Dank u / merci, Jane Goodall 🙏 www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/20...

A placoderm species that lived some 400 million years ago offers us a glimpse into the very earliest beginnings of tooth evolution: dental plates attached to the palate with small teeth that grew in all directions. #ScienceNews 👉 www.naturalsciences.be/en/science/n... #naturalsciencesbelgium

"Every organism pinned, bottled, or mounted in the Institute is a data point in an immense story: the planet’s living archive." Great article in @brusselstimes.com on our natural history collections : www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/1754... #naturalsciencesbelgium

Similar cousins, and yet so different animals! See the skull of my new species Cariocecus bocagei -published this week- at the foot of the Iguanodon statue at @naturalsciences-be.bsky.social for #fossilfriday #dinosaur #paleontology

Fantastic "first" #EvolutionaryGenomics day @naturalsciences-be.bsky.social with talks from Kerstin Johannesson, Felicity Jones, Alexander Suh, @wenjuanma84.bsky.social, @mariamadrid16.bsky.social, and many others 🐌🐦🐟🐞🐚🌱🧬

New iguanodon species discovered in Portugal! #ScienceNews A new species of plant-eating dinosaur has been discovered in Portugal: Cariocecus bocagei, an iguanodont from the Early Cretaceous with an exceptionally well-preserved skull. 👉 www.naturalsciences.be/en/science/n...

Geologists assess natural disaster risks for European cities www.naturalsciences.be/en/science/n...

These days at @naturalsciences-be.bsky.social I had the chance to visit the world’s largest otolith collection! Mostly marine specimens from a project started more than 100 years ago! Amazing to be a scientist and get the chance to go behind the scenes! #fish #otolith

Dernières semaines pour explorer SAUVAGE ? L’expo où la frontière entre l’humain et l’animal devient trouble ! Profitez-en jusqu’au 31 août. bit.ly/exposauvage Laatste weken om binnen te lopen in WILD? De expo waarin de grens tussen mens en dier vervaagt! Nog t.e.m 31 augustus. bit.ly/expowild

Step aside, Velociraptor — here comes Shri rapax! This recently described predatory dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia had powerful hands and an exceptionally long claw, allowing it to tackle larger prey than other raptors living in the same desert. 👉 bit.ly/shrirapax #sciencenews

Great article in New Scientist about the #domestication of the #wolf, featuring our palaeontologist Mietje Germonpré 👉 www.newscientist.com/article/2489...

Beau reportage de la RTBF sur notre institut et nos pièces maîtresses : les iguanodons de Bernissart 👉 www.rtl.be/actu/magazin...

🌊 New report on marine mammals in Belgium in 2024 🐬 36 porpoises, 72 seals & 1 young minke whale washed ashore last year. Live humpback whales, minke whales, bottlenose, common & white-beaked dolphins were seen! 📘 More info & report (NL/FR): shorturl.at/9bpdX #marinemammals #NorthSea

🌊 Coral Reefs & Coastal Treasures — Admire, Don't Acquire 🐚 Coral reefs and coastal habitats are some of nature’s most breathtaking wonders. Each year, millions of people go diving or visit these fragile environments, drawn by their vibrant beauty and unique biodiversity.

Kringwinkel Stroom kreeg recent iets ongewoons binnen: een fossiel. Het blijkt een stuk bekken van een mammoet. 🦣 De vzw schenkt het fossiel nu aan onze collecties 🙏 👉 www.naturalsciences.be/nl/wetenscha...

#ShowYourStripes Day spotlights climate change using warming stripes to visualise 190+ years of data. Belgian stripes are based on robust records from the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium: www.climatecentre.be/post/2025-sh... #ClimateAction #Belgium | meteobe.bsky.social

🧬 BopCo is contributing to the development of a reference DNA database of valuable collection specimens! Did you know that the @naturalsciences-be.bsky.social in Brussels holds one of the 10 largest natural science collections in the world, with approximately 38 million specimens?

🪲 La Belgique ne compte pas moins de 4 672 espèces de coléoptères. C'est ce qui ressort d'une nouvelle liste établie par des entomologistes et des citoyens scientifiques. 👉 www.naturalsciences.be/fr/science/a... [Photo: Le ‘Minotaure’ (Typhaeus typhoeus), E. Derous] #naturalsciencesbelgium

🪲 België telt maar liefst 4.672 keversoorten, blijkt uit een nieuwe inventaris door entomologen en burgerwetenschappers. 👉 www.naturalsciences.be/nl/wetenschap/nieuws/nieuwe-inventaris-bevestigt-grote-rijkdom-aan-kevers-in-belgie [Foto: driehoornmestkever; E. Derous] #naturalsciencesbelgium

🐺 The two remarkably well-preserved Tumat Ice Age pups have been identified as wolves rather than early domesticated dogs, thanks to an international study involving researchers from the Institute of Natural Sciences. 👉 www.naturalsciences.be/en/science/n... #naturalsciencesbelgium

CRYOLOPHOSAURUS 🦖❄

The #Parasaurolophus crest? 🔍 It is hollow but closed at the end, so it was not used to breathe underwater as people thought for a long time. 🤿 🔊However, it did amplify sounds! The Parasaurolophus could warn of danger, be recognised by its own sort, tackle a rival or attract a female.

