Podcast: A Deep Dive Into the World of Tiny Crabs
Christos Vlasakidis & Martijn Luinstra A deep dive into the unknown can be uncomfortable, but also utterly fascinating. The course Nature of Scientific Disciplines allowed us to experience exactly that, working in pairs to produce a podcast on a field of science different from our backgrounds. We researched, discussed, and thought a lot about concepts…
Sleepy geese: light pollution keeps them awake (EN/NL)
Just like people, geese get less sleep when it’s light outside. But geese also sleep less during cloudy nights. Sjoerd van Hasselt wondered why. The answer? Light pollution.
Cracking the virus: zooming in to a nanometre (EN/NL)
While others are still battling the coronavirus, biophysicist Martijn Middelkamp is working on combating what’s also called a ‘silent pandemic’: Hepatitis B. He studies the way viruses grow, using one of the strongest microscopes in the world.
Students want to tackle the source of the nitrogen problem: cows’ stomachs (EN/NL)
Ten Groningen students may have discovered the perfect way to solve the nitrogen issue: a food supplement that inhibits the production of ammonia inside cows.
Climate change on the North Pole: It starts off small (EN/NL)
Five years in a row, ecologist Cristophe Brochard went to Svalbard to study plankton: minuscule creatures and algae that tell us how the environment at the polar region is doing. Unfortunately, it’s not doing well. ‘It’s happening here in real time. It’s dramatic.’
A good year for godwits, but the population is still declining (EN/NL)
Not everyone enjoyed the cold, wet spring, but it was a blessing for godwits. ‘We haven’t seen this many chicks survive in years’, says meadow bird researcher Jos Hooijmeijer.
Can a great tit turn into a night owl? (EN/NL)
How does light pollution affect birds? Biologists Barbara Helm and PhD student Aurelia Strauss placed smart birdhouses all over the Zernike campus to find out.
Bridging Science 