Perhaps you think that finding fossils is something for far-off lands: a Tyrannosaurus in Colorado. But closer to home, on the Jurassic Coast of Southern England, Mary Anning found a skeleton of an ichthyosaur – a long-extinct marine reptile – back in 1811, when she was just 12 years old.

Astonishing wa…

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🌘 A Month of Contrasts

December sits around the shortest day of the year, with the lowest number of sunshine hours. Even though solar radiation has increased in all months due to cleaner air and more high-pressure zones, December still feels like stepping into a dimly lit room.

But nature compensates.

We celebrat…

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The European Green Woodpecker rarely drums, but it laughs loudly.

Its unmistakable call usually gives it away long before you see it. About 30 cm long, these medium-sized birds move nimbly across trunks, climbing effortlessly, and flying in a rolling pattern: a few wingbeats followed by a short glide to the next …

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At least 86 billion nerve cells are active in our brains. They form approximately 500 billion connections with each other. And perhaps there are many, many more.

We know a little about how nerve cells process and store information. First in short-term m…

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When “science as human work” shows its human flaws

In his sober 1978 book on the scientific enterprise, Professor Arie Rip gave it the fitting title “Science as Human Work.” And indeed — scientists are ordinary people. Their profession is unusual and demanding, and ideally they possess a strong sense of self-criticism. Yet they are not…

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A month that heralds winter, yet still shows the exuberance of autumn.

When the sun breaks through, the skies can be at their most beautiful — clear, radiant, and luminous. We may take that soft Dutch light for granted, but painters, travelers, and anyone with an eye for beauty notice its extraordinary glow.

Poplars, maples…

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In many places, the appreciation for scientific knowledge is under pressure. In the Netherlands, scientists still fare better in terms of public trust than journalists or politicians. In fact, trust in science has slightly increased recently.

But there is a divide. In 2025, one-third of the …

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🍵 Tea is only tea if it says Camellia sinensis on the label.

That’s the name of the tea plant, mainly cultivated in China and India, but also in Indonesia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Persia, and Turkey. Alongside coffee, true tea is the most consumed hot beverage in the world. Tea helps lower blood pressure and contains many be…

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Chances are, a common shrew is scurrying through your garden, making its presence known. The common shrew is the most widespread shrew species in our country. Only on Vlieland and Terschelling do they have to do without them.

Despite their name, shrews are not actually mice — they belong to the i…

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In the Middle Ages, laughter was considered the work of the devil. Later on, Calvinists also had their reservations about humorists who made people laugh, especially when it came at the expense of clergymen. These days, you can safely book a laughter therapy session or practice laugh yoga. The idea that laughter is healthy seems to h…

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Both tension and stress can have healthy aspects. But generally, stress tends to be viewed as something negative. Of course, stress is simply the English translation of the Dutch word spanning. That doesn’t help us much. Stress is often described as a physical reaction to external stimuli and situations that are perceived …

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The Greeks could hardly have chosen a more fitting name for this enchanting rodent. A true tree-dweller, these bushy-tailed creatures build their nests five to six meters high. They are picky about their surroundings: oaks must be at least forty years old, beeches even sixty, before a squirrel will accept them…

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More than half of our country consists of agricultural land. Most of that is grassland—livestock farming, in other words. Land prices are skyrocketing, especially for agricultural land, because space is scarce. Traditional views on agriculture are increasingly under pressure. Holding on to current levels of meat and dairy produ…

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Your skin is your largest organ — your shield against the outside world, and a vital regulator of temperature and water balance. But sunlight, and the ultraviolet (UV) light it brings, is both friend and foe.

The good: Sunlight triggers vitamin D production, vital for strong bones, healthy immunity, and more.
The …

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August has traditionally been known as the harvest month. These days, much of the harvest is already in, thanks to extensive mechanization that—weather permitting—makes for a very swift process. The month is named after the first emperor of the Roman Empire, and he can consider himself honoured: August feels like the ult…

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The angular willowherb — who doesn’t know it!

Anyone trying to remove weeds between the paving stones can sometimes face real dilemmas. Like with that beautiful, subtle plant, often around fifty centimeters tall, with narrow leaves resembling those of a willow and pointed pink flower buds that look promising even when sti…

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What is life? And is that a question for a biologist?

It might seem a bit strange, because a biologist literally studies life. So you would expect them to know the answer… Even though most people have a general sense of what life is, it’s actually not an easy question to answer. According to some, reproduction is an essen…

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Microplastics: Our brains now contain more than two plastic bags worth

It once seemed like such a fantastic invention: the development of plastics. Linking simple chemical compounds from the hydrocarbon group into so-called polymers. The applications were—and still are—endless: in textiles, cosmetics, car tires, the packa…

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July, the Hay Month?

Traditionally, the warmest month of the year is called the hay month. Nowadays, that really only applies to bluegrass meadows and other natural pastures. Most farmers are already working on their second or even third grass harvest. July, named after Julius Caesar, is the month of butterflies and thist…

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Youth, Nature, and Ecology

If there’s one group with a vested interest in nature and ecology, it ought to be the youth. The sense of certainty about our environment seems to be slipping away—especially for those thinking seriously about the future. A healthy natural world, clean water, fresh air, and unpolluted soil all a…

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