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Did you know that you can use foldable microscopes and your smartphone to discover the microcosmos at 100-times magnification?

We teamed up with the Raissig group and the Engel group for the European Researchers’ Night in Heidelberg and packed our stations with Foldcopes. During few hours at Friday night, over 300 children and adults explored samples from nature including plant tissues and animal models such hydras, as well as cell culture samples such mouse embryonic stem cells and lung cancer cells. This #microCOSmos exploration could not be hosted in a better place: The incredible botanic garden of Heidelberg, which was illuminated with colourful LEDs and sparked with a great cocktail bar. We were also well-accompanied by the microscopes of the Nikon Imaging Center and the symbiosis station of the Guse lab, all part of the initiative of the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS Heidelberg) for the the Nacht der Forschung Heidelberg.

We thank all the PhD researchers and master students that helped organising this activity!

You can see more images in twitter searching for #microCOSmos

For our Summer lab outing, we decided to go canoeing at the Enz and Neckar rivers. Temperatures rose over 35°C and we finalised the 17 km exhausted (More distance if you consider the extreme zig-zagging that we pulled there with our chaotic canoe). A well-deserved BBQ with sausages, chorizos and vegetables was a perfect way to finish the day.

The Centre for Organismal Studies COS celebrated its anual party on the 26th of January coinciding with the German carnival. This year’s theme was CirCOS and we decided to dress up as The cabinet of Dead Magic: a group of victims of failed magic and circus tricks:

The cabinet of Dead Magic: The snake enchanter choked to death by a boa. The magician assistant sawed in pieces. The human target, pierced by the arrows of the inaccurate William Tell. The Houdini-look alike, who failed to scape from his chains and drowned in the water tank. The reluctant lion tamer, who poked the beasts and ended up in the food chain.

Two parties are better than one!

First, we celebrated Christmas with our colleagues at the 6th floor (Guse lab, Holstein lab). We enjoyed delicious self-made food and prepare the classic Feuerzangenbowle, which consists of rum soaked on sugar that is set on fire and poured into mulled wine (Pics below).

On the same week the Acebron lab met for a home-made dinner with the following menu:

• Cold starters: French & Spanish Cheese, jamon Iberico, homemade Pesto & Aioli, steak carpaccio with mango, bread selection
• Warm starters: Green peppers from Padron, grilled prawns.
• Main dish: Cod Wellington sided with grilled vegies & tomatoes
• Marinade: Beer, red & white Spanish wine, water and long drinks.

Somehow, we managed to eat all of it, as well as drink until 3 am without taking a single pic. So you have to trust us on that!

All in all, I ended up with a Group Leader emergency kit, which I highly appreciate! It really comes with everything:

Like a welcome present for the new job, we got the cover of EMBO Reports thanks to the great project lead by my former mentee Birgit Berger:

Cover: The Parkinson’s disease‐associated receptor GPR37 (Represented by the patient student) is required in the ER for the maturation of the Wnt co‐receptor LRP6. In the absence of GPR37, LRP6 undergoes ER‐associated degradation, represented by a cat, and Wnt signaling is inhibited. From Birgit S Berger, Sergio P Acebron, Jessica Herbst, Stefan Koch, Christof Niehrs: Parkinson’s disease‐associated receptor GPR37 is an ER chaperone for LRP6. For detail, see Scientific Report on page 712. Cover concept by Sergio P Acebron, Birgit S Berger and Christof Niehrs (Artistic rendition by Uta Mackensen)