A Hidden Variable

Dear community! We have a great news! As part of the Long Night of Science on 6th of June, A Hidden Variable is organising a special guided visit for artists to the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (fmp), led by Dr. Tolga Soykan-a long-time member of our community. During the visit, participants will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes of one of Berlin’s leading research institutes and experience laboratory spaces usually not accessible to the public. Artists will discover advanced imaging and microscopy technologies, including fluorescence microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy, as well as research environments where scientists investigate cells, molecular structures, and the hidden processes of life itself. The visit will also include an open discussion afterwards, creating space for exchange between artistic and scientific perspectives, and for reflecting on how scientific research can inspire contemporary artistic practice. A Hidden Variable is offering a special discounted price for artists: 5 euros. Places are limited to 10 participants. To apply, please send us an email introducing yourself briefly and explaining how a visit to the laboratory could inspire your artistic practice. Deadline to apply: 31st May.

Dear community! As some of our artists are taking part in @trypexpo Berlin this weekend, we wanted to share a scientific topic that has been receiving increasing attention in neuroscience and psy-research. Most people assume psych.delics work like this: same substance in same brain = same experience. But emerging research suggests that hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle may influence the exact serotonergic systems psi.locybin interacts with, including the 5-HT2A receptor associated with altered perception, emotional processing and cognitive flexibility. Around ovulation, estrogen levels peak. Researchers are currently investigating whether this may alter how experience changes across different phases of the cycle. The same mushroom can therefore arrive in a different neurochemical context. At the same time, researchers documented reports of menstrual changes following psych.edelic use, including cycle regulation and reversal of amenorrhea in individual cases. This does not mean science has reached definitive conclusions. But it does suggest that the relationship between hormones, perception, the serotonergic system and altered states may be far more interconnected than previously assumed. For artists, therapists, researchers and psychonauts alike, this raises another question: what if sensitivity itself is not static? SOURCES Gukasyan, Natalie; Narayan, Sasha K. (2024) Menstrual Changes and Reversal of Amenorrhea Induced by Classic Psych.edelics: A Case Series Journal of Psychoactive Drugs /10.1080/02791072.2022.2157350 Shao, Ling-Xiao et al. (2025) Psi.locybin’s lasting action requires pyramidal cell types and 5-HT2A receptors Nature /10.1038/s41586-025-08813-6 Hormonal Influences on Psi.locybin Responsivity Across the Female Lifespan (2025) Psychoactives /10.3390/psychoactives4040039

Dear community! Here is a selection of inspiring art+science events for next week. We hope to meet some of you there. 1. Parallel Syntax in Astral Junction an immersive, multi-room installation by multimedia artist Gasquk (Guillermo Rivadeneira). 2. European doctoral day @mdc.berlin registration required, find link in their BIO. 3. @bodyofworkworldwide event @studio1111berlin featuring dear friend of our community @amelia_mcconv 4. @trypexpo multiday festival dedicated to everything psychedelics including art and science, additionally featuring two of the core artists of our community @alaleresteux and @aamaterra.art and our friends from Ceberdelic Society Berlin @sixthe9th @jiagual.art

Dear community! Today we want to bring your attention to how we find new planets. We looked for worlds by observing them directly, or by detecting clear signals in the data. For a long time, discovery depended on visibility. But most planets don’t announce themselves so clearly. Because they exist as faint traces, subtle fluctuations or patterns buried in noise. Recent research shifts this perspective. Machine learning systems can now scan millions of stars and detect these hidden signals, identifying planets that were previously inaccessible to human perception. In some cases, this has revealed thousands of new planetary candidates at once, but not because they suddenly appeared, but because a different way of reading reality became available. For art, this raises a different question: what does it mean when discovery no longer depends on seeing, but on recognizing patterns we cannot perceive ourselves? SOURCES University of Warwick; Lafarga Magro, Marina; Armstrong, David J.; Cui, Kaiming; Hadjigeorghiou, Andreas et al. (2026) Automatic search for transiting planets in TESS data using RAVEN /releases/2026/05/260502233926.htm Roth, Joshua T.; Hartman, Joel D.; Bakos, Gáspár Á.; Yee, Samuel W. et al. (2026) The T16 Planet Hunt: 10,000 New Planet Candidates from TESS Cycle 1 /abs/2604.18579 Live Science Editorial Team (2026) Scientists identify 10,000+ new exoplanet candidates using machine learning /space/exoplanets/scientists-identify-10-000-impossible-exoplanet-candidates-potentially-tripling-the-number-of-known-alien-worlds NASA Science (2026) Deep learning approaches to exoplanet discovery (TESS / ExoMiner) https://science.nasa.gov/open-science/deep-learning-exoplanets-tess/

