PhD candidate
Sharks and power cables: ‘The sensory landscape is changing
Undersea power cables are adding new stimuli to the sensory world of sharks and rays. Annemiek Hermans investigated the effects.
A mini heart on a chip: ‘We want to send our heart model into space
For his doctoral research at the University of Twente, he replicated the human heart using such a miniature model. To make it resemble a real heart as closely as possible, he attempted to add blood vessels to so-called heart-on-a-chip systems: minuscule pieces of beating cardiac tissue embedded in plastic microchannels.
A sick plant leaves a protective legacy
For months, plant microbiologist Jelle Spooren searched the soil for an explanation of a puzzling effect: thale cress plants growing in soil where diseased...
Nature’s sunscreen: how plants protect themselves from too much light
Clouds drifting past on a sunny day, or a sheltering tree suddenly felled – plants are constantly dealing with fluctuating light conditions. To protect...
A thousand years ago, coral was already keeping pace with rising seas
The inhabitants of the densely populated islands of the Spermonde Archipelago, off the west coast of South Sulawesi in Indonesia, have had a guardian...
Invisible microbes drive greenhouse gas emissions in freshwater
In some stretches of Dutch rivers, methane emissions are rising sharply. 'Two kilometres downstream from a treated wastewater discharge point, we suddenly observed far...
Cell volume in 2D or 3D culture shapes cell behaviour
'After the transition from 2D to 3D culture, we saw the cells shrink', says PhD candidate Marieke Meteling. Cells in a 3D cell culture...
I’m probably a very odd one out
'When it comes to non-native species, you now often hear military language. Talk of invasions and destruction, requiring battle plans to achieve elimination', says...
A plant reorganising itself before your eyes
PhD candidate Jana Wittmer is resetting plant cells back to the beginning.
About this section
PhD researchers form the foundation of much scientific research. With this new section, Bionieuws aims to give their work and stories a regular place,...