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Missing species show human impact on biodiversity greater than thought A new global study, published yesterday in Nature , shows that in human-disturbed regions, many native plant species are missing from places where they could grow. Traditional methods of measuring biodiversity-such as simply counting species present-do not give a complete picture.

Wildfires can smolder in tree boles and roots all winter long. This is evident from new research in Nature Ecology & Evolution. It was previously known that forest fires in boreal regions can survive the winter by smoldering in peaty soils: so-called 'zombie fires'. But a group of scientists from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, among others, discovered that fires can also overwinter by smoldering in tree boles and roots.

Nitrogen is a colorless odorless gas in the air. Although nitrogen by itself is not a problem for humans and the environment, it can combine with other elements, such as oxygen and hydrogen. This creates nitrogen oxides and ammonia, which can be harmful. These nitrogen compounds from agriculture, traffic and industry end up in the air and eventually settle on the ground.

The Arctic plays a central role in the global climate system. However, climate change could disrupt its balance. An international research team headed by the Alfred Wegener Institute and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam has presented a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the Arctic carbon cycle.

The field cricket - the Dutch insect of the year 2024 - has been going downhill in recent years. Research by Joost Vogels of Radboud University, the Bargerveen Foundation and research centre B-WARE shows that this is mainly due to an excess of nitrogen.

A new study published in Nature unveils a surprising discovery: a substantial amount of meltwater is temporarily stored within the Greenland Ice Sheet during summer months. For the first time, an international group of researchers was able to quantify meltwater with positioning data. The finding challenges current models of how ice sheets contribute to global sea level rise.

A new study by researchers at the UT sheds light on historical changes in the amount of water humanity consumes to grow the world's main crops.

Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from forest fires have risen by 60% globally since 2001 and almost tripled in parts of the northern boreal forests, according to a new study, co-authored by VU climate scientist Sander Veraverbeke. The study, led by the University of East Anglia, was published in Science .

Several experimental measures taken at Frisian farms to restore biodiversity in former peatlands, are unsuccessful. Three different ways in which the water levels were raised, did not have the desired effect. This is according to research by ecologist Tom Heuts of Radboud University. 77% of Dutch wetlands (bogs, marshes) have been drained, mainly for agriculture and cattle breeding.

Researchers from the University of Twente (Netherlands) and Bayreuth Develop Microplastic-Free Encapsulation for Crop Protection Agents. They recently published their findings in the scientific journal Advanced Materials The sustainable application of crop protection agents such as pesticides is one of the greatest challenges in modern agriculture.

For over a year and a half, researchers from TU Delft and the Cambridge University Centre for Climate Repair have worked together on groundbreaking techniques to increase the reflectivity of clouds in the fight against global warming. During a two-day meeting, the teams are discussing their progress.

Researchers from the Department of Chemical Engineering, led by Georgios Katsoukis, have discovered how the chemical environment around copper electrodes can dramatically influence the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into formate. This discovery can help improve the selectivity in CO2 reduction reactions, offering new insights into how to control these processes more effectively.

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded fourteen young TU Delft researchers from the Science (ENW) and Applied and Engineering Sciences (TTW) domains, a Veni grant of up to 320,000 euro. This will allow the laureates to further develop their own research ideas over the next three years. A total of 174 Veni grants were awarded.

Heat stress and air pollution ravages cities more and more. In a new Horizon Europe project, researchers will develop a digital twin that supports decision makers to design resilient urban areas that can cope with the changing climate. Researchers from TU Delft and 18 other partners receive the Horizon Europe grant for their project called UrbanAIR.

Research by James Cook University in Australia involving Radboud scientists shows that rising sea levels will drastically reduce the number of shorebirds in Europe. The number of oystercatchers on three Waddeneilanden will decline an additional 56 to 79 percent over the next 100 years due to sea level rise.

On July 5, 2024, five researchers from Radboud University will travel to the far north to research climate change on Svalbard. For a week, the scientists, led by earth scientist Wytze Lenstra, will take samples of the sea floor and water column in one of the fjords. The archipelago is seen as a "natural laboratory" for studying the impact of climate change in the future: these Arctic regions are warming up to about four times faster than the global average.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that pharmaceutical residues in wastewater are damaging to the environment, making it imperative that wastewater is tested for such residues. However, wastewater measurements are expensive and time-consuming. A new model developed by Radboud University-affiliated environmental scientist Caterina Zillien can be used to determine the amount of pharmaceutical residues in wastewater - and their exact origin - every bit as precisely as actual measurements.

The ocean can store carbon and act as a carbon sink, and it can be a carbon source. The difference in 'age' of the organic carbon already present in the ocean and the carbon that is supplied determines whether the ocean acts as a carbon sink or source. Researchers from Nanjing universities and Utrecht University created the first sink or source world map that can be used when deciding where to invest in organic carbon storage in the ocean.

Small changes in our everyday actions can trigger significant, rapid societal shifts especially when it comes to climate action. A new IIASA-led study highlights the importance of analyzing these dynamics with a comprehensive framework to harness their full potential for reducing carbon emissions. Making small changes in how we live day-to-day can quickly create significant changes in society, especially in ways that benefit the environment.

A 3D model of imitation blood vessels will make it possible to see exactly how snake venom attacks blood vessels, without having to use laboratory animals. This new research model, called an organ-on-a-chip, was developed by a research team from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, MIMETAS and Naturalis Biodiversity Center.