Editorial Dear friends of »Matters of Activity«,

We are in the final sprint of this unique and challenging year and sending you today the last CZ# issue for 2020. In December, there will be another exciting event about »Ferment-Activity and Nurturing Materials« and we would like to introduce our new publishing tool – the MoA Blog.
But most of all, we wish you all a peaceful end of the year and are looking forward to exciting new projects in 2021.

Happy reading,
Antje Nestler, Eva Schmidt and Franziska Wegener

Filtering | Cutting | Weaving | Material Form Function | Object Space Agency | Bacteria Fermentation is a complex set of techniques bridging food substances, microbes, and the environment, which makes us question the distinction between decay and flourishing. Inherently a filtering activity, fermentation relies on the long-standing relationship of yeast and bacteria to nutrients and the elements. Through practices of food transformation, preservation and consumption, the newly woven symbiotic entities emerge from fermentation processes and enter into a different ecosystem – that of the human body, itself a multi-organism entity. These entities are directly in correspondence with our microbiome: fermented food has, in a way, already stepped into the human digestive system before it is ingested. → more

Press In a recent article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) entitled »Auf einmal Laborratte« (»Suddenly a Lab Rat«), MoA Principal Investigator Claudia Müller-Birn and colleagues write about the surveillance of researchers by large publishers, the business with their data and it's influence on research – with an urgent appeal to the European Union. ↗ more

job The interdisciplinary Image Guidance Lab of the Neurosurgical Clinic of the Charité, which is part of the project »Cutting«, is looking for student support for its brain mapping projects starting as soon as possible. → more

Virtual Cluster Space We were happy and excited to welcome so many international guests to our first digital Annual Conference »The Analog in the Digital Age«. So far, the Virtual Space has been visited by more than 1240 individuals. Our → virtual doors are still open for visitors making research a digital experience, with access to laboratories, workshop spaces and microscopic landscapes. We are looking forward to expanding this virtual environment next year and filling it with more and new content. → more

Blog The MoA Blog is where the researchers of the Cluster of Excellence write about their work. You will find articles, event announcements and insights from more than 40 disciplines and gain an insight into Germany's top-level research. We are an international and interdisciplinary team and would like to provide direct access to our work through this tool with simple search and filter functions. Please also visit the members page on our Blog and on our → Website, where you will find all authors, their research topics and contact information.

Enjoy reading:
↗ https://blog.matters-of-activity.de/

Need to do The cold season has started again and Berlin has good contact points to help homeless people. At this point we would also like to use our reach to draw attention to the following offers:

• Overnight accommodation and other assistance: ↗ https://www.berliner-stadtmission.de/kaeltehilfe
• The link to the Berliner Kältehilfe with the app ↗ https://www.kaeltehilfe-berlin.de/
• COLD BUS (November 1st – March 31st) on the road daily from 6–12 pm +4930 600 300 300 1010 or from 7 pm–3 am +49178 523 58 38
• S.O.S.– Corona Hotline for homeless people reachable 24/7 via +49157 8059 78 70
• If the person appears helpless, is unresponsive or may put him/her*self or others in an acute danger situation, please inform the nearest police station: 110.
• In case of imminent danger to life and acute health hazards, please alert the emergency services immediately: 112.

As the end of the year approaches, we would like to reflect once again and express our deepest thanks to all newsletter readers and Cluster visitors. Although the majority of personal encounters at face-to-face events had to be canceled in recent months, we can nevertheless look back on a very diverse, lively and successful Cluster Year 2020. In the last few weeks in particular, we have been able to count on our Cluster members' commitment, enormous creativity and great enthusiasm for experimentation. This has created new formats and opportunities for scientific exchange, of which we are proud and which will continue to enrich the Cluster culture and beyond in the future. We wish you all restful and healthy holidays! Stay healthy and safe!