news 2019

Researchers from KU Leuven have discovered that the presence of yeasts can alter the chemical composition and thus the nutritional value of nectar for pollinators such as bees. The study discovered that yeasts can even boost bee health and colony fitness. "Research into the role of microbes in our ecosystem is of vital importance to safeguard bees." It is not widely known that pollen and floral nectar contain yeasts.

Bioscience engineers at KU Leuven have developed a method to measure the snow depth in all mountain ranges in the Northern Hemisphere using satellites. This technique makes it possible to study areas that cannot be accessed for local measurements, such as the Himalayas. The findings were published .

A new study shows that in multiple animal species climate change causes changes in the life cycle, e.g. the timing of the egg hatching, or adaptations in their morphology, e.g. body size. GCE scientists Frank Adriaensen and Erik Matthysen have contributed to a newly published article in the interdisciplinary science.

32°C. This summer saw the highest temperature ever recorded in southern Alaska. What are the consequences for the environment and ice melt? UCLouvain researchers will go to Alaska (15/08 to 6/09) to analyse soil (permafrost) thawing The mission's goal is to understand and clarify thaw impact on the quantities of greenhouse gases emitted in the Arctic The historical record of 32° C in southern Alaska in early July 2019 exposed permafrost (permanently frozen ground) to an unprecedented temperature rise.

A new study finds that climate has affected the risk of armed conflict. Though other drivers of violence were found to be substantially more influential, as global temperatures continue to rise, the changing climate is expected to further amplify the risk of conflict. Can a changing climate trigger organised armed conflict, such as civil war, or make it more severe?

WeChangeForLife: 256 researchers, specialists in issues related to environmental degradation, have changed their habits for the planet Why? Scientists have a duty to set an example : they must act according to their knowledge and what they know is right and show that it is possible. Other objective? Call on politicians.

New process makes the production of pharmaceuticals more efficient and sustainable. In the near future, fossil raw materials can be replaced in the production of two important anticancer drugs. An interuniversity team with researchers from UAntwerp and KU Leuven developed a process that starts from ..

A team of Belgian and French researchers is back from a 6-week mission studying Antarctica on a sailing ship. Key conclusions include: the benefits of this type of ship, an abundance of biodiversity, and a troubling increase in tourism. They made it back in Belgium a few days ago, after several weeks exploring the coasts of the Antarctic.

The impacts of climate warming are buffered inside forests due to the thermal insulation of forest canopies. These results are based on an international study led by Ghent University researchers. Temperature difference of 4 degrees Scientists of eight universities have quantified the temperature difference between sites within forests and outside, for the first time across the globe.

How did bioscience engineers at KU Leuven manage to convert water vapour directly into hydrogen gas, with record efficiency? And does their hydrogen panel signal the end of fossil fuels' We asked Johan Martens and Tom Bosserez from the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis for the answers. Professor Johan Martens and his team have had some pretty hectic weeks.

Bioscience engineers at KU Leuven have created a solar panel that produces hydrogen gas from moisture in the air. After ten years of development, the panel can now produce 250 litres per day - a world record, according to the researchers. Twenty of these solar panels could provide electricity and heat for one family for an entire year.

Today Belgian researchers set sail for Antarctica. Their goal is to take a census of marine biodiversity and to study the presence of plastic in the Southern Ocean.

On 19 February, nine Belgian scientists will embark on a unique mission to study marine biodiversity and microplastics in the Southern Ocean.