forms we protect the foundations of every ecosystem.
🔎 See what we hold: https://www.dsmz.de/collection/catalogue

#BiodiversityDay #Microbiology #LifeSciences #Science

🚀 DSMZ update: LPSN (bacterial names database) is now an ELIXIR Core Data Resource! It offers better tools and more data for researchers classifying microbes. Press release: https://tinyurl.com/fuud42xk

#ScienceNews #Microbiology #Innovation #BioData

Schöner Wohnen: Neu entdecktes Myxobakterium in einer Cyanobakterien-WG betreibt Fotosynthese - https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/schoener-wohnen-neu-entdecktes-myxobakterium-in-einer-cyanobakterien-wg-betreibt-fotosynthese

Development and characterisation of human cancer cell lines in animal-component-free media at the DSMZ: https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/reducing-animal-suffering-in-cancer-research-with-fbs-free-cell-culture-models

🎙️ Diskutieren statt zuhören – sei dabei!
Triff Forschende beim Salon der Wissenschaft und sprich mit ihnen über #Artenvielfalt #Digitalisierung #Klimaschutz #Gesundheit #Kultur.
🗣️ Mitdiskutieren oder einfach zuhören – du entscheidest!
DSMZ vor Ort: PD Dr. Christiane Baschien („Klimawandel & Pilze“)
📅 3. Juni 2026 | 📍 TRAFO Hub, Braunschweig
👉 Vorbeikommen & mitmachen!
https://www.salonderwissenschaft.de/

#SalonDerWissenschaft #Braunschweig

Die DSMZ stellt mehr als 750 Krebs-Zelllinien für die Forschung bereit. Alle Zelllinien sind sorgfältig untersucht und können von Teams weltweit genutzt werden, um passende Modelle für ihre Studien zu wählen und bessere Therapien zu entwickeln.
👉 https://tinyurl.com/yekh2um4

#Krebsforschung #Brustkrebs #OpenScience #Wissenschaft #Weltkrebstag

Office with a view – This wonderful sight was enjoyed this morning by our researchers from the Plant Viruses Department in their office on the JKI campus.
📷 B. Krenz

#winter2026 #happymonday #icicle #officewithaview

📢 We are hiring at DSMZ!
Join us as Scientific Lead for the SILVA Database, a major resource for understanding microbes and their diversity. You will help guide SILVA’s future and support global research on microbiomes and biodiversity.
More details and application: https://tinyurl.com/y973v547

#HiringNow #ScienceJobs #Microbiology #ResearchCareers

🌱 Warnung: Doppel-resistenzbrechende Virus-Stämme gefährden 🍅 Tomaten- & 🫑 Paprika-Felder! DSMZ-Forschung zeigt neues Risiko: https://tinyurl.com/5ypebype

#TomatenVirus #PaprikaErnte #PflanzenSchutz #gemuseanbau

🌿 New strain in the DSMZ collection: Herbivorax alkaliphila sp. nov.
This bacterium was isolated from a salt lake and can break down plant cellulose even in salty conditions – only the second known bacterium with this ability described from such habitats. It sheds light on how microbes help recycle plant material in extreme environments.

#Science #Microbiology #Biodiversity #NewSpecies

Chloracidobacterium validum is here! This light-harnessing microbe from hot springs (Bulgaria) is now at DSMZ for all researchers. Special traits make it a standout in bacterial diversity. https://tinyurl.com/mt3ezjsh

#Microbiology #SciComm #Biodiversity #MicrobeOfTheMonth

🌟 We’re hiring! Join the DSMZ team 🌟 We're looking for talented scientists to join our diverse, international team.
Explore our current job offers and become part of one of the world’s most comprehensive biological resource centers!
👉 https://www.dsmz.de/dsmz/career
🔬 Science. Diversity. Discovery. Join us at DSMZ.

