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The Earth's warming climate is largely caused by the rise in greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. However, there are additional gases capable of warming the planet. New research from climate scientists at Utrecht University reveals that emissions of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) from streams and reservoirs have more than tripled over the last century.

A new powerful antibiotic, isolated from bacteria that could not be studied before, seems capable of combating harmful bacteria and even multi-resistant 'superbugs'. Named Clovibactin, the antibiotic appears to kill bacteria in an unusual manner, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop any resistance against it.

The city of Utrecht made world news in 2019 by introducing bee-friendly green roofs on its bus shelters. High time to take stock. Erik Verhagen, a Global Sustainability Science student at Utrecht University, conducted research on the importance of the location of such a bus shelter. After all, how decisive is a green environment in attracting bees to green roofs? Green roofs throughout the city If you haven't seen them yet, look up the next time you wait for the bus in Utrecht.

Researchers from Utrecht University have improved the World Resources Institute's online Aqueduct 4. Water Risk Framework. In Aqueduct , the Water Resources Institute (WRI) compiles scientific information on global water scarcity and water-related hazards, and translates this information into clear but insightful maps for decision-makers and other non-scientific users.

'Wet gets wetter, dry gets drier'. That mantra has been used for decennia to predict how global warming will affect the hydrological cycle in different world regions. But if climate models predict that much of tropical Africa will enjoy a future with wetter weather, then why does it keep getting drier in certain parts of the African tropics, like the Horn of Africa? An international team of researchers have found a pre-historic climate tipping point that helps explain the disparity between these model predictions and the intensifying drought conditions in the Horn of Africa.

Significantly less plastic is estimated to be present in the global ocean than scientists previously thought. This new insight results from calculations with a computer model that includes a record number of measurements and observations of plastic in the ocean. Also, a relatively large proportion of the plastic in the ocean consists of large pieces that are easier to clean up.

Several hundred million kg of Dutch plastic waste remain off the radar. That applies to both plastic waste within the Netherlands and Dutch plastic waste that is exported to other countries. Researchers from Utrecht University and other organisations report this finding after mapping waste streams in the Netherlands.

A new physics model could help gain more insight into the events surrounding the birth of the universe. Combining principles of holography and string theory, researchers from Utrecht University, together with colleagues from other universities and Cern, developed the model that could potentially elucidate how the universe expanded, and gained enough heat in the final phase before the Big Bang.

In this series we show what contribution projects can make to FAIR research IT. The research teams of the projects in these interviews have received a grant from the FAIR Research IT Innovation Fund . Good news for scientists whose technological skills are limited, but who want to work with social media data in their research: now you can use 4CAT, a tool that helps you to harvest and analyse such research data in a simple way.

As the world's population continues to grow, ensuring access to clean and safe water has become an increasingly important concern, yet little is known about how surface water quality will change in the future. Recent scientific research has shed light on the potential challenges that surface water quality may face in the coming years, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Many people use email for work. It is convenient, but also a source of stress. Email can constantly distract you from other work and disrupt your free time. At the same, the workload in many sectors, such as healthcare, can already be high. Cutting back on email use can reduce stress. Researchers at Utrecht University have developed and tested a number of simple solutions with healthcare workers.

A team of European astronomers, together with Indian and Japanese colleagues, has for the first time found strong evidence of ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves, which probably come from pairs of supermassive black holes at the centre of merging galaxies. It is the result of more than 25 years of observations with the most sensitive radio telescopes in Europe and India, including the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT).

Thanks to Helios, a new research installation that is part of the Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre (NPEC) , it is now possible to automatically monitor the growth and development of more than a thousand plants, while gaining insights into how microorganisms affect them. Housed within the NPEC building at the Utrecht Science Park, the installation consists of, among other things, a growth chamber, a system of conveyor belts, several special cameras and a 3D laser scanner.

By zooming in to near-atomic level using electron microscopy, Tzviya Zeev-Ben-Mordehai and her team were able to identify the proteins that form the molecular machinery that drives sperm motility. More than twenty of these proteins were not yet recognised as part of the sperm motor apparatus, all of which are promising candidates for future research on infertility.

Utrecht University has appointed chemist Eefjan Breukink as professor of Microbial Membranes and Antibiotics. Breukink and his group are engaged in research aimed at finding new antibiotics that target bacterial cell membranes, the structures that separate the inside and outside of bacteria. Breukink: "It is my dream to discover an antibiotic that will truly aid us in combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria." Cell membranes are a fundamental component of all living cells, whether they are bacterial, animal, plant, or fungal.

A model study reveals that the seeds of plants in small, fragmented habitats can abruptly evolve in such a way that they can no longer travel long distances. As a consequence, plants are less successful in reaching other habitats. This insight shows that fragmented natural areas may need to be better connected than previously assumed.

Four Utrecht researchers, each with slightly different areas of expertise and at different stages in their careers. But with one urgent shared concern: climate is changing, ice sheets are melting and sea levels are rising. This concern is crystal clear. But the complex research behind it is far from simple for most people.

An international research team led by Bert Weckhuysen  (Utrecht University) and Sara Bals (University of Antwerp) has shown that a promising catalyst for clearing CO2 becomes significantly more active and selective if its pretreatment is modified. The scientists visualized the mechanism underlying this concept with unparalleled precision.

At Utrecht University, interdisciplinary research into a sustainable future comes together in Pathways to Sustainability. To do justice to the natural sciences in this strategic theme, Professor René van Roij  together with several colleagues from the Faculties of Science and Geosciences initiated the community Science for Sustainability  a year ago.

Some individuals in an extremely hierarchical society of monkeys help others by providing them with food, without receiving a direct reward themselves. As this is the first time that such 'prosocial' behaviour is seen in a species that is not considered socially peaceful or tolerant, these results have consequences for the understanding of the evolution of cooperative behaviours.