What role can and should science play in the process of global change? The Leopoldina’s annual assembly, held from 22 to 24 September at Langenbeck Virchow House in Berlin, included 28 talks dedicated to answering this question. Due to the financial crisis, climate change and population growth, the world we live in is changing fast, with dramatic consequences for nature and humankind. “But where there is danger, a rescuing element grows as well”, said Leopoldina President Prof. Jörg Hacker ML in his concluding speech, quoting German poet Friedrich Hölderlin. With these words he emphasised that science can provide solutions to cope with the changes and challenges ahead.