PhD candidate Ayano Shiba has started one year ago in WP1.2. An update of her work at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN). Know your clock! by Ayano Shiba Have you ever thought about staying fit with a minimum of effort? If yes, we assure you that you will benefit from the results of our research. When you exercise, not only the intensity and duration are important, but also the timing is crucial. Our internal body clocks produce rhythms of approximately 24-hours,...

hD candidate Gali Albalak has started over a year ago on her project in WP1.2. It is time for an update on her findings and plans. It’s about time! By Gali Albalak In the first cluster of this consortium (‘Clocks in Society´) there is a work package that aims to uncover the timing of behavioural aspects on circadian health. Together with my promotion team consisting of dr. Raymond Noordam, dr. Diana van Heemst, and professor David van Bodegom, I (Gali Albalak, PhD student)...

Adjusting outdoor lighting usually aims to reduce energy, and is done by using LED lights. But that increases the amount of blue light in the environment leading to light pollution with many consequences for nature. National news channel RTL broadcasted an interview with BioClock researcher Kamiel Spoelstra and BioClock advisor Ellen de Vries about this. You can watch it here (Dutch): RTL Nieuws.

Gabriel Charvalakis has recently started his PhD research at the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) in Wageningen and the University of Groningen. Under supervision of dr. ir. Kamiel Spoelstra and dr. Roelof Hut, he investigates all aspects of light that may have an influence on insects. The number of insects is decreasing rapidly, and one of the reasons may be the enormous amount of light pollution worldwide. Can we adjust the color or intensity of lights in order to save...

Inge Snijders has recently started her PhD research at the University of Leiden. Under supervision of prof. Dr. Laura Heitman and Dr. Daan van der Es, she will look for new targets and modulators of the biological clock. Since the circadian system is involved with many diseases but also becomes more dysfunctional with age for instance, it is highly important to find drug targets that can interfere with the functioning of the clock. Inge will work on this and introduces herself here. Tell...

We are proud to present the BioClock Academy! On the 21st of September, 2022, we will kickoff with a monthly online seminar aiming for an introduction to basic concepts and understanding of biological rhythms. For anyone who is relatively new to the field of chronobiology, certain concepts may be challenging to grasp. With our Academy, we will tackle those issues with seminars by experienced researchers. the first seminar will be held by professor Johanna H. Meijer, the coordinator...

Jip and the first Poplar Hawk-moth Jip Koene, research intern, worked with Hannah Broeckx in the beginning of her project on the effects of light pollution on nocturnal butterflies – better known as moths. These moths are an important chain of a food web as they serve as prey for birds and bats, but also contribute largely to pollination of all sorts of plants. Within this project, Jip and Hannah focused on the Flevopark in Amsterdam and set up different methods to investigate them....