Last week, I got invited by the local radio to talk about our research. The presenter asked me if she would be taking some seeds home from the mountains when she would be travelling there next week. That got me talking, of course, about how our species are on the move, and how we are taking their seeds with us in the mud on our shoes or the tires of our cars.

There was a nice example right outside the door of the radio-station: Japanese knotweed growing tall and dense above everything else. The presenter was highly surprised to find this exotic wonder right outside the frontdoor, but is probably going to be on the look-out for more now!

These poppies also brightened the meadow next to the radiostation. A sign of hope for our biodiversity?

The reason for my 5 minutes of radio-fame was my nomination for the New Scientist Science Talent award, where I made it to the final 5 thanks to appreciation of the broader public and a professional jury for my work and how I am communicating it. The final ceremony is at the end of this month, in Utrecht, where I will defend our national honor as only Belgian scientist among 4 Dutch contestants. Fingers crossed!

You can listen to the full interview (in Dutch) here.