Science News

Researchers from the Institute of Natural Sciences and the University of Oxford have found the oldest evidence of livestock whose horns were deliberately deformed. The ancient Egyptians forced the corkscrew-shaped horns of sheep, which naturally grow sideways, to stand upright.

The Institute of Natural Sciences and Federal Science Policy (BELSPO) took the initiative to organize a conference dedicated to the current rapid loss of biodiversity, called “Mass Extinction Conference”.

Cut marks on bird bones from the Scladina cave, near Namur, indicate that Neanderthals ate various bird species and made tools from some of the bones.

 

Did you know that cobblestones are porphyry, solidified magma? In the early 20th century, three Belgian villages were the largest source of porphyry in the world. Two geologists tell the history of porphyry extraction in our country in a richly illustrated book.

Until September 24, 2024, you will have the opportunity to share your opinion on the update of the Belgian National Biodiversity Strategy for the next five years.

The monitoring programme of the Institute of Natural Sciences for emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) of ships at sea was awarded the ‘Special Commendation for Sustainable Impact’ in the context of the Greening Award Initiative of the European Maritime Safety Agency. A well-deserved recognition for the impact and sustainability of our efforts to combat air pollution from ships at sea.

A new crab species, Polybius dioscurus, has been discovered on Belgian beaches. "This exciting discovery shows that even well-explored areas can surprise us."

Biologists have confirmed the presence of three different species of termites in Belgium for the first time. Because these tropical insects eat wood, they can cause damage to buildings and other wooden structures. Termites may have arrived here via imported infested wood products. One of the three species can survive cooler climates and may spread further.

Beetles on the Galápagos Islands have adapted quickly and repeatedly to higher altitudes thanks to their genetic heritage from ancient evolutionary events, biologists from the Institute of Natural Sciences have discovered. "This mechanism helps us understand how organisms will adapt in our rapidly changing world."

A team of Belgian geologists has mapped out where critical raw materials, such as lithium for batteries, rare earths for wind turbines, and copper for power grids, can still be found in Belgium. “It’s time to explore our subsoil further,” says geologist Sophie Decrée.

The new report 'Marine mammals and sea turtles in Belgium in 2023' summarizes the results of the monitoring and research on these animals in Belgium in 2023.

In 2023, the aerial surveillance aircraft detected 17 cases of operational marine pollution from ships, and suspicious sulphur and nitrogen levels in the smoke plumes of 24 and 42 ships. Other activities included monitoring of oil and gas installations, marine mammal counts and broader maritime surveillance.

L'invisible révélé : L'apport de l'imagerie & des analyses chimiques et moléculaires à l'anthropologie biologique. 35^e édition du Colloque du GALF. Ce colloque s'articulera autour de quatre thématiques principales et une séance varia consacrée à l'actualité de la recherche.

In a warmer climate, summers warm much faster than winters. That is the conclusion of research into fossil shells by earth scientist Niels de Winter.

The Institute of Natural Sciences and the CETAF are celebrating on 23rd May 2024 the Taxonomy Recognition Day, which covers the diversity in nature, preservation of nature and knowledge sharing on nature !

The Institute of Natural Sciences and the Federal Public Planning Service Science Policy (BELSPO) are organizing a conference dedicated to the current rapid loss of biodiversity.

A young male minke whale that washed ashore in Ostend on May 13 most likely died of starvation. Although sightings of dead and living minke whales have become more frequent in recent years in the south of the North Sea, their washing up on a Belgian beach remains an exceptional event.

FlatwormWatch aims to identify which species of non-native land flatworms are already present in Belgium with the help of citizens.

Paleontologist Pascal Godefroit tells the complete story of the Iguanodons of Bernissart in a hefty and beautifully illustrated book: from the discovery in the mining village to the latest insights into their cause of death. 

In Brussels, it's not the swallows that herald spring, but the peregrine falcons. We invite you to observe three families of peregrine falcons this spring, from the hatching of the first egg to the fledglings' first flight.

The region of the Belgian-Dutch Scheldt Delta has been officially recognized as a UNESCO Global Geopark. The world heritage organization thereby acknowledges that the area is exceptional in terms of its geological, cultural-historical, and landscape features.

Citizen scientists have donated tens of thousands of fossil shark and ray teeth to the Institute. They were excavated at the clay quarry of Egem in West Flanders, and bear witness to the rich diversity in the shallow tropical sea around 50 million years ago in our regions.

On August 8, 1956, 262 miners died in the fire at the Bois du Cazier mine in Marcinelle (Charleroi). In 2023, a multidisciplinary team of researchers formally identified two of the 14 victims who couldn't be identified at the time. In March 2024 the team announced the identity of a third victim.

Palaeontologists have uncovered a fossilized tooth from a white shark embedded in the heel bone of a seal, shedding light on a dramatic event that unfolded 4.5 million years ago.

An international team of paleontologists has uncovered a remarkably rich and diverse array of fossils from the Early Cretaceous, in Jezzine, South Lebanon. “It is rare getting a glimpse on the diversity of such an early terrestrial ecosystem for this continental area”, says paleontologist Ninon Robin,  Institute of Natural Sciences.

