Aktuelles

New research by the Institute of Natural Sciences identifies a significant increase in non-compliance with international ship emission regulations among shadow fleet vessels operating in the North Sea region.

The last Neandertals in our region, just over 40,000 years ago, turn out to have been quite genetically diverse, a finding that challenges the idea that inbreeding and genetic deterioration were a major cause of their extinction.

On 10 May 2026, the Foam Alert Service that was developed by the Institute of Natural Sciences in 2020 indicated a high risk of dangerous foam formation along the Belgian and Dutch coasts. Alerts were subsequently issued to municipalities and surf clubs, and no incidents occurred.

The last Neanderthals, including the individuals found in Belgian caves, descended from a single group that had survived a bitterly cold period by retreating to southwestern France.

On February 19, 2026, Sylvain Gozingan brilliantly defended his doctoral thesis entitled “Developing a multi-scale modelling framework for coastal hydrodynamics and larval connectivity in the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa.” His work leads to important conclusions for the sustainable management of shrimp stocks in Benin.

Haolong dongi is a new species of iguanodontian from China, whose skin has been preserved at the cellular level, and with spikes that have never been seen before in dinosaurs.

Palaeontologists from our institute have redrawn the evolutionary tree of horses and their close relatives. Based on an in-depth comparative study, they conclude that the first horses appeared at least 5 million years later than previously thought, approximately 50 million years ago.

Researchers from the Institute of Natural Sciences confirm the survival and growth of juvenile European flat oysters introduced in July 2025 as part of the BELREEFS project. The results of the first monitoring campaign evidence a promising start for Belgium’s offshore restoration of European flat oyster reefs.