How many neutrons can fit on a football pitch? And how can a train float upside down? During their visit to the FRM II, the children from the Nachbarschaftshilfe Garching had loads of questions – and at the end, they even got a portion of homemade chocolate ice cream.

For the first time, a research team has used neutrons to track the breakdown of PET plastic by bacterial enzymes at the nanometre scale. The study could lead to faster and more efficient recycling.

From 6 to 9 July 2026, 48 researchers and industry experts gathered at Schloss Fürstenried in Munich for the MLZ conference ‘Neutrons for Future Health’. The conference featured presentations on bio-inspired materials for medical and industrial applications, as well as cancer therapies and drug development.