International – Pagina 3
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InternationalThe true gut feeling: the intestinal nervous system recognises nutrients.
According to biomedical scientists at KU Leuven, the function of the digestive system appears to be much more sophisticated than simply pumping food around. In an article published in Nature, they demonstrate how the nervous system in mouse intestines distinguishes between different nutrients.
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InternationalNanoplastics fill the North Atlantic Ocean
In a study published in Nature, Dutch researchers estimated that there are 27 million tonnes of nanoplastics in the ocean’s upper layer. This figure equals or exceeds the estimated amount of macro- and microplastics in the world’s oceans.
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InternationalNWO Veni grants awarded for 2024
Two hundred early-career scientists have received up to €320,000 in the form of a Veni grant from the NWO Talent Programme.
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InternationalERC Proof of Concept grants 2025 awarded
It’s always nice to receive a gift before the holidays. Eighteen Belgian and Dutch scientists were delighted to hear that their Proof of Concept Grant proposals had been successful.
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InternationalCareer path
Should fundamental research be adapted to meet the needs of businesses, Sjoerd Rijpkema asks himself. Or is there another solution?
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InternationalPodium: Katarina Cankar
Our members form the beating heart of our societies. Here, we regularly highlight one of them. This time, it’s NBV-member Katarina Cankar.
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InternationalSystems thinking approach wins major education award
The CLEAR initiative at the University of Twente won the Dutch Education Award 2025. The jury was impressed by the systems thinking approach, which creates chemists that are well-suited for the challenges of tomorrow. So, what’s next?
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InternationalRecalibrating your academic compass this summer
The summer break offers academics more than rest – it’s a rare opportunity to pause, reflect, and realign. Isabelle Kohler shares how a quieter pace can help you recalibrate your academic compass and make intentional choices for the year ahead.
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InternationalActivating ‘reserve genes’ for gene therapy
Reactivated genes can compensate for other defective genes in hereditary blood disorders, Dutch researchers show in the journal Blood.
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InternationalCatalyst-substrate couple in the spotlight
With the high-tech laser facility of HFML-FELIX, researchers succeeded in capturing a catalyst ‘in the act’ of catalysing a Michael addition, as they show in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.
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InternationalOpen Competition ENW-M grants awarded
The ‘creative’ ENW-M grants have been awarded once again, this time to 21 researchers looking to develop scientific innovations and ‘risky’ ideas. Among the recipients are members of the KNCV and NVBMB, who are highlighted here.
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InternationalSN2 vs. E2: Competition Clarified
For organic chemists (in training), the question of how to determine whether a chemical reaction follows the SN2 or E2 route is timeless. A group in Amsterdam summarized its 25 years of research in Chemistry: A European Journal, offering concrete, simple concepts to overcome this dilemma.
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InternationalScience communication: your pathway to broader impact
Isabelle Kohler shares why science communication – in whatever format works best – might be one of the most rewarding parts of any professional journey.
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InternationalSweet victory: sugar molecule disrupts bacterial cell wall
Researchers in Groningen have synthesised a variant of a sugar molecule that is incorporated in the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria. However, as reported in JACS Au, they did not achieve the desired effect.
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InternationalERC Advanced Grants 2024 awarded
This year, a total of €721 million will be awarded to 281 European scientists through prestigious ERC Advanced Grants. This is an increase of €69 million and 26 scientists on last year’s figures. Two members of the KNCV and one member of the KVCV have been awarded a grant.
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InternationalPeptide-like oligomers with much more information
Researchers from Wageningen have synthesised peptide-like oligomers for which the chirality of each monomer can be determined. They write in Nature Synthesis that there is huge potential for information storage.
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InternationalNutritional Needles
Although pest control is important for agriculture, it can also create environmental problems. Micro-needles can offer a way to apply pesticides and nutrients more precisely.
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International‘Metal next door’ is a successful anti-cancer agent.
The recent success of palladium-based anticancer drugs has prompted an international team to search for molecules in the chemical space with even greater efficacy. As a bonus, they report in the European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry that the synthesis does not even require solvents.
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InternationalPerfect PIC gels with a perfect protocol
After years of answering questions, the group of scientists from the Radboud University who invented polyisocyanide hydrogels decided to draw up a protocol that describes absolutely everything.
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InternationalNano antibodies against Parkinson’s disease
Researchers from Flanders and Italy have developed a strategy to restore the function of an enzyme that is impaired in Parkinson’s disease. In an article published in Nature Communications, they demonstrate how antibody fragments can bind to the enzyme in the correct location to stabilise it and enhance its activity.