Petra Schwille: ‘Understanding the basic principles of life’

“Understanding the basic principles of life“

Petra Schwille is a star in the field of synthetic biology. At the GDNÄ meeting in Bremen, she will report on her search for the essence of life.

Professor Schwille, you will be explaining to your audience at the GDNÄ meeting in Bremen how simple living systems can be. The topic is probably not quite that simple. How much prior knowledge is needed to understand it?
Anyone who has a rough idea of how a cell works and is familiar with the term “protein” will understand the lecture well. In it, I will describe my research and report on the latest results from my laboratory.

Where are you currently in your search for the minimal biological system?
We, that is, my team and I at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, have created a functioning artificial system for cell division. Of course, cell division is only one aspect of life – we are not yet able to replicate metabolism, growth, reproduction, evolution and other characteristic life processes. The only system known today that encompasses all these processes is the cell. Rudolf Virchow defined it in the 19th century as the smallest unit of life from which all living systems arise. That is the paradigm on which our work is based. We still find it very helpful, even if it ultimately leads to a dead end, because somehow the very first cell must have come into being at some point.

Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie © MPI für Biochemie/ Susanne Vondenbusch

The Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry is located on the Martinsried campus. Within walking distance are the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, facilities belonging to Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and the Biotechnology Innovation and Start-up Centre.

How can we imagine your artificial system?
It consists of an artificial cell envelope and currently five bacterial proteins and the externally supplied energy source adenosine triphosphate, or ATP for short. The cell envelope is of great importance here – a membrane that delimits the cell to the outside and is involved in many cellular processes inside. It is composed of various lipids and proteins. The fuel for every cell is ATP, which stores energy chemically and also ensures autonomous processes in our body cells. These are processes that do not require light, heat or other external energy sources. In our laboratory, bacterial proteins cause the membrane vesicle to divide. They accumulate at the equator of the cell and contract like a belt – so tightly that two vesicles are eventually formed.

What are the next steps on the way to a bonsai cell?
Next, we want to get our model system to produce ATP independently and maintain its own metabolism. We also want to introduce DNA and thus achieve the transfer of information during cell division. The aim is to use inanimate components such as proteins and biological membranes to create an artificial cell that is clearly visible under the microscope and exhibits more and more aspects of life. We are pursuing this goal together with a team led by biochemist Bert Poolman from the University of Groningen in the MetaDivide project. To this end, we were able to secure an ERC Synergy Grant from the European Research Council at the end of 2024 – with funding of five million euros. MetaDivide aims to provide us with a new understanding of the basic principles of life.

The aim of the MetaDivide project is to enable a synthetic cell the size of a bacterium to divide independently.

The motto of the 2026 GDNÄ meeting is ‘Knowledge creates benefits – utilising science’. So, the question is: what are the benefits of your research?
It serves to gain knowledge. Perhaps it will help us better understand how life on Earth began, or perhaps it will give us a key to finding extraterrestrial life. If one day we understand in detail how the simplest cells produce energy, it could mean an abundance of renewable energy. It is also conceivable that it could provide impetus for medicine and materials science. But this is all still speculation, and what happens in our laboratory is pure basic research.

What fascinates you about it?
Even as a child, I wondered where life came from and how all living things are connected. I then studied physics and philosophy as a minor, but basically lost sight of my original questions during my studies. My interest was reawakened during my doctorate with Manfred Eigen, the Nobel Prize winner in chemistry from Göttingen, who was intensively engaged with questions about the evolution of life at the time. He had an interesting project on single-molecule detection that needed to be assigned in order to better understand and quantify the incredibly complex processes in biological systems. To this end, I was able to develop a method that is still in use today. Even back then, in the mid-1990s, I dreamed of a living system that was not so complex, that had only the truly essential properties – and was perhaps even capable of evolution. That would be the breakthrough.

