In March, just when the weather turned from rainy winter to sunny spring, it was time for a joint group retreat of both Pierre’s Paleobiotechnology group and Christina Warinner‘s Microbiome Sciences group, located at the department of Archaeogenetics at the MPI-EVA in Leipzig. This retreat to a nicely renovated manor outside of Jena served the purpose of elevating the PBT project visions by bringing the two groups into a productive, yet relaxed, atmosphere.
Team events
Evening challenges and outdoor activities are a must on our scientific retreat: Besides semi-scientific tasks such as “make something that produces data” by using Lego bricks, activities such as juggling, and our abilities to picturize complex terms on a flip chart demanded a great deal of different skills. The animal inhabitants of the venue were a welcome companion to some of the team members.
A small delegation was eager to cycle all the way – starting in graupel and rain, arriving in sunshine, and enjoying even more sightseeing adventures on the way back.
After numerous fruitful discussions, reviews, and new ideas of the participants of this year’s retreat, Pierre’s and Christina’s research groups are eager to further shape the field of paleobiotechnology and keep all efforts high.