LifeScienceXplained 2026: Physician Nibras Naami Reimagines Children’s Health
Göttingen, Germany | November 5, 2026
Instagram reel "Fall aus der Klinik: Krampfanfall im Supermarkt" (“Case from the Clinic: Seizure in the Supermarket”) conveys medical knowledge clearly and accurately in just three minutes
From children’s non-fiction books to comics and board games: 88 submissions from nine countries for the LifeScienceXplained | Sartorius Award for New Communication, worth 15,000 euros
The NDR Non-fiction Book Prize goes to Katja Gloger and Georg Mascolo for their book “Das Versagen. Eine investigative Geschichte der deutschen Russlandpolitik” (“The Failure. An Investigative Report of Germany’s Russia Policy”)
The winning entry in this year’s LifeScienceXplained | Sartorius Award for New Communication demonstrates that complex medical knowledge can be conveyed in just a few minutes in a way that is clear, accessible, and scientifically accurate. On Thursday evening in Göttingen, Dr. Nibras Naami, a specialist in pediatrics and adolescent medicine, received the 15,000-euro prize for his Instagram reel “Fall aus der Klinik: Krampfanfall im Supermarkt” (“Case from the Clinic: Seizure in the Supermarket”).
Based on the real-life case of a 15-year-old who suffers a sudden seizure, Naami takes viewers on a journey to determine the diagnosis. In the process, he explains the often-underestimated role of the spleen in the immune system. Naami is a senior physician in pediatric hematology and oncology at Herdecke Community Hospital in North Rhine-Westphalia and co-founder of the podcast and Instagram channel “Hand, Fuß, Mund”. In the video, he combines a personal story with medical expertise, demonstrating that evidence-based science communication can be effective even in a short social media format.
“Good science communication makes complex topics accessible, relevant, and engaging. Nibras Naami achieves precisely this with great passion and medical expertise. Through powerful, entertaining storytelling, he reaches people on social media, where health information plays an increasingly important role but isn’t always reliable. His video shows how things can be done differently: It sparks interest in medical topics and helps viewers better understand and contextualize the issues,” explained jury spokesperson Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Brück, Head of Research and Teaching and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG).
88 submissions from nine countries
In addition to Nibras Naami’s video, two other entries made it to the finals. In their children’s non-fiction book “Echt menschlich!” (“Truly Human!”), illustrated by Nicolai Renger, Katrin Linke and Dr. Karsten Brensing take young readers on a journey through human history. Jonathan Bennion from the Institute of Human Anatomy in Salt Lake City, USA, was the first international participant among the finalists.
In his YouTube video “Why Brain Cancer Is SO Dangerous,” he explains brain tumor research using real specimens.
The top three entries emerged from a total of 88 submissions from nine countries. The German- and English-language entries covered a wide variety of formats, ranging from social media posts, children’s non‑fiction books, and videos to comics, illustrations, podcasts, a board game, and even a stage show.
About the LifeScienceXplained Award
Since 2021, the 15,000-euro LifeScienceXplained Award has honored science communicators who use creative formats to make complex life science topics accessible to a broad audience. The aim is to foster dialogue between the scientific community and society on current topics in life sciences.
An independent jury of experts in science and communication selected the final entries and the ultimate winner of the award, placing particular emphasis on the scientific verifiability, clarity, and creative execution of the submissions. This year’s jury included Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Brück, Head of Research and Teaching and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the UMG; health entrepreneur Inga Bergen; NDR science journalist Anja Martini; Dr.-Ing. Jan Patrick Pietras, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of myotwin; Prof. Dr. Viola Priesemann from the Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and the University of Göttingen for Neural Systems Theory; and last year’s winner, Naomi Weitzel, a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Regensburg. The award was presented at the Sartorius Campus in Göttingen in front of approximately 230 invited guests from the fields of science, culture, business, and politics.
Katja Gloger and Georg Mascolo win the NDR Non-Fiction Prize
Along with the LifeScienceXplained Award, the NDR Non-fiction Book Prize was also presented. This prize, which is also worth 15,000 euros, honors the best non-fiction book published in German that addresses issues relevant to the future. This year, the prize went to Katja Gloger and Georg Mascolo for their book “Das Versagen. Eine investigative Geschichte der deutschen Russlandpolitik” (“The Failure. An Investigative Report of Germany’s Russia Policy”). In their book, the authors trace how Germany underestimated Russia’s political intentions for decades and, despite mounting warning signs, continued to pursue a policy of rapprochement.
