Human and chimpanzee leaders share a taste for risk

People in leadership positions tend to rate themselves as more risk-loving than those without leadership responsibilities—and a similar pattern emerges among chimpanzees: High-ranking individuals are perceived as more risk-taking than their lower-ranking peers. This is the conclusion of a new study by researchers at the Center for Adaptive Rationality, Dresden University of Technology, and the University of Portsmouth.

Health Summit 2026: AI in Healthcare

How can artificial intelligence help detect diseases earlier, strengthen prevention, and make personalized medicine accessible to more people? This question was at the heart of the panel “AI in Biomedicine and Health: Balancing Innovation and Integrity” at the World Health Summit 2026 in Berlin. The session, co-organized by the Max Planck Society, brought together leading voices from the fields of science and healthcare. The Max Planck Institute for Human Development was represented by its director, Iyad Rahwan.

Mara Mather is among the Top 100 Minds in Berlin Science 2026 

Mara Mather, Director of the Center for Affective and Autonomic Neuroscience (CAAN), has been named one of the Top 100 Minds in Berlin Science 2026. The annual Tagesspiegel list recognizes researchers whose work is shaping the scientific landscape of the German capital region. 

Women leave psychological research more often than men

The bigger hurdle appears not to be entering academia but staying in it: An international study by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development shows that, despite high entry rates, women in psychology leave research significantly more often than men—especially during the first years of their academic careers. 

Statement by the Berliner Forschungsnetzwerk

Strengthening Academic Freedom – The Max Planck Society supports the joint statement issued by the Berliner Forschungsnetzwerk

Cash transfers to mothers with low income may slow biological aging in children

A study published in Nature Human Behaviour reports that providing cash transfers to mothers with low income during the first four years of their children's lives changed the children's biological aging in ways associated with better health in adulthood. 

Our Institute in the media

Here you can find links to selected articles, radio- and TV reports about the activities of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in 2026.

Join our research – become part of our studies

The Max Planck Institute for Human Development is always looking for adults and children of all ages, who would like to take part in studies.

About our Institute

Get to know us – our Research Center and Groups, our service structure, and what drives us in our scientific work.