Author: bioclock
Adolescents are strongly affected by the COVID rules, particularly because they are more focused on night activities than others in the population. Their biological clock makes them more night owls and during their part of life, social aspects are crucial. Therefore, Het Parool (national newspaper) wrote an article about this and included the opinion of BioClock coordinator Joke Meijer. Read the article here (in Dutch).
Can the lights be turned off? – Trouw (National newspaper)
The Dutch national newspaper Trouw wrote an article about nocturnal light. Why are the lights on everywhere? It is not necessary and harmful. BioClock researcher Kamiel Spoelstra further explains how this light affects nature. You can read the article here (in Dutch).
Are the effects of light pollution bad for bats? Sander will find out
At the Netherlands Insititute of Ecology in Wageningen will PhD candidate Sander Buddendorf investigate the effects of artificial light at night on bat-prey interactions. Since light at night is increasing, and bat populations are decreasing, it is time to investigate this relationship and think of possible solutions. Under the supervision of dr. ir. Kamiel Spoelstra and prof. Marcel Visser will Sander execute his research. He introduces himself here:
Tell us a little about...
BioClock on RTL national news
Light pollution is high in The Netherlands. Many areas are very lit, and this is affecting nature, including human health. How severe this is and what to do about it, is what BioClock focuses on. RTL, a Dutch news channel, made an item about light pollution and held an interview with professor Joke Meijer and dr. ir. Kamiel Spoelstra. You can view the news item (in Dutch) here (start from minute 15′).
Eating at night?
Bionieuws (the magazing for biologists) reported on an interesting study for shift workers that regularly work at night: it matters when you eat. Researcher Matthew Brown and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester investigated the effects of eating at night. This severely disturbed their rhythms but if they continued to eat during the day, their glucose metabolism remained healthy. These studies are important to reduce the risks for shift workers. The scientific article from...
Laura designs an e-health intervention for students to sleep better
PhD candidate Laura Pape has recently started her BioClock project at the Leiden University (LU). She works on the design of an e-health intervention focusing on strengthening the biological clock and improving health. It ultimately aims to improve mental health of university students which is often poor. She is supervised by dr. Niki Antypa, professor Philip Spinhoven (LU), professor Annemieke van Straaten (VU) and dr. Sascha Struijs (VU). Below she introduces herself...
The first researcher introduces herself!
Ayano Shiba is one of the first PhD BioClock candidates. She works at the Netherlands Institute of Neuroscience, under the supervision of Professor Andries Kalsbeek. She introduces herself and her project.
Who are you?
I am Ayano Shiba, a new PhD student in the laboratory of Professor Andries Kalsbeek at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. I am from Japan and my hobbies are travelling, playing sports (jogging, basketball etc…) and making music.
What is...