#JobsInScience #ResearchCareers #hiring #ScienceJobs #Braunschweig

LPSN ist jetzt ELIXIR Core Data Resource! Die Liste der Prokaryoten-Namen wird zentrale, verlässliche Quelle für Mikroben-Forscher. Super für Open Science! ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/bddz9mew

#Mikrobenforschung #Wissenschaft #OpenScience #ELIXIR

Actinomycete genomes are a rich source of unexplored phosphonate natural products. By mining 940 genome sequenced strains, researchers found 54 candidate producers and confirmed phosphonate production in 21 strains, including Kitasatospora fiedleri with a unique, LuxR regulated gene cluster. This strategy paves the way for new bioactive phosphonates with pharma and biotech potential.
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/y43tk58n

#Phosphonate #NaturalProducts #Microbiology

🎆 Happy New Year from Leibniz Institute DSMZ! 🎆
We’re thankful for the collaborations, discoveries, and community connections that made 2025 remarkable.
Here’s to an even more inspiring 2026—full of open science, teamwork, and curiosity!
#HappyNewYear #OpenScience #Research #Innovation

📷 pixabay/cocoparisienne

New from the German Nagoya Protocol Hub 🌿
The *Institutional Roadmap to ABS Compliance* helps organisations turn biodiversity policy into action.

It’s a hands-on guide with tools, checklists, and tips for meeting ABS obligations under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Explore it here 👉 https://tinyurl.com/mr2w7vmy

#Biodiversity #NagoyaProtocol #OpenScience #Environment

Microbiome analyses provide new insights into the biodiversity and biological potential of bacterial consortia: https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/better-living-newly-discovered-myxobacterium-in-a-cyanobacterial-community-performs-photosynthesis

RE: @dsmz@wisskomm.social

🔔 Erinnerung: Salon der Wissenschaft – jetzt mitdiskutieren!
Du hast es noch nicht gesehen? 🎙️ Triff Forschende, stelle Fragen oder lausche spannenden Diskussionen.
👉 jetzt anmelden & mitmachen

#SalonDerWissenschaft #Braunschweig #wisskomm

The Virus Diseases of Plants Working Group of the Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft e.V. (DPG) met this week under the theme “New innovations & techniques in plant virology.”
Co-organised by Julius Kühn Institute and DSMZ, the event featured talks, posters, and lively discussions on advances in understanding plant diseases. 🌱

#PlantHealth #Virology #Science #Innovation
📷 DSMZ

🌟 Mikrobe des Jahres 2026: Penicillium-Pinselschimmel! Rettete Millionen mit Penicillin (entdeckt 1928 per Zufall), sorgt für Käsegeschmack und mehr. VAAM ehrt dieses Multitalent. Mehr: https://vaam.de/infoportal-mikrobiologie/mikrobe-des-jahres/mikrobe-des-jahres-2026/

#MikrobeDesJahres #Penicillium #Mikrobiologie #Science

📷 Ulrich Kück & Birgit Hoff

Zukunftstag 2026: Gestern konnten 12 Mädchen und Jungen einen Einblick in unser Institut erhalten. Gemeinsam wurden Bakteriophagen „gejagt“, der Weg eines Herpesvirus in eine menschliche Zelle verfolgt und getestet, ob Tomaten aus dem Supermarkt ein bestimmtes Pflanzenvirus enthalten.

#GirlsDay2026 #BoysDay2026 #Zukunftstag2026 #MINT #Berufsorientierung #Fachkräfte

Navigating the regulatory jungle: DSMZ researchers publish Nagoya Protocol guide

Two recent publications offer practical guidance on regulatory compliance and access and benefit-sharing within the increasingly complex web of international regulations governing microbial research

https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/navigating-the-regulatory-jungle-dsmz-researchers-publish-nagoya-protocol-guide

Last week, DSMZ welcomed colleagues from NITE Biology Resource Centre for a visit that included a guided tour, lively discussions on e.g databases and access and benefit sharing, and a dinner together.

