A water buffalo wearing a plant hat, a praying mantis posing provocatively, and a clumsy bird: the finalists of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2026 have been announced. Bionieuws selected twelve photographs and two videos from the shortlist.
The colourful patterns on butterfly wings create optical illusions during flight, making it harder for birds to judge the speed and direction of a flying butterfly.
That zombie-ant fungi make their hosts climb and bite fast is hardly disputed any longer. What is harder to demonstrate is how they manage it. Recent molecular work has, for the first time, established a direct link between a secreted fungal protein and changes in olfactory perception and social behaviour in ants.
Crisps, chocolate and Chupa Chups, but also granola, ice cream and strawberry yoghurt: supermarket shelves are packed with ultra-processed food. Why is the temptation of ultra-processed food so hard to resist? And does 'processed' automatically mean unhealthy?
Palpitations, breathlessness or chest pain are sometimes dismissed around the time of the menopause as stress or 'just part of the process'. In this advance extract from De overgang: Een nieuwe fase, the new book from the Foundation for Biosciences and Society, cardiologist Janneke Wittekoek describes why the years around the menopause represent a crucial turning point for the heart and blood vessels.
Professor and internist-endocrinologist Liesbeth van Rossum is taking on the obesity stigma head-on. 'The cause lies in biology, not in a lack of discipline.