Fifteen years into the programme, monitoring of the ecological effects of Belgian offshore wind farms continues to provide new insights. Only through sustained and adaptive monitoring can we ensure that we design and build offshore wind farms in the most eco-friendly way.

This morning, a dead common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) washed ashore on the beach of Oostende, near the western breakwater. It is a female measuring 2.07 meters in length.

Etienne Steurbaut, former head of the paleontology department at our Institute, has received the highest distinction for geology that a scientist can receive in our country.

Ancient Egyptians raised baboons in captivity before mummifying them, according to research by archaeozoologist Wim Van Neer from the Institute of Natural Sciences and colleagues.

The Quality Status Report 2023 assesses the status of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Climate change and acidification have become drivers of change. Biodiversity and habitats remain at risk, but the chemical quality of the marine environment is improving again.

Gravel beds in the Belgian North Sea are home to a unique fauna that is vulnerable to bottom-disturbing activities, but are also heavily fished. This paradox underlines the need for more effective protection.

Paleontologists have rediscovered a rich collection of insects and other fossil arthropods from a Chinese coal mine. It includes numerous cockroach wings essentially of Moscovian age (about 310 million years ols). These fossils were thought to have been lost for decades.

November 25, 2023, a live Loggerhead turtle washed up on the beach of Bredene. This species has never before been identified with certainty in Belgium. The animal is closely monitored in SEA LIFE Blankenberge.

A zoologist from the Institute of Natural Sciences, together with a Brazilian colleague, has documented the sponge diversity of Peru: 86 species, of which 31 were recently described by them, in all shapes and colors.

On October 29, a male orca was spotted off the coast of Coxyde. A few hours later, the severely weakened animal washed up in De Panne, where it died almost immediately.

Fine dust from pulverized rock generated by the Chicxulub impact likely played a dominant role in global climate cooling and the disruption of photosynthesis following the event.

One of our entomologists has described a new genus of insects from Australia with a particularly acrobatic mating behavior.  

More than 200 scientists from 19 countries published the first comprehensive assessment of trends in Southern Ocean ecosystems. They emphasize that climate change is the main driver of species and ecosystem change in the Southern Ocean and coastal Antarctica.

Until a dead leatherback turtle was found on the beach in Knokke on 7 October 2023, we knew of only three strandings of this species in Belgium. The autopsy shows that an acute but unknown trauma caused the animal's sudden death.

Amateur palaeontologists have unearthed a large piece of driftwood that ended up in the sea some 31 million years ago and around which a lot of marine life fossilized. A rare find.

The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) published a new report, provides an overview of the latest data, analysis and options regarding invasive alien species and their control.

A dead fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) was found in the port of Antwerp.

Perucetus colossus, an ancient whale that swam off the coast of present-day Peru 39 million years ago, rivals the blue whale as the heaviest animal ever.

Entomologists have described three new fly species. They were collected - in collaboration with citizen scientists - at the Jardin Massart on the outskirts of Brussels.

A team of scientists has embarked in Reykjavik to study the possibilities of reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by encouraging the alteration of silicates in the ocean.

Edgar Kesteloot, a former colleague at the Institute of Natural Sciences, will forever remain one of the founding fathers of nature conservation in Belgium.

August 8 1956, 262 miners lost their lives in the Bois du Cazier mine fire in Marcinelle (Charleroi).

A new database maps the total collections from 73 of the world’s largest natural history museums and herbaria in 28 countries, revealing a total collection of more than 1.1 billion objects.

Two experts have published a richly illustrated reference work of fossil chondrichthyans, cartilaginous fishes including sharks, in the collections of the Institute of Natural Sciences.

Large-scale genomic analysis documents the migrations of Ice Age hunter-gatherers over a period of 30,000 years – they took shelter in Western Europe but died out on the Italian peninsula.

An international team of researchers led by the University of Helsinki has revised the phylogeny of the Elapoidea, an important group of snakes. By doing so, they discovered a new family of snakes.

Spanish archaeologists made an unusual discovery in southern Egypt: a still undisturbed tomb containing ten mummified crocodiles. Archaeologists from our Institute had the opportunity to study the mummies.

The Camarasaurus-like sauropod we excavated this summer in Wyoming is now in our lab.

Research from ULiège and RBINS investigated the morphological similarities between the earliest whales and ancient marine reptiles from the dinosaur-era, the mosasaurs. Four specimens from our collections were used for this study.

On December 16th 2021, our Geological Survey of Belgium was exactly 125 years old. This important milestone was celebrated with a colloquium, a book, an award, a birthday cake and excursions.

The nearly complete skeleton of a large, 20-meter-long herbivorous long-necked dinosaur, acquired in 2019, has arrived at the Institute of Natural Sciences.

Two of them live in trees in Central Africa, three others on limestone hills in Thailand and another one near mountain rivers in the north of South-East Asia and the south of China.

Conservatories at Péronnes-lez-Binche in Hainaut house 40 km of drill cores. Collected over the last 150 years, these geological samples tell us about the composition of Belgium's subsoil.

Belgian mussels have developed stronger shells over the last hundred years. More calcareous shells protect them better from crabs’ claws and seagulls’ beaks. These predators have increased significantly in number during the last fifty years.