Is the homunculus, the artificially created human being, appearing on the horizon? How do you deal with the philosophical questions raised by your research?
I am glad and happy that I am free to explore what life is and what it is not. I am interested in scientific explanations. And ultimately also in humility towards inanimate nature. The difference between animate and inanimate nature is not that fundamental. We should not morally exaggerate life, give it a halo.

Your husband is a Protestant pastor. What does he say about this?
He is interested in social and human issues and cares about relationships between people and their relationship with God. We have a clear division of labour in this regard.

Is God important to you?
Not in the sense of a particular religion. It’s more a feeling that there is a driving force behind everything that develops in time and space – from the universe to human life. And one day I would like to understand this force better and perhaps even be able to quantify it.

Michael Droescher © MIKA-fotografie | Berlin

Prof. Dr. Petra Schwille, physicist and director of the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry.

About the person

Petra Schwille was born in Sindelfingen in 1968 and grew up in Heilbronn. She studied physics and philosophy at the Universities of Stuttgart and Göttingen and received her doctorate under Nobel Prize winner Manfred Eigen at the MPI for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University, she returned from the USA in 1999 to the MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, where she headed her own junior research group. In 2002, she accepted a position as Chair of Biophysics at the Biotechnology Centre of the Technical University of Dresden. Since 2011, Petra Schwille has been Director at the MPI for Biochemistry in Munich-Martinsried, where she heads the research department ‘Cellular and Molecular Biophysics’. In 2012, she also became an honorary professor at the Faculty of Physics at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. Petra Schwille has received many awards, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize from the German Research Foundation in 2010, the Otto Warburg Medal in 2022 and the Manfred Eigen Prize in 2023. She is a recipient of the Bavarian Maximilian Order and the Cross of Merit First Class of the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition to her scientific activities, Petra Schwille speaks at cultural events on scientific, philosophical and social issues and is involved in mentoring young scientists.

Further reading

>> Website of Petra Schwille’s ‘Cellular and Molecular Biophysics Research Department’

Fraunhofer Medal for Michael Dröscher

The GDNÄ Secretary General is honoured for his services to the Fraunhofer Society.

The Fraunhofer Society honors Professor Michael Dröscher with the Fraunhofer Medal 2026. The Secretary General and Treasurer of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians was honored in early 2026 for his outstanding services to the Fraunhofer Society. As a representative of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Donors’ Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany), Michael Dröscher served for 25 years on the jury for the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize, the highest award given by the application-oriented German research organization. He gave the Fraunhofer Society important impetus and, as chairman of several scientific societies, persistently advocated for closer integration between science and industry, writes Fraunhofer President Professor Holger Hanselka on LinkedIn.

The Fraunhofer Society is one of Germany’s leading organisations for application-oriented research. Nearly 32,000 employees at 75 institutes and independent research facilities in Germany generate an annual financial volume of 3.6 billion euros. Of this, 3.1 billion euros is attributable to Fraunhofer’s core business model, contract research.

This year, the Fraunhofer Society is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the death of its namesake, Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787-1826). The Munich scholar was equally successful as a scientist, inventor and entrepreneur.

The Fraunhofer Medal was designed on 6 March 1987 to mark the 200th anniversary of Joseph von Fraunhofer’s birth. The front features a portrait of Fraunhofer, while the back shows a view of his birthplace, Straubing.

Michael Dröscher, Secretary General and Treasurer of the GDNÄ.

Further reading:

>> Tribute by Professor Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer Society

>> Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Fraunhofer Medal

Michael Dröscher: “We still have lots of good ideas”

“We still have lots of good ideas”

Michael Dröscher, Secretary General and Treasurer of the GDNÄ, talks about new momentum for the society, highlights of the meeting in Bremen and his own plans for the future.

Professor Dröscher, we are conducting this interview at the beginning of 2026. You have long been responsible for the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians: for eleven years as its Secretary General and for nine years as its Treasurer. Where does the GDNÄ stand today?
Not only are membership numbers stable, we can even hope for growth. This positive trend is by no means a given. Most scientific societies today are struggling with declining membership numbers and often lack young talent. This was also the case for us for a long time.

