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Reptiles in the city: Should we welcome our reptilian overlords?
Think about a classic urban species. The first ones that come to mind are usually rats, pigeons and cockroaches. I’d bet that less than 10% of people reading this thought of a reptile. With cockroaches (and possibly ants) being the…
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From Twigs to Trash: The Surprising Evolution of Bird Nests
Did you know that it has been estimated that the anthropogenic mass, representing all human-made objects, would exceed the living biomass in 2020 ± 6 years? Each year, humans accumulate 30 Gigatons of anthropogenic mass, based on the averages of…
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Wall Lovers: Plants that can turn canal walls into urban ‘rock gardens’
Urban environments consist mostly of bricks, concrete, asphalt, metal and glass: not very alluring substrates for many terrestrial organisms. Certain mosses and lichens can be seen sometimes on walls in the city, but even they will not easily grow in…
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Froggystyle: Urbanization and the Evolution of Sexual Signaling in the túngara frog
Next to the crucial trade route of the Panama canal sits Panama city, where an intriguing example of urban evolution has taken place. As Panama city has grown from a population of around 200,000 in the 1950’s to a population…
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Dandelions by the Roadside
Do you remember when was the last time you blew dandelion seeds? Do you remember the last time you stopped your busy schedule and noticed a dandelion blooming? As far as I can remember, I haven’t done this since I…
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Nature and the City or Nature in the City?
If I were to ask a typical citizen what comes to mind when they hear the word ‘nature,’ they would likely think of jungles, oceans, and forests. Logical, because when the media talks about how ‘nature is declining’ it usually…
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Light Pollution as a Barrier for the Visibility of Aurora borealis in Urban Environments
Unfortunately, I missed something of which I think is one of the most fantastic natural phenomena the world has to offer. Instead of watching a wonderful dance of light in the sky, I was sleeping… It all happened last Friday…
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Preserving Urban Insects: A Call to Action
Did you know that we are currently witnessing the largest extinction event on Earth in 250 million years? In this context, let’s delve into the crucial role of insects, even in our bustling cities. Contrary to what their small sizes…
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Sponge in the City: a nature-based solution for PFAS pollution?
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Bats in Leiden: The night shift nobody talks about
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An urban fairy-tale: saving butterflies from urbanization
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Behavioral Convergence in Urban Wildlife
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Cities as Evolutionary Incubators: Unlocking the Secret of the Spotted Lanternfly Invasion
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