Category: Urban observations
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From ancient city builders to city adapters
Around 100 million years ago, long before humans evolved, the first cities were built on earth [1]. Although these cities were not visible from…
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Urban corals are following in the footsteps of pigeons
When you think of animals that thrive in the city, the first thing that comes to mind might be pigeons and raccoons, but certainly…
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If not pet, why pet shaped?
Everyone is familiar with this image, either from popular media or maybe even from real life: you’re walking through a North American city at…
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Sponge in the City: a nature-based solution for PFAS pollution?
There is a high likelihood that you have recently used (or at least heard about), products containing PFAS. This chemical group, which is widely…
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Bats in Leiden: The night shift nobody talks about
Every evening, about half an hour after sunset, something happens above the canals of Leiden, a city in the Netherlands, that most people miss…
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Our cat’s cousin has returned to the Netherlands!
Our cat’s cousin has returned to the Netherlands! The Netherlands, one of the smallest countries in Europe, is getting wilder! A few days ago,…
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Dealing with relatives and concrete: how to make the city a refuge for wild bees?
Wild bees are declining at alarming rates in rural environments, but cities have the potential to provide habitat for a surprisingly high diversity of…
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Lichens versus Urban Traffic
In my previous blog post I wrote about the beauty and uses of lichens in the city, and I mentioned their use as indicators…
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From Threat to Shelter: How Birds Repurpose Anti-Bird Spikes
Cities are becoming more and more grey, with less and less living biomass. The consequence is that there is not enough natural nesting material…
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Urban acts of defiance: Tiny flowers thriving in concrete jungles
The harsh, brutal urban environment is increasing. In Europe, the Netherlands ranks as one of the countries with the lowest forest cover (10%), with…
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They Know Who You Are: How City Animals Recognize People
In the heart of the city, dominated by human-made material, animals face more than cars and concrete—they face humans. And to survive, some of…
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Relaxing Chipmunks in Urban Areas
The human population around the world keeps growing. With that growth existing cities are expanding and new ones are being built. The urban landscape…
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How the Rose-Ringed Parakeet Conquered the Western World
“Dad, what are those birds? I’ve never seen them before” I remember asking my dad when I was younger. We were outside having a…
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Gulls are taking over our European cities
Coastal cities in Europe are swarmed with gulls, to the annoyance of many of those cities’ inhabitants. Gulls (Larus spp.) are naturally cliff-nesting species,…
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The rise of Culex molestus: True Urban Evolution or a mere eco-type?
A number of years ago there was quite a lot of media attention regarding a possible case of in situ evolution of Culex pipiens…