Explained excellently: CEPLAS members in the podcast of the German clusters of excellence

In September 2021, the first episode of the podcast of the German clusters of excellence was released: "Exzellent erklärt – Spitzenforschung für alle ". The podcast on current scientific topics reflects the research diversity of the Clusters of Excellence: from African studies to quantum physics. In each episode, listeners gain insights into the interdisciplinary work of a research network. In an interview with podcaster Larissa Vassilian, the scientists talk about how they want to find scientifically based answers to socially relevant topics.

In the current podcast, Larissa Vassilian talks to the CEPLAS members Maria von Korff Schmising (HHU) and Markus Stetter (UzK) about "SMART" plants for food security. They provide insights into their work and report on their goal of breeding crops that are high-yielding and healthy, while at the same time able to resist increasing heat, drought and disease. The audience will learn about the advantages of perennial over annual crops and what past domestication of plants teaches us about how to obtain new crops with special nutrients and good adaptation to climate change.