wire - news in brief

Forests in Europe are under pressure from logging, forest fires, storms and pests. Rapid insight into where and when disturbances occur is crucial for sustainable forest management and nature conservation policy.

Dairy's expanding climate footprint The dairy sector is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and a key focus of climate strategies.

Underground, intricate networks of soil fungi underpin the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.

Digital polarisation is often explained by the idea of the filter bubble: the notion that people are stuck in a stable information environment that confirms their existing beliefs.

Industrial pollution is often seen as a problem that can be solved with new regulations, stricter standards or better enforcement.

After more than twenty years of competing in the World Solar Challenge in Australia, Solar Team Twente is entering a new chapter.

A harmonised set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) at farm level is intended to help Dutch farmers, governments and supply chain parties steer more effectively towards climate, biodiversity, water, soil, scarce resources and animal welfare goals.

Habitats much more vulnerable for nitrogen deposition than previously thought Highlight Nitrogen is an essential building block for life, but high nitrogen deposition on natural areas causes biodiversity loss.

Methane emissions from cows and sheep can be reduced by 25% using breeding programmes Highlight Dutch livestock farmers have already made considerable strides towards a sustainable livestock sector.

Society is asking ever more pressing questions about animals and the way in which we live alongside them.

An international team of researchers, led by microbiologist Martyna Glodowska from Radboud University, will use microorganisms to recover scarce metals from electronic waste.

Huge mussel beds and large numbers of flatfish have surprised the researchers studying underwater life in the Wadden Sea over the past year.

From waste collection and repairs of quayside walls to energy poverty: for over a decade, AMS Institute has been helping to resolve problems faced by cities.

33 million mussels in Grevelingenmeer lake, nearly 2 billion cockles in the Western Scheldt, 306 hectares of oyster beds in the Wadden Sea.

Anyone who eats a bag of peanuts should be able to assume it's safe. Behind the scenes, Wageningen Food Safety Research works 24/7 to monitor food and feed for pathogens, pesticides, antibiotics and other substances.

To find out whether migratory fish use the gaps in the Haringvliet sluices to access the rivers, Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern is using transmitters to monitor over three hundred fish.

What if farmers were to fertilize their land with urine instead of inorganic fertilizer? Scientists at Wageningen University & Research show this is possible - and in fact better.

Trees and plants store carbon. In biobased materials that are made from wood and plant fibres, the carbon remains sequestered for longer.

Exploitation and environmental pollution are still far from uncommon in the countries that our coffee and chocolate come from.

Nico Claassens' aim is to help bring about a circular bio-economy in which bacteria use CO2 as an input to produce the raw materials for bioplastics and proteins.

Wheat yields in north-west Europe have remained largely stable for many years, even though the crop itself still has room to produce more.

Environmental technologist Annemiek ter Heijne of Wageningen University & Research has been awarded a grant through the NWO Open Competition Domain Science - M (Weave), together with researchers from the University of Antwerp.

In Indonesia, the dugong appears to be concentrated in specific regions, while bycatch in fishing nets is a major cause of death and few young animals are observed.

An international team of scientists led by Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has commenced a study to investigate how and why yeast cells die - and, especially, how to delay that process.

The Committee of Experts on Fertiliser Law (CDM) has concluded that the options in the Netherlands for designating 'non-vulnerable zones' under the Nitrates Directive are limited.

Forests and nature play an important role in achieving climate targets. But how much can forest management measures contribute to CO2 uptake? New factsheets provide key figures to help estimate this contribution.

Bonaire can take major steps towards a more sustainable and healthier future by managing its organic waste in a circular way.

For his Engineering Doctorate (EngD) programme, ITC researcher Rodrigoandrés Morales developed a so-called digital twin : a digital model that analyses and predicts the groundwater level in Enschede.