NIOO brings soil animals and migrating birds to sold-out science festival
The sold-out science festival for children 'Expeditie NEXT' took over the historic Dutch city of Franeker earlier this month. NIOO was there with two festival stands, drawing people's attention to both the precious life in the soil beneath our feet ánd the hectic lives of birds as they migrate. The Expeditie NEXT festival welcomed 6000 people to Franeker's old city centre: a capacity crowd. There...(read more)
18-05-2022
18-05-2022
Awakening sleeping antibiotics with ERC Advanced grant
Facilitating the search for new antibiotics: that's what Gilles van Wezel aims to do. The professor of Molecular Biology at Leiden Universiteit's Institute of Biology (IBL) and Honorary Fellow at NIOO wants to look at similarities in the DNA of antibiotic-producing bacteria. For this project, he's just been awarded an Advanced grant from the European Research Council to the tune of 2.5 million...(read more)
26-04-2022
26-04-2022
Lisette De Senerpont Domis appointed to Smart Ecological Monitoring of Aquatic Systems chair
Lisette de Senerpont Domis is to be appointed professor of Smart Ecological Monitoring of Aquatic Systems at the University of Twente as of 1 May.(read more)
21-04-2022
21-04-2022
Spreading the word about wild swimming...but safety first!
Swimming in nature is healthy. A group of British researchers have started a project to spread the word. They also want to offer swimmers guidance on the risks related to water quality and safety. Professor Suzanne McGowan from NIOO's department of Aquatic Ecology has joined the project as international co-investigator, focusing on water quality issues. Suzanne McGowan (NIOO-KNAW) 'Blue spaces'...(read more)
08-04-2022
08-04-2022
New children's book about soil animals for Dutch schools
All primary schools in the Netherlands receive a free copy this week of Mevrouw Mol en andere (niet zo heel) vreemde figuren: a new children's book by one of the country's most popular authors. The aim of the book is to raise awareness of the important role of soil animals. Through the 'Onder het Maaiveld' programme, NIOO has a major stake in the book. In the book, three children are jolted out...(read more)
23-03-2022
23-03-2022
Climate change could make cyanobacteria more toxic
Certain cyanobacteria in water produce toxic blooms. Changes in the climate could result in more toxic cyanobacteria. But what determines their toxicity? NIOO-researcher Dedmer van de Waal has just won a major European grant to find out. "From tiny cells to the entire ecosystem, we're going to get...(read more)
22-03-2022
First Dutch 'rewilding' book launched in The Hague
NIOO-researcher Liesbeth Bakker is one of the editors of the first book to be published in the Netherlands on rewilding. The book of essays was commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, and presented to the Dutch Lower House in The Hague on Thursday. In Rewilding in Nederland: Essays over een offensieve natuurstrategie (' Rewilding in the Netherlands: essays on an...(read more)
11-03-2022
11-03-2022
New UN environment report tackles 'mismatches' and other emerging concerns
The latest edition of the UN Environment Frontiers Report has been launched in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. One of the chapters in Noises, Blazes and Mismatches: Emerging issues of environmental concern deals with changes in nature's rythms due to climate change. Author of that chapter is NIOO's Marcel Visser. For more than 10 years, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has worked on...(read more)
18-02-2022
18-02-2022
New lectureship on 'climate-robust' landscapes connects nature and agriculture
With a new research group helmed by Ellen Weerman, NIOO and HAS University of Applied Sciences are asking how alternative forms of agriculture can contribute to improving water quality and biodiversity, through smart land use. "Over the next four years", says newly appointed lecturer Ellen Weerman...(read more)
08-02-2022
Large herbivores can bend the curve of biodiversity loss in tropical forests
A 10-year experiment in Brazil’s endangered Atlantic Forest, led by NIOO-researcher Nacho Villar, has found that there's less biodiversity loss in areas where large herbivores can roam free. The results have been published in the Journal of Applied Ecology , in a special issue on "nature-based solutions for a changing world". Lowland tapir (photo: Bernard Dupont ) Many forests around the world...(read more)
26-11-2021
26-11-2021
Jos Raaijmakers and Wim van der Putten on 2021 list of highly cited researchers
