News Archieven - BioClock

New BioClock research: nocturnal insect attraction throughout the night

Written by bioclock on February 10, 2026. Posted in News.

Artificial light at night has a large impact on our environment, and nocturnal insects are particularly sensitive to it. Previous BioClock research already showed us that color affects insect attraction. But now, thanks to a new study by BioClock researcher Gabriel Charvalakis, we know that it is also affected by the time of night. The experiment To study this phenomenon, Gabriel and his colleagues placed special camera traps in four forested locations in the...

New BioClock research: the benefits of light dimming and darkness in cities for bats and insects

Written by bioclock on February 4, 2026. Posted in News.

It attracted a quite some attention from local residents when BioClock researchers Hannah Broeckx and Sander Buddendorf came to hang their measuring equipment on lampposts in The Hague and Rotterdam. They were conducting research into the effects of dimmed versus bright artificial light at night on urban pipistrelle bats and their prey: flying insects. We are all familiar with the image: a street lamp with a swarm of flying insects captivated by the light. This behavior is...

Wheel running in the wild on BBC Winterwatch

Written by bioclock on January 29, 2026. Posted in News.

BBC Winterwatch recently showcased a unique study led by Prof. Joke Meijer, head of the BioClock Consortium. The research from 2014 revealed that wild mice — and even other small animals — voluntarily use running wheels placed in their natural environment. These findings challenge the idea that wheel running is merely a behavior caused by captivity and instead reveal it as a natural, self‑motivated activity. On the program, the Winterwatch team even recreated the scientific...

The clock starts ticking early: circadian variation in preterm breastmilk

Written by bioclock on January 27, 2026. Posted in News.

Human breast milk is surprisingly adaptive, consistently changing to best meet the baby’s needs. Even the time of day has been known to affect its composition. But what happens when a baby is born very prematurely? A new study by BioClock researchers Demy van Gilst and Inês Chaves aimed to find out if 24-hour variations are already present in breastmilk following a very premature birth. Researchers collected around 15 milk samples over 72 consecutive hours,...

New publication: circadian biology in the Intensive Care Unit

Written by bioclock on December 23, 2025. Posted in News.

Critically ill patients often experience severe disruption of their sleep cycles and circadian rhythm during their stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Constant artificial lighting, continuous nutritional intake, and 24/7 medical procedures interfere with the natural rhythms that normally help regulate our internal clock. Research shows that circadian rhythms play a crucial role in physiological regulation, recovery, and overall health, raising an important question: how can we...

BioClock in the news: The future of night work?

Written by bioclock on December 15, 2025. Posted in News.

Working night shifts can be demanding, as many night shift workers will recognize. What makes this work so challenging, and how can we improve this? In a recent article, popular Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant spoke with several BioClock researchers about the effects of night work and possible solutions. Nightshifts and the biological clockThe negative effects of night work are closely related to the biological clock. Normally, it runs in sync with the 24-hour day-night...

Looking Back: BioClock at Lowlands Science

Written by bioclock on August 19, 2025. Posted in News.

As widely shared on our social media channels, the BioClock team was present at Lowlands Science 2025 last weekend (16–18 August), where we introduced festival visitors to the fascinating world of the biological clock. The initiative was led by Maaike van der Rhee, Demy van Gilst, Ward Vleeshouwers, and Gali Albalak. Under the motto “Too tired to function? Let’s find out!” our PhD candidates explored the question: how does sleep deprivation affect reaction time, alertness, and even...