Tag Archives: Science
A new chapter: looking back, looking forward
Last year I wrote about a major milestone: moving The 3D Lab to Utrecht University and stepping into my role as assistant professor in ecological scaling. Today, I’m happy to share the next chapter in that story: as of November, … Continue reading
How to set up your own microclimate network
Back in 2021, we had an important thought: maybe we should start treating microclimate the same way we treat macroclimate. Weather and climate are monitored by national governments through organized, standardized networks – so why not microclimate too? We wrote … Continue reading
The Tea Bag Index: simple on the surface, complex beneath
Oftentimes the simplest scientific methods hide a whole iceberg of complexity. The Tea Bag Index (TBI) is no exception. On the face of it, it’s brilliantly straightforward: bury some green and rooibos Lipton tea bags, dig them up after about … Continue reading
Non-native plants in the worlds’ cities
Non-native species have been widely studied for decades, and their affinity with urban environments is no surprise to anyone in the field. However, just how many non-native species dwell in our cities was so far unknown. With a global consortium … Continue reading
When the same data tells a different story
Scientific research often presents itself as a search for truth—rigorous, objective, and driven by data. But what if the same dataset, analyzed by different researchers, leads to different conclusions? That’s exactly what happened when a group of ecologists, including myself, … Continue reading
Sensors with a view
Not all fieldwork pictures are equally breathtaking. While part of our team waded through the muddy mud of De Driehoek – one of our university campus’s last patches of nature – another group embarked on a rather more inspiring mission: … Continue reading








