Saki the Artist believes that art has a job: to fight against waste. In her studio, leftovers from laboratories pile up like souvenirs of an industry that doesn’t think about tomorrow – pipettes, gloves, petri dishes. Things that would otherwise end up in black trash bags become dresses and installations. The artist, who moved from California to Vienna in 2023, combines her biotech past with creativity. It’s not about beauty for her. It’s about reimagining science in a more sustainable way. Continue reading Saki the Artist: Art from upcycled lab plastics →

Instagram-worthy species glamour at the Ball of Sciences. Beyond its significance for research, the subject holds a unique aesthetic allure that will be magnified on the evening of the ball.

The natural history collections of the Natural History Museum Vienna (NHM) are far more than mere exhibits. They are fragile time capsules, living laboratories, and places where the past, present, and future intertwine. With over 30 million objects, the NHM is a true archive of biodiversity and a source of inspiration for science and society. Here, nature is systematically recorded, its diversity documented, and the molecular signature of life deciphered. Every stone, every display case, and every specimen tells a story of the interplay between nature, science, and humanity. Continue reading Photo op with the axolotl →

The focus is of course on the well-deserved award as Scientist of the Year 2024, which Sigrid Stagl received today at the Concordia Press Club from the Club of Education and Science Journalists. But the economist at the Department of Socioeconomics at WU Vienna was also delighted to receive an invitation to the Science Ball that came with the award. Continue reading Sigrid Stagl: From the lecture hall to the ball room →

For me, science – not just my own, but also and perhaps even above all the natural sciences – means the possibility of arriving at a rationally justified assessment in an increasingly less transparent, increasingly differentiated and increasingly conflict-ridden world: rational in the sense of being based on knowledge rather than rumors, rational in the sense of being balanced, rational in the sense of including other approaches, rational in the sense of being (as) objective as possible rather than headed towards individual interests. Continue reading Ingeborg Zerbes: Communication without instructions „from above“ →

I am a scientist by conviction and by passion. It is science that continuously advances us as a species, towards a better, healthier future – and at the same time, science is full of beauty and fascination. This is an aspect that, in my opinion, receives far too little attention. Continue reading Sylvia Kerschbaum-Gruber: Full of beauty and fascination →

For me, science means truth. Without science, there is no factual basis for discussions and problem solving – every statement would be of equal value and no dialogue would ever come to a productive end. Continue reading Malarina: The truth is not for sale →