What led to the turnaround?
The decisive factor was the founding of the GDNÄ’s Young Network, known as jGDNÄ for short. The network is open to scientists and medical professionals up to the age of 32 and is developing splendidly. The first self-organised congress took place in Heidelberg in June 2025, and the next one is planned for 2027. The young members are very committed and are bringing new momentum to our venerable society.

GDNÄ-Tagung 2024 in Potsdam © MIKA-fotografie | Berlin

Michael Dröscher with young participants at the GDNÄ conference in Potsdam in 2024.

How do they manage that?
For example, they are active on our LinkedIn channel, which operates under the name “Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte” (German Society of Natural Scientists and Physicians). I recommend that all members take a look and become followers. We also owe the jGDNÄ a debt of gratitude for bringing us the attention of YouTuber and author Jacob Beautemps, whom we awarded the Oken Medal in December for his outstanding contributions to science communication. The young members are currently in the process of establishing regional structures, with groups in Aachen, Heidelberg, Bochum and Greifswald. Together, we have drafted rules of procedure that define the rights and obligations of the jGDNÄ. The rules are to be adopted at the next meeting in Bremen.

What motivates these young people?
I believe they sense that we are happy to have them here. We give them a lot of freedom and involve them wherever possible. For example, representatives of the jGDNÄ always attend board meetings. Many appreciate the contact with established GDNÄ members and take advantage of the opportunities for further training. For example, we are currently developing a pilot project on medical communication with two-day workshops for our young people. The format fits in well with the theme of Science Year 2026, “Medicine of the Future”.

Most members are older than 32. What are your arguments for keeping this group in the GDNÄ? And for attracting new members from this age group?
There are a number of good arguments. Every membership fee, every donation and every bequest supports young people in the natural sciences and medicine, whether in our school programme or in the jGDNÄ. The contributions finance our small but highly efficient office, which makes our many activities possible in the first place. I am thinking, for example, of the Lorenz Oken Medal award ceremony at the Science Forum in Stuttgart, which was very well attended and raised our profile among important target groups . With our website and videos of lectures at the meetings, we contribute to science communication – all of which, of course, costs money. In addition, our members benefit directly from discounts, for example at the meetings and when subscribing to our association’s journal, the Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau. They are also invited to our regional meetings, which we now want to offer more frequently.

In the auditorium of the 2024 conference in Potsdam: Martin Lohse, Michael Dröscher, and Paul Mühlenhoff (from left to right).

A regional meeting took place in Leipzig in the summer of 2025. What happens next?
The Leipzig meeting was a good start. On 13 March, we will continue the series in Bremen; the invitations have been sent out recently. Our scientific director for the next GDNÄ meeting, Professor Michal Kucera, will give a lecture on his climate science research and discuss it with the participants. The event will be hosted by the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Bremen. Further regional meetings are in the planning stage.

The 134th GDNÄ meeting will take place from 17 to 20 September. How far along are the preparations?
The programme (pdf) is set, and preparations are in full swing. Once again, we have some fantastic lectures and a superb accompanying programme. One highlight is sure to be the public lecture by Professor Ben List, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, on the evening of 19 September. The public is also invited to attend the lecture by Professor Thomas Zurbuchen from ETH Zurich on the subject of aerospace. He will speak on the eve of the opening, when we will also be hosting the popular Science Slam “Science in 5 Minutes”. The Bremen Senator for Science will give a welcoming address at the opening event. We have once again organised a programme for school pupils, with around 100 pupils from the region and around 50 students taking part. A poster exhibition is planned in the foyer, with prizes for the two best posters. Speaking of which, we will once again be awarding the Alexander von Humboldt Medal for outstanding services to the GDNÄ, and the Society of German Chemists will be presenting the Liebig Medal. The jGDNÄ is organising a student café on its own for the first time. It will be a compact gathering, with all events taking place on one level. The Congress Centre is only a ten-minute walk from the centre of Bremen. One more thing: this time, the closing speech will really be given on Sunday lunchtime so that everyone can get home on time.

