Background
The molecular strings of the zombie ant
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.
The irresistible bite
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?
The female heart – from protection to greater risk
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.
Extraordinary organoids in the making
Organoid technology has now advanced to the point where even less obvious tissues can be grown, opening up a wide range of interesting applications.
Hidden Destinations
While holidaymakers turn their gaze towards beaches, mountain peaks, volcanoes and snorkelling spots, biological dramas unfold out of sight that rarely make it into travel guides. Bionieuws takes a tour of organisms that live, grow, shelter or leave their offspring in the most unlikely of places – from underground nurseries to temporary ice hotels and living guest houses.
Freshwater nature’s recovery is falling behind
After years of recovery, freshwater nature is once again in decline, writes the World Wide Fund for Nature in its latest Living Planet Report. Water managers recognise the picture. What can they do, and what obstacles do they face?
In the animal kingdom, there’s more to power than brute force
Power struggles within animal groups are often thought to revolve around fierce competition and the survival of the fittest. But recent research shows that the image of the all-powerful alpha male is one-sided – and that countervailing power is a natural phenomenon too.
Why plants set their seeds adrift
Plants are rooted to the spot, yet their offspring are constantly on the move. In this pre-publication excerpt from Migration: Species on the Move,...
Nature beyond nature reserves: bringing baseline quality to every landscape
Where ecologists previously focused mainly on threatened species in protected nature reserves, attention is increasingly turning to common species in towns and countryside. 'Baseline...
Invisible directors of the ocean
Not merely as pathogens, but as forces that determine whether carbon in the upper water layers is consumed or recycled, or whether it sinks to the deep sea.