Evolutionary Research

12. November 2025

Rupert Riedl at 100

The endless pursuit of life's hidden order

An adventurer, a biologist, a maverick and philosopher. One hundred years after Rupert Riedl's birth, biologists at the University of Vienna reflect on how his systems theory of life contributed to evolutionary biology. We trace how Riedl's journey at the University shaped a generation of researchers in marine, theoretical and cognitive biology.

18. March 2025

Guest article by

Sonia Kleindorfer

Rudolphina Roadtrip: Fieldwork at the Galápagos

The comeback of rare species: Floreana's ecological restoration

The Floreana Island Restoration Project currently is the largest and most ambitious restoration initiative in the Galápagos archipelago. Follow the exciting fieldwork of behavioural biologist Sonia Kleindorfer and her team as they monitor and protect the diverse wildlife of Floreana Island.

28. February 2024

Extreme habitats on earth

Thriving at the limits of life

There is hustle and bustle on our planet – even in quite uncomfortable places. We accompany biologists of the University of Vienna to some of the most extreme environments: from the deep sea and the open ocean to hot springs and alkaline salt lakes. What can we learn from their inhabitants?

7. October 2022

Guest article by

Tom Higham

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2022

Svante Pääbo: The power of ancient genomics and archaeology

University of Vienna archaeologist Tom Higham congratulates his colleague with whom he has been working together on many projects over the years. He explains Svante Pääbo's key achievements and what the Nobel Prize means for the people working in the field.

4. May 2022

Archaeological Science as Game-Changer

What ancient genes tell us about who we are

Using the latest scientific methods, Tom Higham and Katerina Douka from the University of Vienna want to solve a great mystery of human evolution: Why are we the only humans left?

18. April 2022

Behavioural Biology

The art of hearing

We hear a sound of a moving object and automatically predict in which direction it travels. What is the process behind this survival tool? The project Dynamates conducts the first comparative study on dynamic auditory predictions with marmoset monkeys and humans.