News
Science
Marine mammals developed thicker bones as diving weights in super salty sea
23/11/2021
Palaeontologists have discovered that marine mammals developed thicker and heavier bones as an adaptation to a salty inland sea in Central Europe some 13 million years ago.
Science
360-million-year-old shark jaw discovered in Belgian Ardennes
16/11/2021
A team of researchers, including palaeontologist Sébastien Olive (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences), has described a 360 million-year-old shark jaw found in the Belgian Ardennes. It is an exceptional find because cartilage almost never fossilizes.
Science
The management and operation of the new BELGICA is entrusted to the French shipping company Genavir
15/11/2021
The new oceanographic research vessel Belgica will be operated by Genavir, specialised in the management of scientific vessels. The manager of the French oceanographic fleet will thus also become the first French shipping company to manage a ship under the Belgian flag.
Science
Origin of domestic horses finally established
20/10/2021
Horses were first domesticated in the northern Caucasus, before conquering the rest of Eurasia within a few centuries.
Science
Marine mammals in Belgium in 2020
08/10/2021
In a new report, the RBINS summarises the results of the monitoring and research of marine mammals in Belgium in 2020.
Science
Belgian mussels developed stronger shells
21/09/2021
Belgian mussels have developed stronger shells over the last hundred years. More calcareous shells protect them better from crabs’ claws and seagulls’ beaks. These predators have increased significantly in number during the last fifty years.
Science
Six new snake species described
10/06/2021
Two of them live in trees in Central Africa, three others on limestone hills in Thailand and another one near mountain rivers in the north of South-East Asia and the south of China.
Science
Neanderthals disappeared from Belgium thousands of years earlier than thought
09/03/2021
Belgian Neanderthal remains, including the world-famous Neanderthals of Spy, are thousands of years older than previously assumed. This is the conclusion of an international research team that re-dated the Belgian Neanderthal remains with a new technique. This discovery implies that Neanderthals disappeared from Belgium much earlier than thought and are therefore no longer the youngest Neanderthals in Europe.
Science
Study of Ancient Dog DNA Traces Canine Diversity to the Ice Age
29/10/2020
A global study of ancient dog DNA presents evidence that there were different types of dogs more than 11,000 years ago in the period immediately following the Ice Age.
Science
Neanderthals inherited the Y chromosome from modern humans.
08/10/2020
An international team of researchers has discovered that genetic exchange occurred between early modern humans and Neanderthals more than 100,000 years ago. Interbreeding between these two groups led to the complete replacement of the Neanderthal Y chromosome with that of early modern humans. The Homo sapiens Y chromosome likely offered a selective advantage and, over time, replaced all Neanderthal Y chromosomes. For this study, published in the journal Science, the DNA of a Neanderthal fossil from Spy was analyzed.