Dutch researchers are joining forces with a series of societal partners to conduct research into how to keep our biological clock healthy in the modern 24-hour society. The BioClock consortium will receive a research ...

Why have cyanobacteria and algae evolved a wide variety of photosynthetic pigments, and how are these pigments distributed geographically? Scientists from the University of Amsterdam and Roscoff (France) give an ...

Scientists have unraveled the complete genome of the tomato russet mite, which is considered one of the smallest animals on our planet and known as a destructive agricultural pest. The genome is the smallest reported ...

No fewer than 25 researchers from the UvA and Amsterdam UMC have been awarded Veni grants from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The grants amount to a maximum of 250,000 euros per project. ...

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded Vidi grants to ten researchers from the UvA and the Academic Medical Center (AMC-UvA, part of Amsterdam UMC). The recipients are: Camiel Boon, ...

Scientists, including Biological Sciences alumnus Thijs van den Burg, have published a standard method for checking the quality of data in the global genetic database, GenBank. Using amphibians as a case study, they ...

We have now had three dry summers in a row, the consequences of which were very clear: brown grass, trees dying or dropping their leaves far too early, dead heather and forbs with curled leaves. What is the effect of ...

Thirty-four million years ago, sudden climate change caused ecological breakdown in Central Asia. Deserts spread across the lowlands, and biological diversity was permanently affected. These are the findings by an ...

Dr Willem Renema (1972) has been appointed professor by special appointment of Marine Palaeobiodiversity at the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The chair was designated on behalf of the ...

The loss of large mammalian frugivores as seed dispersers in tropical ecosystems will have severe consequences for many rainforest plants. This is the conclusion from a study using empirical data and simulations of ...

Pteropods, abundant aragonitic calcifying plankton, are the equivalent of "canaries in the coal mine" for our acidifying oceans. Their sensitivity to high CO2 levels and limited fossil record has led to the widely ...

Globally, there is an imbalance between water availability and water demand. The main cause of this mismatch is agricultural irrigation, which accounts for about 70% of freshwater withdrawal. At the same time, ...

New research reveals that 2 million km2 of intact wildlife habitat has been lost since 2000. The international research team, including biologist James Allan from the University of Amsterdam, mapped areas across ...

Why do some animals easily adapt to humans and why do other animals suffer when humans invade their habitat? IBED professor Judy Shamoun-Baranes is immensely fascinated by birds and their behavior, especially bird ...

Hydropower is the world’s largest source of energy generation. It is commonly assumed that hydropower reservoirs retain nutrients, and this nutrient reduction significantly reduces primary productivity, fishery ...

Protected nature areas are essential for conserving the earth’s biodiversity. But having isolated protected areas isn’t enough; to really maintain biodiversity, it is essential that these areas are also connected. A ...

Dr Mark Vermeij (1973) has been appointed professor of Tropical Marine Ecology at the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).

Mountains and islands both host a high number of unique species. When seen from above, mountains can look like archipelagos of islands in a low-elevation sea. This parallel has sparked the thought that the isolated ...

Dr Judy Shamoun-Baranes (1969) has been appointed Professor of Animal Movement Ecology at the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science.

The offspring of older mothers don’t fare as well as those of younger mothers, in humans and many other species. They aren’t as healthy, or they don’t live as long, or they have fewer offspring themselves. A ...