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The Amazon rainforest may be home to thousands of hidden earthworks, made by pre-Columbian civilizations. This is revealed by a large international study investigating the distribution of these hidden structures. Biologist Hans ter Steege contributed to the research. "This discovery tells us that certain parts of the forest may not be as old as we initially thought." The dense Amazon Rainforest may hold far more traces of human civilization than previously believed.

Equipped with advanced robotics, hyperspectral imaging, laser scanners, climate chambers, and other installations, the Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre (NPEC) opens its doors today in Utrecht. Researchers at this lab can automatically monitor the growth and development of thousands of plants.

Recognising the urgent need to respond to rapid societal and environmental change, resilience is one of the University of Twente's spearheads. As an academic institution, we have a role to play in strengthening the resilience of the social, technological and environmental systems that support us. In this weekly series of the Resilience@UT programme , UT researchers share their personal reflections on current events and trends that impact our daily lives, exploring their implications for resilience.

The oil industry in Romania has an enormous potential for reducing methane emissions. This has been demonstrated by a team of scientists led by Professor Thomas Röckmann from Utrecht University. In 2019, the amount of methane emitted by the Romanian oil industry was equal to the amount of methane emitted by all other European oil industries combined.

Stella Terra will cover a thousand kilometers in various landscapes in Morocco. Student team Solar Team Eindhoven from TU/e has developed the first off-road car powered by the energy of the sun, making it independent of charging stations. Stella Terra is robust enough to navigate not only on paved roads but also on rough terrain.

Recognizing the urgent need to respond to rapid societal and environmental change, resilience is one of the University of Twente's spearheads. As an academic institution, we have a role to play in strengthening the resilience of the social, technological and environmental systems that support us. In this weekly series, UT researchers share their personal reflections on current events and trends that impact our daily lives, exploring their implications for resilience.

The Earth's warming climate is largely caused by the rise in greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. However, there are additional gases capable of warming the planet. New research from climate scientists at Utrecht University reveals that emissions of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) from streams and reservoirs have more than tripled over the last century.

Projects that reduce deforestation often sell carbon credits, for example to consumers buying flight tickets. However, over 90 percent of these credits do not actually offset carbon emissions. That is the conclusion of environmental scientist Thales A.P. West, who is the main author of a paper that was published in Science.

The city of Utrecht made world news in 2019 by introducing bee-friendly green roofs on its bus shelters. High time to take stock. Erik Verhagen, a Global Sustainability Science student at Utrecht University, conducted research on the importance of the location of such a bus shelter. After all, how decisive is a green environment in attracting bees to green roofs? Green roofs throughout the city If you haven't seen them yet, look up the next time you wait for the bus in Utrecht.

Researchers from Utrecht University have improved the World Resources Institute's online Aqueduct 4. Water Risk Framework. In Aqueduct , the Water Resources Institute (WRI) compiles scientific information on global water scarcity and water-related hazards, and translates this information into clear but insightful maps for decision-makers and other non-scientific users.

'Wet gets wetter, dry gets drier'. That mantra has been used for decennia to predict how global warming will affect the hydrological cycle in different world regions. But if climate models predict that much of tropical Africa will enjoy a future with wetter weather, then why does it keep getting drier in certain parts of the African tropics, like the Horn of Africa? An international team of researchers have found a pre-historic climate tipping point that helps explain the disparity between these model predictions and the intensifying drought conditions in the Horn of Africa.

The Dutch Research Council (NOW) has awarded Veni funding of up to EUR 280,000 to 188 promising researchers from the full breadth of science. In the fields of Applied and Technical Sciences (TTW) and Exact and Natural Sciences (ENW), seventeen scientists from TU Delft have been honoured. This will allow the laureates to further develop their own research ideas over the next three years.

Several hundred million kg of Dutch plastic waste remain off the radar. That applies to both plastic waste within the Netherlands and Dutch plastic waste that is exported to other countries. Researchers from Utrecht University and other organisations report this finding after mapping waste streams in the Netherlands.

As the world's population continues to grow, ensuring access to clean and safe water has become an increasingly important concern, yet little is known about how surface water quality will change in the future. Recent scientific research has shed light on the potential challenges that surface water quality may face in the coming years, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The climate promises of oil and gas companies are an 'empty box'. That is according to research conducted by scientist Mathieu Blondeel (Institute for Environmental Issues, VU Amsterdam) together with Gregory Trencher (Kyoto University, Japan) and Jusen Asuka (Tohoku University, Japan) on the fossil industry's climate strategy.

According to research by Lisanne Hendriks, an ecologist at Radboud University, azolla and duckweed are the best floating aquatic plants for purifying wastewater. The plants absorb nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater and so render it much cleaner. The phosphorus and other pollutants in the water can then be recovered and reused.

Amphipods have a much smaller safety margin to cope with warmer water in rivers than has been recognised previously. They also need to get used to warmer water gradually. This is shown by the research of, among other ecologists, Wilco Verberk of Radboud University. The study presents a new method for measuring the heat tolerance of animals, which makes it easier to link the lab with fieldwork.

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded eight TU Delft researchers from the Science (ENW) and Applied and Engineering Sciences (AES) domains, a Vidi grant of up to 800,000 euro. This will enable the laureates to develop an innovative line of research over the next five years and further expand their own research group.

We launched the Sustainability Dialogues with the UT community in February with great drive and determination. It suits the diversity and urgency of the climate change issue, and also the value the UT community gives to contributing to solutions.

Recognising the urgent need to respond to rapid societal and environmental change, resilience is one of the University of Twente's spearheads. As an academic institution, we have a role to play in strengthening the resilience of the social, technological and environmental systems that support us. In this weekly series, UT researchers share their personal reflections on current events and trends that impact our daily lives, exploring their implications for resilience.