Clarivate Analytics has published its annual Web of Science list of highly cited researchers. Included for the fourth year running are NIOO researchers Jos Raaijmakers and Wim van der Putten. They're joined this year by Gilles van Wezel from Leiden University, who has NIOO as his secondary affiliation. According to Clarivate, the highly anticipated list of some 6,600 names " identifies...(read more)
16-11-2021
16-11-2021
Elly Morriën and Emilia Hannula awarded gold medal by Teylers Foundation
Emilia Hannula and Elly Morriën have been awarded the Teylers Foundation’s gold medal at a ceremony in Haarlem. The two soil researchers - who both did their PhD research at NIOO - won an essay competition set by the foundation. Their winning entry stresses the importance of fungi in grassland and agricultural fields for the storage of carbon in the soil. The competition was launched by the...(read more)
05-11-2021
05-11-2021
Common insecticide linked to extreme decline in freshwater insects
Thiacloprid, a widely-used pesticide, can cause a large-scale decline in freshwater insects. This was discovered by a team of researchers from Leiden University, including current NIOO-director Geert de Snoo. Over a three-month period, they counted flying insects in the Living Lab in Leiden. Their research has now been published in the latest issue of PNAS. NIOO-director and researcher Geert de...(read more)
29-10-2021
29-10-2021
Soil Animal Days 2021 kick off on NIOO roof
The seventh edition of the annual Soil Animal Days has been launched from NIOO's green roof. The theme this year is the double lives of soil animals(read more)
24-09-2021
24-09-2021
New NIOO department head Suzanne McGowan: "Water networks are the world’s waste disposal system"
New head of Aquatic Ecology Suzanne McGowan comes to NIOO in October with a passion for lakes, wide experience working across disciplines and a research and teaching record that includes Malaysia and Greenland. She shares her ideas about the future of the field, and the challenges facing water networks as "world’s waste disposal system". But first we asked her where her interest in things aquatic...(read more)
30-06-2021
30-06-2021
Starting this month: ten years of special attention for restoring ecosystems worldwide
The United Nations has launched its 'Decade on Ecosystem Restoration': a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world. But what does it actually take for ecosystems to be restored, and how can ecological research contribute? We'll be exploring these questions with a number of NIOO-researchers. The first is soil biodiversity expert Wim van der Putten. NIOO soil...(read more)
05-06-2021
05-06-2021
Kay Moisan wins Hugo de Vries Award
Kay Moisan has won the 2020 Hugo de Vries Award, for her PhD thesis on odours released by soil fungi and their effects on plants. The annual prize is awarded to the best thesis of the past twelve months in botany-related sciences in the Netherlands. Kay Moisan In her PhD thesis, Kay Moisan demonstrates that not only do plants perceive odours from soil microbes, they can also actively respond to...(read more)
16-04-2021
16-04-2021
The earlier birds pair, the better they fare
The breeding season may seem worlds away amidst the recent winter cold, but a research team led by Antica Culina has found that the earlier in the year great tits meet their 'spouse', the more likely they are to breed successfully. Tha t’s no guarantee for a lasting relationship, though. Pairs that meet early are just as likely to ‘divorce’ as pairs that meet with less time to go before the...(read more)
16-02-2021
16-02-2021
Symposium success reveals huge potential of rewilding
With over 2000 participants, the enormous interest in last week’s Rewilding Symposium shows that rewilding is being increasingly embraced as a progressive approach to conservation. As the connection between rewilding science and practice develops, the impact of rewilding will continue to scale up and inspire others to become involved. Rewilding boasts increasing appeal as a progressive...(read more)
09-12-2020
09-12-2020
National Science Agenda: how do we keep our biological clocks healthy?
The 24-hour society in which we now live has a disruptive effect on biological clocks. Consequences include an increased risk of health problems - both mental and physical - and a worldwide threat to biodiversity. Dutch researchers joining forces in the BioClock consortium, together with a wide range of societal partners, have just won 9.7 million euros in funding under the Dutch Research Council...(read more)
04-12-2020
04-12-2020