Dear community! Here are some inspiring events we selected for you for next week: 1.Mai ist für AI organised by @42berlin_ if you don't know them yet you should! They are providing free community based coding education which can be definitely beneficial for a lot of artists🥰 Register for the event here: /e/mai-ist-fur-ai-opening-event-42-berlin-tickets-1984054863506?aff=ebdssbdestsearch 2. Dream Sanctuary of Hyphae organised by @chaskawisdom "An evening of connectedness, co-creation, ritual, art/sound & dreaming — inspired by fungi, a hidden source of wisdom pulsing beneath us all." Find the registration link in the organiser's bio. 3. Vernissage of our dear friends @new_and_abstract 4.@berlinscienceweek community day. Registration here: /e/berlin-science-week-2026-community-day-tickets-1988300697911 We hope you will have an amazing week full of inspirational and new meaningful connections 🥰

Dear community! Today we want to bring your attention to Smell. Smell has always been the exception. Unlike vision or sound, it resisted structure. Similar molecules could smell completely different, while different ones could converge into the same percept. Recent research changes that from two directions. Machine learning models begin to organize scent into perceptual spaces, where similarity becomes measurable. At the same time, new biological findings show that smell is already spatially organized inside the body, from the nose to the brain. For art, this raises a different question: what happens when something as subjective as smell becomes structurally accessible? Summary and visuals by @freyahermanns Sources: Sanchez-Lengeling, Benjamin; Wei, Jennifer N.; Lee, Brian K.; Gerkin, Richard C.; Aspuru-Guzik, Alán; Wiltschko, Alexander B. (2019) Machine Learning for Scent: Learning Generalizable Perceptual Representations of Small Molecules /abs/1910.10685 Sanchez-Lengeling, Benjamin; Wei, Jennifer N.; Lee, Brian K.; Gerkin, Richard C.; Aspuru-Guzik, Alán; Wiltschko, Alexander B. (2019) Machine Learning for Scent: Learning Generalizable Perceptual Representations of Small Molecules (ResearchGate version) /publication/336767812 Keller, Andreas; Gerkin, Richard C.; Guan, Yuyang; Dhurandhar, Amit; Turu, Gur; Szalai, Bálint; Mainland, Joel D.; Ihara, Yoshihito; Yu, Crystal W.; Wolfinger, Russell; Vens, Celine; et al. (2017) Predicting human olfactory perception from chemical features of odor molecules /doi/10.1126/science.aal2014 Brann, Daniel H.; Tsukahara, Takashi; Weinreb, Caleb; Lipovsek, Marc; Van den Berge, Koen; Gong, Bo; Chance, Robert; Macosko, Evan Z.; Cepko, Constance L.; Datta, Sandeep Robert (2026) A spatial code governs olfactory receptor choice and aligns sensory maps in the nose and brain /10.1016/j.cell.2026.03.051 Datta, Sandeep Robert et al. (2026) First detailed map of smell receptors reveals spatial organization in the nose /articles/d41586-026-00894-1

Dear community! Here is our selection of Art+Science events for next week: 1. Opening @romanlipski_berlin an artist whose work is deeply inspired by Quantum Physics 2. Art+Science Meetup organised by @artlaboratoryberlin at Rillig Lab. Registration required: /events/artscience-meetup-apr26/ 3. Vernissage of Taura Auerbach @estherschippergallery 4. AI Salon with one of the dear friends of "A Hidden Variable" @justinshnk Registration required: /161ptpft Let us know what you think about this selection and we hope to meet some of you next week🥰

What's the last time you had a deep conversation with someone from a completely different field? The more experienced you get at your vocation, the more difficult it is to remember other perspectives. Science and art, for example, are today often seen as complete opposites - a myth that we want to bust 🎨🔬 At @a.hiddenvariable , we bring together scientists, artists, technologists, cultural workers and many others, helping people to truly see each other's work, have an interesting conversation and - hopefully - spark a new connection. #scienceart #sciart #sciencecommunication #interdisciplinary #creativity

Dear community! We want to bring to you today an incredible news which beautifully aligns with the theme of our last exhibition! This discovery is huge! Only imagine how many more years of creativity and curiosity it can give, if proven to be applicable to humans! Please read the full article here: /news/2026-04-nasal-spray-rewinds-aging-brain.html

Dear community! Starting from today, we will be sharing with you inspiring art and science events around Berlin. All of next week events are free but some require registration. We will be there, hope you too🥰Next week picks: 1. "Dear AI, Something Strange Happened To Me Today" @kunstraumheartspace with vernissage on 16th of April starting 6 pm. You can find all extra information here: /ausstellungen-exhibitions/2026/dear-ai 2. Agents and Robotics HackXelerator Berlin Showcase & Awards by @kxsb_org . Registration is required: /ltzahbno?tk=RYMvBH 3. Lecture by Dr. Alexander Kosarev "Photonic Crystal What it is?" Registration required: /e/photonic-crystal-what-it-is-tickets-1985921998156 4. Exhibition "Mit Ecken und Kanten" at Kiezraum auf dem Dragonerareal with participation of one of artists from "A Hidden Variable" community @rastafaris_nugget

Dear community! We want to share with you some beautiful moments of connection from the last three days of "Death? Yes/No/Maybe" So many new friendships and collaborations been established, so many great questions discussed and so many art works found new homes🥰thank you all so much for making it all possible. We are looking forward to seeing you today and let's bridge art and sc together 🥰