100 years of signal research in Freiburg

The discovery of the embryonic signaling center "Spemann-Mangold Organizer" was honored with the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1935. Who were Hans Spemann and Hilde Mangold? How did a doctoral student's experiment lead to the Nobel Prize? In what social and scientific environment did the discovery take place? What significance does it have for modern signaling research in biology and medicine?

The special exhibition at the Uniseum (university museum) of the University campus Freiburg is dedicated to the discovery of the so-called "Spemann-Mangold organizer", the signaling center in embryos that coordinates their early development. One hundred years ago, Spemann, who later won the Nobel Prize, and Mangold, a doctoral student, demonstrated in pioneering experiments how embryonic cells organize themselves into tissues and organs. This discovery laid the foundation for the research field of signaling research, which still shapes developmental biology today.

The multimedia exhibition shows historical documents relating to the Nobel Prize as well as original preparations from the years 1921-1923, which Spemann and Mangold used to document their experiments. It provides up-to-date scientific explanations of the ongoing importance of signaling research in developmental biology, combines historical and modern scientific findings and invites visitors to discover the significance of the Spemann-Mangold organizer for today's science.