IBED in de media 2026
Astrid Groot comments in NRC a publication on the effect of ozone air pollution on Ants
Ozone air pollution isn't just harmful to humans—animals suffer as well. Ants exposed to ozone become unrecognizable to their own kind, German researchers write in PNAS. As a result, they are considered unwanted intruders and treated aggressively. Astrid Groot, who was not involved in the research, says: "Very thorough, the way they approached it,". "They filmed the ants when they were released, so you can actually see the aggression happening before your eyes. Their results are very convincing, and worrying for many other insects that also have CHCs. Butterflies, beetles, you name it. If their recognition mechanism is switched off, it could seriously harm the species."
Linda Amaral-Zettler in NRC about organisms that live on all the plastic scraps in the oceans
Single-celled organisms that attach themselves to a scrap of fishing net, or algae to the remains of a water bottle. That's what Linda Amaral-Zettler (57), a microbial oceanographer at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) on Texel, calls the plastisphere. Much about it remains unknown. What kinds of organisms live there, what do they do, and—the most important question for Amaral-Zettler—can they break down plastic?
Franciska de Vries in various media about carbon in agricultural land
Various media outlets published an interview of Franciska de Vries about carbon in agricultural land
Michiel Kraak and Milo de Baat in de Volkskrant about pesticides
Michiel Kraak and Milo de Baat are co-authors of an opinion piece published in the Volkskrant newspaper, titled: Opinion: If new science doesn't count, who will protect us from pesticides?