• Recycling © Nina Bohlmann

    The Big Pond #23Sorting Out Recycling

    Most of the Western world has a waste problem, and recycling has been pushed by policymakers as one of the best ways to combat it. In Baltimore and Berlin, conversations with locals and experts reveal that recycling is not necessarily working as it should be in either of these cities. 

  • There is now a third gender category in Germany: ‘divers’, which translates as ‘miscellaneous’ or ‘other’. Photo (detail): © Adobe / Stockwerk-Fotodesign

    IntersexGender diversity

    At the beginning of 2019, population registers in Germany were amended to include a third gender category. The option box is headed ‘divers’, which translates as ‘miscellaneous’ or ‘other’, and it was introduced for a dual purpose: to remove the burden from parents faced with deciding an intersex child’s future and to show that being different can also be normal.

  • Prezel production in Cincinatti, Ohio © Valora

    The Big Pond #22The Story of the Brezn

    The pretzel, known as a “Brezel” or “Brezn” in German, is not an ordinary pastry. It has a century-old history full of myths and stories. Where did it come from? Why does it have this special shape that vaguely resembles a hug? And how come it’s doused in lye? In this episode of The Big Pond, we trace the pretzel’s story from its origins to today. 

  • 1000 Gestalten | Art Performance at the G20 summit in Hamburg | July 2017 Photo: Andrea Ruester

    Protest Art Art in the Age of Instagram

    In the art scene, political engagement is not always viewed positively. Commitment to a good cause is sometimes dismissed as "service art" or merely as "well-intentioned". Images arise to get media attention and to be posted.

  • Deutsche digitale Kinderuni - Für Kinder von 8 bis 12 Jahren © Goethe-Institut / Kids Interactive

    Digitale KinderuniversitätKinderuni Curiosity Contest

    The German Digital Kinderuniversity is coming to the USA! We want to know which questions matter to the researchers of tomorrow. Send us a short video asking your most burning question, win wonderful prizes, and explore what the Kinderuni can offer as you discover the world of science. All students in the USA can participate in the Curiosity contest until April 20, 2019.