Videos

When you think of animals with horns, you probably think of cows, goats, and rhinos. But did you know that many species of snakes have horns too? While this has been under the eye of researchers for a long time, it's still unclear why some snakes have horns. What do you think they're for? Federico Banfi sheds some light on current hypotheses. He hopes to find answers in his Ph.D. research.  

Saving good microbes from starvation. That is the aim of the research carried out by Marina Perdigao Elisiario (VITO - TU Delft). This is necessary because the microbes she works with can help us in the fight against climate change. They are very good at converting greenhouse gases such as CO2 and carbon monoxide into biofuels. Unfortunately, with the current techniques, they die of starvation too often and too quickly. Marina is working on a new technique to overcome this.

Flanders is a water-scarce region. We must therefore handle our water resources carefully and monitor their quality well. That is why researchers such as Ruth Vandeputte (VITO) are building the 'Internet of Water', a network of sensors that will continuously measure water quality in the whole of Flanders from 2023 onwards and transmit it in real time. Ruth tells you more about it.

Camille Meeussen (Ghent University) designs forest edges. Yes - you read that correctly: forest edges 🌳 Forests offer a lot of cooling on hot days because trees block the sun's rays. But the edge of a forest has a big impact on that cooling effect. Watch the video to find out more.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could use a sponge to suck carbon dioxide out of the air and help stop global warming? That's what Yoran De Vos (VITO) is hoping to achieve. But his sponge is nothing like an ordinary kitchen sponge.

Insects and fruit, it doesn't seem like a very successful combination. And yet, insect breeders and their 'critters' can help strawberry farmers to grow more and healthier strawberries. Lise Soetemans (VITO) explains how.

Did you know that it's possible to grow 1 million new trees in one year starting from (fragments of) one single plant? By using the promising technique of in vitro propagation, Maroua Grira (Ghent University) wants to save tree species such as Mahogany & Dalbergia from extinction. 

In order to convince the construction sector to build more circularly, hard figures are needed to show that circular constructions are more advantageous both ecologically and financially. This is what Lisa Van Gulck (University of Ghent) wants to ensure.

The disappearance of forests is nothing less than "a genocide of trees, with bleeding stumps and amputated branches. With this powerful imagery, the French writer Pierre Gascar already sounded the alarm about the environment 50 years ago. Sara Buekens studies how he and his colleagues wanted to put environmental issues on the agenda in their novels half a century ago. Are you ready for an ecological novel?

What does a nutcracker have to do with tackling climate change? Well, Kristof Bal explains it to you in 150 seconds.

Our poo and pee are too precious to waste, says Angelou Papangelou. The phosphorus in our excrement and in animal manure can serve as the food of our food and shouldn't go to waste. That's why Anastasia Papangelou is mapping the nutrient stocks and flows in the country, so that we can put our poo and pee to good use!

Is it possible to make our cars lighter, and therefore more environmentally friendly, without compromising our safety? Luca Martulli (KU Leuven) turns to lightweight carbon fibre composites to do so.