Bonobos are known as the most peaceful apes. However, a newly published study shows that more aggression occurs between males than among closely related chimpanzees. Moreover, the most aggressive men are the most successful with women. Great ape experts Evy van Berlo (UvA-IBED) and Karline Janmaat (UvA-IBED & Leiden University) explain this new French research at NOS and NRC respectively.
Linda Amaral-Zettler has received an ERC grant of almost 3.5 million euros for her research into the degradation of bioplastics in the marine environment.
Last week it emerged that no less than 96% of Dutch surface water does not meet European standards for the presence of chemicals such as PFAS. Annemarie van Wezel explained this at NPO Radio 1 and in the studio of current affairs program EenVandaag (see below an earlier item)
NRC has an article about the excessive levels of chemicals in Dutch surface waters. Last week it emerged that no less than 96% of our water does not meet the European standard. The Netherlands has until 2027 to do something about this, but the chance that we will achieve the European standards then seems small. In the article, Annemarie van Wezel explains the pollution and how difficult it is to get rid of.
Nina Witteveen and her supervisor Carina Hoorn investigated what happened to the mangrove forests in French Guiana as a result of the last ice age. These forests then appeared to give way to savannah in a relatively short time. Witteveen talks about this research in university magazine Folia.
The Netherlands is internationally known for its expertise in the field of water. But the quality of our own waters is far below standard. How did that happen? And more importantly: how do we get this in order, so that the Netherlands also complies with the European Water Framework Directive in 2027? Annemarie van Wezel is a guest in BNR's Big Five of Nederland Waterland
Ten organizations, including the military union and action group SchipholWatch, hold the State liable for high PFAS levels in the soil. Knoops law firm files a mass claim on behalf of the organizations.
There is too much PFAS in the soil in hundreds of places in the Netherlands. "There are actually many places where PFAS is used. Sometimes without the employees or the factories being fully aware and aware of it," says Annemarie van Wezel.
Climate optimism is necessary but it must be factual. "We are doing well in tackling the climate crisis": Fabian Dablander and Guus Dix hear this regularly. However, the optimists provide weak support for their story.
Southeastern Spain Spain is suffering from desertification, or the process in which increasing droughts set in motion all kinds of processes that turn ecosystems into deserts. Erik Cammeraat is an expert in the field of desertification and goes to this region every year with a group of students. The Reformatorisch Dagblad spoke to him about the problems at hand and what residents of the region can do to prevent further desertification.
On February 28, SBS6 news program Hart van Nederland focused on the ongoing farmers' protests and the nitrogen crisis in our country. Jef Huisman commented.
Due to climate change, nature in our country is 'waking up' earlier and earlier. University magazine Folia asked Gerard Oostermeijer what the consequences of this earlier spring are for nature.
How harmful a substance is depends on how much it is used.' Annemarie Van Wezel points to the world's most used and controversial herbicide, glyphosate. Glyphosate is known as a product that is safer than other pesticides, provided farmers use it selectively. But many crops use a lot of glyphosate, says Van Wezel. '
Spring and mineral water from France is not as pure natural as its producers claim. Due to bacteria or chemical contamination (such as traces of pesticides), those brands has been treated for years using filters, carbon and UV light. These purification techniques are permitted for tap water, but are prohibited for water labeled 'spring water' or 'natural mineral water'. “It is not in accordance with the rules, but they are fairly regular methods that the water companies use,” says Annemarie van Wezel. “They are also used in the Dutch drinking water sector, where approximately a third of our drinking water is made from surface water.”
How did complex cells and multicellular life arise? What is the role of the so-called archaea, wonderful single-celled organisms that look a bit like bacteria but are not? Anja Spang (UvA-IBED) talks in NRC about the latest insights into this, following her Inaugural Lecture on 9 February 2024
The coral around Curaçao is doing very badly. In university magazine Folia, PhD students Esmeralda Alcantar and Kelly Latijnhouwers talk about their coral research in the region, recent significant coral mortality and how difficult it is to restore the reefs.
The recent explosion in the middle of a residential area in Rotterdam may have been the result of a problem in an illegal drug lab. Pim de Voogt talks about the potential dangers of the presence of such an illegal laboratory in the middle of a residential area
University magazine Folia has an interview with Giuditta Beretta about her PhD research into natural control of the pest thrips. She discovered, among other things, that the thrips Echinothrip americanus, a problem species in the floriculture of roses and gerberas, among others, easily repels an attack from predatory mites through a kind of swinging movement with its abdomen.
In 2023, a project was launched to construct an infrastructure to identify every living species in the Netherlands and to monitor biodiversity. The digital platform, called ARISE (Authoritative and Rapid Identification System for Essential biodiversity information), is the first of its kind in the world. It will provide researchers with various tools for rapid and automated mapping of the natural world by any method. The partners in the project believe it can help to reverse the loss of biodiversity. The platform is already accessible for researchers.
A new study led by Bart Hoekstra into the effect of lighting fireworks on birds has received a lot of media attention within and outside the Netherlands (see also )
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