It will be your last meeting as Secretary General. Why is that?

I am approaching eighty and am gradually retiring from my honorary positions on boards of trustees and other committees of scientific institutions. My position as GDNÄ Secretary General will be taken over by Professor Stefan Buchholz, with whom I have attended many events over the past few months. I will remain GDNÄ Treasurer until the end of 2027. My term as Chairman of the Administrative Board of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research will also last until then. After that, I look forward to spending more time with my family and enjoying a more peaceful life.

How do you see the future of the GDNÄ?
As I said, the trend is positive – now we must do everything we can to ensure that it continues. The GDNÄ has held its own in the world of science for 204 years, experiencing heyday and weathering crises. Today, even large scientific societies are fighting for the attention of the public, which does not make things any easier for us. But we have many good ideas that we would like to implement and for which we need funding. As treasurer, I will therefore never tire of appealing to the generosity of our members. It is money well spent, and I vouch for that with my name.

Michael Dröscher, Secretary General and Treasurer of the GDNÄ.

About the person

Professor Michael Dröscher has been treasurer and board member of the GDNÄ since 2017 and its secretary general since 2015. He was born in Kirn an der Nahe in 1949, studied chemistry in Mainz and also completed his doctorate there. He then took up a position as a research assistant at the University of Freiburg and, at the age of just 31, qualified as a professor in macromolecular chemistry. He continued his academic career first as a private lecturer and, from 1988, as an adjunct professor at the University of Münster.

Michael Dröscher is even more interested in the application of scientific results than in basic research, which is what led him to industry. He started in 1982 as a laboratory manager and in 1984 as a department head at Hüls AG in Marl, North Rhine-Westphalia. He remained at Hüls and its successor companies, Degussa-Hüls and Evonik-Industries AG, for 27 years in various roles. In 1997, Michael Dröscher was appointed managing director of the then newly founded Hüls subsidiary Creavis Gesellschaft für Technologie und Innovation mbH. Five years later, in 2002, Michael Dröscher became innovation manager at Degussa AG, which later became part of Evonik.

Michael Dröscher was also involved in professional associations, including as Chairman of the German Bunsen Society (2005 to 2006) and, from 2010 to 2011, as President of the German Chemical Society and Manager of the CHEMIE.NRW cluster.

He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim and has been a member of several boards of trustees and advisory boards of the Max Planck Society, the Leibniz Association and university institutes.

@ M3B GmbH

Exterior view of the Bremen Congress Centre, where the 134th GDNÄ meeting will take place from 17 to 20 September 2026.

Further reading:

>> Fraunhofer Medal for Michael Dröscher

>> Interview with Professor Michael Dröscher ahead of the 200th anniversary of the GDNÄ in 2022

>> Interview with Professor Stefan Buchholz, the designated Secretary General of the GDNÄ

>> Interview with Professor Michal Kucera, Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer, University of Bremen

>> Programme flyer for the 134th Assembly in Bremen (PDF)

Lorenz Oken Medal for Jacob Beautemps

Lorenz-Oken-Medaille für Jacob Beautemps

On 3 December 2025, the Lorenz Oken Medal was awarded to science YouTuber Dr Jacob Beautemps at the Science Communication Forum in Stuttgart.

The festive award ceremony was moderated by Professor Michael Dröscher, Secretary General and Treasurer of the GDNÄ. Its Vice President, Professor Heribert Hofer, gave the introduction and presented the medal.

This was followed by a laudatory speech given by two representatives of the young target audience, both members of the GDNÄ’s Young Network. Kevin Yuan is in his first semester of medical school, while Eric Andresen has successfully completed his Abitur and plans to study physics. Heribert Hofer: ‘The two did this with great enthusiasm, with a fine sense of humour, very entertaining and yet very informative about the award winner and his activities.’ It was a brilliant performance that also visibly impressed the honouree.

