The 21st edition of Heidelberg University's research magazine

3/29/2023 As the late (2014) American author and professor Maya Angelou once said: »We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.« The topic of change is the focus of BEGINNING & END – the 21st edition of Heidelberg University's award-winning research magazine.

The 13 faculties of the university explore the two concepts from very different scientific perspectives, with contributions ranging from the beginning of life to its end. The topics include reproductive and palliative medicine, disappearing glaciers, the end of languages, chronic pain, and the life and death of galaxies.

It becomes clear that science triggers change, that the initial question of a project sometimes leads to diverse results, and that the university itself is constantly changing and developing. The scientists show that the road to new insights is rocky at times, but that research consists precisely in not being discouraged, but rather trying out new things.