A video looks authentic, its message sounds plausible – but behind it lies deliberate AI-powered manipulation. Can we learn to spot manipulation more effectively? These are the questions a UDE-team is exploring as part of the new EU-funded COMPASS project.

How do fireflies suddenly manage to flash in perfect synchrony, with hundreds of them blinking at the same rhythm? This natural phenomenon is the focus of Dr Thorsten Kimmeskamp. He will soon reveal the answer on Die große Maus-Show, broadcast on 12 September on ARD.

Andreas Niedrig’s journey from junkie to Ironman is inspiring. On September 14, he will speak at the Health Days from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Glass Pavilion on the Essen campus. His topic: “Who says life always has to be easy?!” We spoke with him ahead of the event.

Marathon, 100 or even 230 kilometres: UDE medical researchers show that the body’s own cannabis-like messenger substances increase significantly even during extremely long runs. The study provides new insights into the biological processes behind the runner’s high.

AI, quantum technologies and biotechnology are transforming the world of work and society. The new research consortium of the German Institute for Interdisciplinary Social Policy Research is investigating how these technologies affect social risks and institutions.

PFAS in water, pesticides in agriculture, microplastics in the oceans: How do pollutants affect people and ecosystems? Around 220 experts will discuss current challenges in environmental research at UMWELT 2026 at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

UDE-Student Liv-Grete Liwowski has won a bronze medal at the World University Canoe Sports Championships in Szeged, Hungary. Together with Moritz Schneider from Leipzig University, she finished third in the K1 mixed 5,000-metre relay.

How much control should we give AI, when do we trust robots and how can digital systems be made secure? At Mensch und Computer 2026 conference, more than 500 experts at UDE will discuss how technology is shaping the way we live, work and interact in daily life.

Tiny particles in blood, urine and other bodily fluids can provide clues about cancer and other diseases. At University Hospital Essen, Prof Dr. Basant Kumar Thakur researches how the cellular signals can be used for early diagnosis that is as minimally invasive as possible.