Nach der Preisverleihung © Stefan Buchholz

After the award ceremony: Eric Andresen, Jacob Beautemps and Kevin Yuan (from left to right).

In his keynote speech, Jacob Beautemps presented some rules for the use of social media. In addition to good visualisation and structure, it is important to focus on the questions of the target group, among other things.

‘The audience was impressed by both the laudatory speech and the keynote address,’ reports Heribert Hofer. After Jacob Beautemps’ speech, there was a highly interesting discussion between the knowledgeable guests and the honouree.

Lorenz-Oken-Medaille für Jacob Beautemps © Stefan Buchholz

The Lorenz Oken Medal 2025 for Jacob Beautemps.

Mit Urkunde: Die Professoren Heribert Hofer und Michael Dröscher (beide GDNÄ), Preisträger Dr. Jacob Beautemps und die Laudatoren Kevin Yuan und Eric Andresen.

With certificate: Professors Heribert Hofer and Michael Dröscher (both GDNÄ), award winner Dr Jacob Beautemps and laudators Kevin Yuan and Eric Andresen.

About the person

Jacob Beautemps was born in 1993 and grew up in Essen. After graduating from high school, he studied physics and social sciences at the University of Cologne. While studying, he worked part-time at Günter Jauch’s production company i&u TV. His YouTube channel Breaking Lab, founded in 2018, surpassed 500,000 subscribers in June 2022 and had nearly 720,000 subscribers at the end of 2025. In the summer of 2022, Jacob Beautemps received his own documentary format on ARD Mediathek with Science for Future.

Beautemps regularly appears as a speaker and guest on television programmes. His book Rethinking Our Future, published in 2025, is a bestseller in Germany. In 2024, he received his doctorate from the Institute for Physics Education at the University of Cologne on the question of how adults learn with the help of YouTube videos. Beautemps has received numerous awards for his contributions, including the German Physical Society’s Medal for Science Journalism in 2024. On 3 December 2025, the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians honours him with the Lorenz Oken Medal for his excellent communication of scientific topics to a young audience.

Further information:

>> Science in Dialogue at the award ceremony

>> Jacob Beautemps: ‘It’s wonderful to inspire others’

>> Breaking Lab

>> The German Science Guy

>> Announcement of the 2025 Oken Prize winner

Jacob Beautemps: ‘It’s wonderful to inspire others’

‘It’s wonderful to inspire others’

Jacob Beautemps, science YouTuber and GDNÄ award winner, on the rules of good communication and how he came to not become a teacher.

Dr Beautemps, you are 32 years old, have already won several awards for your approach to science communication, and on 3 December you will also receive the Lorenz Oken Medal from the GDNÄ. What makes you so successful?
I don’t know if I’m that successful. But at least I’ve been active on various media channels for eight years now, and so far I haven’t made any major mistakes. As a science YouTuber, I publish two new videos on scientific topics every week – always based on studies and other reputable sources, which I cite transparently, as in a scientific paper. My community likes that, and it has now grown to more than 700,000 people. I also make documentaries for television, such as the series Science for Future on SWR, and contributions to the children’s programme Tigerenten Club on ARD. At the beginning of the year, my first book, entitled Rethinking Our Future, was published. Well, everywhere I try to work as accurately as possible and be transparent with my sources.

What is your favourite format?
Definitely YouTube. The medium is uncomplicated, fast and flexible. I have complete freedom in designing the videos; no one interferes. That doesn’t mean I don’t like to learn new things – for example, from the television professionals I work with. I then use this new knowledge for my videos. For the past year, I have also been running an English-language channel for an international audience. Take a look at The German Science Guy.

@ IdeenExpo

On stage at IdeenExpo 2024 in Hanover, Jacob Beautemps demonstrates how to make ice using nitrogen. Held every two years since 2007, the event aims to inspire young people to take an interest in science and technology.

