In this issue of the Junge Akademie M agazin, we take a look at how closely the universe and academia are linked: The dossier examines bonds of almost all kinds – social, transnational, alien. In 2012 alone, 43 members and alumni of the Junge Akademie travelled 1,082,500 kilometres, which is almost the distance from the earth to the moon and back again. This is just one of several insights from the Junge Akademie’s survey on mobility, love, and academia. Seventy per cent of survey respondents describe the mobility required by an academic career as a burden; the love for a partner and family and the love for academia are usually perceived as being complementary or as elements of a balancing act. The results of the survey can be found starting on page 4. The profile of the Göttingen theologian Katharina Heyden illustrates the fact that family relationships are sometimes more important than constant business travel.

Starting on page 14, the sociologist Magdalena Nowicka reports on her research on how globalisation is changing structures in regards to bartering, relationships and gender roles, and on page 24, you can find the historian Klaus Oschema’s description of what friendship meant in medieval times. Professional networks consist of connections that are quite different from private ones – not to mention the connection between humans and the position of the earth in the universe. The physicists Julia Tjus and Lisa Kaltenegger discuss the topic of how connected we feel to alien life forms on other planets, and what role religion, illustrations and peppermint tea play in research, with the musicologist and composer Gordon Kampe on page 16.

Additionally, you will find research reports from the Junge Akademie’s work: In Paris, the Research Group (Sound)worlds looked at theories and models of cultural identity formation, while in Berlin the research group Why the Social Sciences? examined the criteria for original ideas, and Cornelis Menke comments on the HR structures of the German university system.

The editorial team and I hope you’ll enjoy reading our magazine! Evelyn Runge