#ScienceCollaboration #ResearchVisit #TeamWork

📷 NBRC team

Microbiomes for global research 🌍
New resources give scientists worldwide access to important biological materials for studying health, ecosystems, and biodiversity.
https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/microbiomes-for-global-research

#Microbiome #OpenScience #Research #Biodiversity

Cassava ist das Grundnahrungsmittel, das Millionen in Subsahara Afrika versorgt – wie die Kartoffel in Europa. Klimawandel und neue Pflanzenkrankheiten setzen die Erträge stark unter Druck. Die #DSMZ prüft jedes #Cassava Material, das zwischen Südamerika und Afrika ausgetauscht wird. Schädlinge werden so früh erkannt und ein Ausbruch verhindert. Damit wird die internationale Züchtung und die Ernährungssicherheit unterstützt.
Mehr dazu  👉   https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/virencheck-fuer-die-welternaehrung

#Ernährung #Pflanzenschutz

Weniger Tierleid in der Krebsforschung durch FKS-freie Zellkulturmodelle: https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/weniger-tierleid-in-der-krebsforschung-durch-fks-freie-zellkulturmodelle

Mikrobiome für die weltweite Forschung 🌍
Neue Ressourcen ermöglichen globalen Zugang zu wichtigen biologischen Materialien.
https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/mikrobiome-fuer-die-weltweite-forschung

#Mikrobiom #OpenScience #Biodiversität #Forschung

Dangerous fungal infections - Leibniz Institute DSMZ provides foundation for their investigation
German Leibniz Institute DSMZ makes WHO-listed fungi available to researchers worldwide: https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/dangerous-fungal-infections-leibniz-institute-dsmz-provides-foundation-for-their-investigation

Neue Mikrobe im Rampenlicht: Chloracidobacterium validum! Diese Bakterie erzeugt Energie aus Licht – entdeckt in heißen Quellen. Jetzt für alle Forschenden über die DSMZ verfügbar. Ein Schritt näher an versteckten Naturprozessen.
👉 https://tinyurl.com/3d4f685p

#FOSSscience #Mikrobiologie #BioDiversität #OpenResearch

New podcast episode 🎧
Episode 3 of the mini-series on the BBNJ Agreement is. The “Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction” treaty aims to protect and use marine life sustainably in areas beyond national borders.
This episode looks at the treaty’s Clearing-House Mechanism and how it could work as a hub for sharing information and support – featuring Amber H. Scholz, head of the DSMZ Science Policy Department.
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJsMHZo69I

#BBNJ #HighSeas #OceanConservation #FediScience

🌱 New discovery: A virus evading plant resistance now threatens tomato 🍅 and pepper 🫑 crops! Harvests at risk from this breakthrough pathogen.
Press release: https://tinyurl.com/4m8uy3et

#TomatoVirus #PepperHarvest #PlantThreat #CropAlert

Die Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen stellt der internationalen Forschungsgemeinschaft pathogene Pilze zur Verfügung, die auf der WHO fungal priority pathogens list der WHO geführt werden. Diese Pilze stellen aufgrund Resistenzen gegenüber gängigen Medikamenten zur Behandlung von Pilzinfektionen (Antimykotika) eine wachsende Bedrohung für die menschliche Gesundheit dar und stehen im Fokus der globalen Suche nach neuen therapeutischen Ansätzen https://www.dsmz.de/press/press-releases/singleview/gefaehrliche-pilzinfektionen-leibniz-institut-dsmz-liefert-grundlage-zu-deren-erforschung

Natural history collections hold Earth’s biological memory. Now, AI and digital tools are unlocking them — but only if we do it fairly.
A new global study, to which DSMZ contributed, introduces 'ethical collectomics': ensuring all countries and communities benefit equally.
Many collections were built during colonial times. Today, digital access must correct past imbalances.
👉 https://www.dsmz.de/research/research-in-the-focus/singleview/ethical-collectomics

#Biodiversity #EthicalScience #ClimateAction #GlobalCollaboration