How do you choose your topics?
I’m particularly interested in topics that will be relevant in the future and topics that are widely discussed but which hardly anyone looks into in any depth. It’s always important to relate them to our lives. One example is the heat pump. There was a lot of debate about it and most people didn’t even know what the principle behind it was. So I did a deep dive that lasted almost 20 minutes, but really explained the principle. In the end, more than 1.2 million people watched the video.

Your spectrum ranges from the polio vaccine to noise makers in the jungle to electricity from rain. How do you manage to report competently on all these topics?
Fortunately, I have a great team that helps me with research and implementation. There are currently five of us in the editorial team. Our goal is always to produce scientifically sound videos based on the latest research.

And if a mistake happens?
That happens, and then it’s important to deal with it transparently. I address the mistake in one of the next videos and set the record straight. That builds trust.

How does the audience react to your posts?
On YouTube, first with click numbers; currently, there are an average of 4.5 million views per month. I am fortunate that I hardly ever have to deal with hostility, and when I do, I don’t argue with people, but refer them to the sources, which I always cite. It’s nice when I can inspire others. I get comments like: Hey, you got me interested in renewable energies, and now I’m studying it. Or: I report on a start-up, visit it again later and meet people there who became aware of the company through me and now work there.

There are other successful science YouTubers in Germany. Is that unwelcome competition for you?
On the contrary, we benefit from each other. For example, people who watch a video by Mai Thi often watch one of mine afterwards – and vice versa. We also have different areas of focus. I mostly deal with innovations, while other science YouTubers may focus more on nutrition or medicine. That’s the beauty of YouTube: you don’t have to fight for airtime like you do on TV, but instead promote each other.

@ Beautemps

Jacob Beautemps interviews Bill Gates and polio survivors. The conversation, which took place in 2023, focused on the international polio initiative, which Gates supports significantly.

At the award ceremony in Stuttgart, you will give a speech and present some rules for successful knowledge transfer. What are they?
I can give a few examples. We know from research how helpful it is to work with questions. This is not just about arousing curiosity with questions. Experiments have shown that specifically addressing misconceptions is very helpful in dispelling them. Without these questions, the same experiments showed that there is hardly any learning effect. Maximum transparency is another point. This includes introducing yourself and your expertise and explaining where the information you are presenting comes from. This creates trust, which is the be-all and end-all of good communication. Messages become particularly memorable when they are visualised and emotionalised. There are lots of tricks for doing this – I will give a few examples in Stuttgart.

How did you actually get into science communication?
It was a complete coincidence. I actually wanted to become a teacher. While studying physics and social sciences, I worked part-time at Günther Jauch’s production company in Cologne, always behind the camera. When I was asked if I could set up a YouTube channel for the company, I did so, but again behind the camera. At some point, I was asked if I would like to get in front of the camera. At first I said no, not really, but in my mid-twenties I did it anyway. Then one thing led to another.

A doctorate is not essential for your profession. Nevertheless, you decided to do it. Why?
Out of pure curiosity. I was interested in the question of why and how people use educational videos and what makes such videos successful. I conducted a study with around five thousand adults from Germany who frequently watch science videos and came to some interesting conclusions. For example: an important reason for the audience to engage with a topic is the person in front of the camera. This creates a parasocial relationship, the feeling of knowing the other person, even if you have never met them in person. You spend time together, and over time, trust develops. From my findings, I have derived a guide with 17 rules for the best possible production of educational videos. In principle, however, the study can be useful to anyone who wants to communicate competently. The same rules apply when I give a presentation, teach a course or want to explain something that is not entirely trivial.

What are your plans for the future?
I have many plans, but one project is particularly close to my heart: next year, I want to work with colleagues from the field of science communication to launch an award for innovations made in Germany. Germany is a highly innovative country, and we want to show that to a large audience. At the moment, many people here are too pessimistic. There will be awards in various categories, for example for innovations in the fields of medicine, energy and mobility. The Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovations will help us to identify the most convincing projects from what we hope will be a large number of applications. We will then present them in videos and let our communities vote on the winners. We are currently looking for partners and asking companies and scientific institutions for their support.