Why Arabic calligraphy is art, culture and identity at once
By Oula Mahfouz Calligraphy or calligraphy literally means “the art of beautiful writing”. The term comes from the Greek and is made up of “kalos” for beautiful and “graphein” for writing. According…
News from LUCA, the ancestor of all living creatures
Evolutionary biology assumes that all organisms living today have a common ancestor. This is because today’s organisms have many similarities, including the fact that they use the same genetic code. An international…
The Kufiya: A cultural heritage between tradition and resistance
By Oula Mahfouz The kufiya, known in Germany as the “Palestinian scarf”, has become particularly topical in Berlin as a result of the war in Gaza. In October 2023, the education administration…
“Tübingen ears” generate electricity
The “Tübingen ears” are solar panels installed on open spaces that convert solar energy into electricity. Two of them are already located on the slip road of the B27 motorway near Lustnau….
Damascus: the home of roses, iris and jasmine
By Oula Mahfouz When the old Damascus house is mentioned, an image of a place filled with the scent of flowers, especially jasmine, iris and Damascus roses, immediately comes to mind. The…
How baby songs become language
By Michael Seifert All newborns could learn any complex spoken language in the world. However, cultural differences are already apparent in the first sounds that babies make. This is proven by the…
Tiger mosquito: aggressive and diurnal
Some insects that come to Germany as a result of climate change are not only annoying, they also pose a health risk. These include the tiger mosquito. At 3 to 8 millimeters,…
Yellow ribbon: Harvest fruit free of charge
Even fruit trees standing in the open countryside in a meadow have owners. You are therefore not allowed to simply pick apples, pears, plums, mirabelle plums or nuts or pick them from…
46 refugees have a new home
The vacant building of the Internationaler Bund in Tübingen’s Eugenstraße is coming alive again. 46 refugees, including many families and single parents with their children, have moved into the converted former language…
Important information for couples without a marriage licence
Nowadays, couples who live together without a marriage licence are treated as strangers in many areas of the law. In this text, we will look at important points that unmarried couples should…
Exhibition on flight and migration in Tübingen
From September 16 to October 4, the Free Radio Wüste Welle is showing an exhibition on flight and migration at the Epplehaus in Tübingen. The multilingual exhibition “Nothing About Us Without Us”…
Buses and Naldo honeycombs become more expensive
Passengers will have to pay more for single journeys from October 1, 2024. This was announced by Stadtwerke Tübingen and the Naldo transport association. Anyone with a Deutschlandticket will not be affected…
Celts in the southwest
By Bernhard Kirschner 2600 years ago, the Celts ruled the southwest of Germany. One of their centers was the Heuneburg above the Danube near Sigmaringen. The Celts had trade links as far…
The journey of numbers: From the Babylonians to the present day
By Oula Mahfouz From math to commerce to science and technology, numbers are indispensable tools in our daily lives. But where do these numbers originate throughout time and across civilizations? The beginnings…
Assisted dying: Strictly forbidden in Islam
By Oula Mahfouz Active assisted dying is prohibited in Germany. No one is allowed to administer a lethal drug to another person because they want to end their life. Islam forbids assisted…
Candles – source of light and social significance
By Youssef Kanjou and Abdul Baset Kannawi Candles are considered one of the oldest methods of lighting in the history of civilisations, and their use was not limited to illumination or obtaining…
Khadijah, the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad—an extraordinary biography
By Oula Mahfouz and Abdul Baset Kannawi Non-Muslims hardly know anything about Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (born around 556; died around 619), the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad and at times his…
Time travel through the oldest music: from the world’s first instruments in southern Germany to the oldest song in Syria
By Michael Seifert and Youssef Kanjou We know nothing about the beginning of music. In the traditional myths of the peoples, music is given to humans by the gods and used in…