🌊 Small eaters, big impact: offshore wind farms aren’t just powering homes — they’re rewiring marine food webs ⚡🐟 New research shows suspension feeders on turbines boost productivity + reshape energy flow in the North Sea. 📖 Read: www.nature.com/articles/s43... #OffshoreWind #MarineEcology

Urban Archaeology Days ! Le 15.06, les archéologues de notre Institut vous invitent à découvrir cette profession fascinante. Initiez-vous à l’analyse de squelettes humains, des ossements animaux et des graines anciennes! 👉 archaeologydays.urban.brussels?lang=fr #urban_brussels

Urban Archaeology Days! Archeologen van ons Instituut bieden je op zo 15.06 een kijkje achter de schermen van hun fascinerende beroep. Leer hoe je menselijke skeletten analyseert 🦴, dierenbotten herkent 🐎, en oude zaden onderzoekt 🔬. 👉 archaeologydays.urban.brussels?lang=nl #urban_brussels

🌊 BLUE4ALL launched an engaging Photography Contest! 📸 Share your best ocean shots & support marine conservation. We're part of this EU project rethinking Marine Protected Areas, with people at the heart. Details @ shorturl.at/9TF57 #Blue4All #OceanMissionEU

Crocodylus depressifrons 🐊🔍 Closely related to #dinosaurs, #crocodiles such as "Crocodylus depressifrons" from Leval are also archosaurs but their posture is erect when they run and semi-erect when they walk (legs folded outward).

📅🔬 On June 18th, 2025, the #CitizenScienceFair brings together families, students, teachers, scientists, non-scientists, curious minds, and even passers-by in the gardens of the Natural Sciences Institute in Brussels. 🌳🏛 👉🏼 www.naturalsciences.be/en/museum/ne...

"Check, Clean, Dry" - Curbing biological invasions in our inland waters! 🌱💧🦐 👉🏼 www.naturalsciences.be/en/science/n...

[La Minute Positive 👀▶️] Des chercheurs rapportent la découverte de 3 plantes utilisées pour teindre des textiles au Moyen Âge à Bruxelles et à Malines. @naturalsciences-be.bsky.social 🔗https://dailyscience.be/27/03/2025/des-plantes-medievales-uniques-coloraient-bruxelles-et-malines/

🌊 Belgium & France launched the 2025 #MultipurposeMaritimeOperation in the North Sea 👉 coastguards join forces for search & rescue, pollution & emission control & more. Our Scientific Service MUMM will work with Defence in the use of drones for smart aerial surveillance. More @ shorturl.at/sVV4x

[NL] 🦕🌍 Bezoek van de minister van Wetenschapsbeleid aan het Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen [FR] 🦕🌍 Visite de la Ministre chargée de la Politique scientifique à l'Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique @vanessamatz.bsky.social @naturalsciences-be.bsky.social

Wat vind jij van ons museum? Help ons jouw museumervaring nog aangenamer te maken. Beantwoord enkele vragen en maak kans op een reis! De enquête is volledig anoniem en invullen kost je slechts 10 minuten. Hartelijk dank! Ik neem deel! 👉 befr.sentomus.eu/2196

Que pensez-vous de notre musée ? Aidez-nous à rendre votre expérience muséale toujours plus agréable. Répondez à quelques questions et tentez de gagner un voyage ! L’enquête, complètement anonyme, ne vous prendra que 10 minutes. Merci ! Je participe! 👉 befr.sentomus.eu/2196

TAXONOMY RECOGNITION DAY 2025 🔬🦗 Today, we celebrated #Taxonomy Day at the Institute of Natural Sciences, together with the #TETTRIsEU. 🔍 Taxonomy Recognition Day is an annual opportunity to highlight this essential scientific discipline: the identification, classification, and naming of organisms.

🌍🌿 World Biodiversity Day 2025 🌿🌍 Today, on the International Day for Biological Diversity, we celebrate the incredible variety of life on Earth and highlight the urgent need to protect it. #BiodiversityDay #JournéeBiodiversité #Biodiversiteitsdag

✈️ In 2024, our Coast Guard plane flew 220 hrs over the North Sea - #AerialSurveillance : ✅ No oil spills 🚢 4 discharges of other liquids 🛳️ Dozens of ships with suspicious emissions 🐬 5,200+ porpoises spotted ⚠️ Aircraft is nearly 50 yrs old — replacement urgently needed! More info 👉 shorturl.at/OZ8Fv

Grow to survive!🦕 Like tree trunks, #dinosaur bones have growth rings that reveal the age of the animal and how fast it grew.🌳🦴 🔍 For example, #Maiasaura went from 30 cm at birth to nearly 4 metres in just 2 years! It reached adult size — about 9 metres — between the ages of 6 and 8.

@naturalsciences-be.bsky.social and #CETAF together again to celebrate the 2nd #taxonomy Recognition Day in #brussels! This edition is focused on #citizenscience Register here 👉 bit.ly/4mbzJNt and discover how to become a taxonomist and protect #biodiversity naming it! Because... #nameittosaveit

🛶🌿 New campaign : Check – Clean – Dry A simple habit to stop invasive species from wrecking our rivers & lakes. After any water activity: ✅ Check your gear 🧼 Clean it 🌞 Let it dry (48h) Because tiny hitchhikers can cause BIG problems.💧💪 More info 👉 www.iasregulation.be/checkcleandry

The Paranthrops: another humanity? 🐵 ⏳ While the first representatives of the genus Homo were emerging in Africa around 2.6 million years ago, three species from the human lineage were evolving in parallel: the Paranthrops. The name Paranthropus actually means "alongside humans".

[NL] 🏳️‍🌈✨ Laat de pride vlag maar wapperen [FR] 🏳️‍🌈✨ Que flotte le drapeau arc-en-ciel #bePROUD

[WILD?] 🦊❓ Less than 4 months left to enjoy our Wild exhibition! 👉🏼 www.naturalsciences.be/en/museum/ex...

🦋TAXONOMY RECOGNITION DAY🦋 - 23/05/2025 📅 Each year on May 23rd, we celebrate the vital science of taxonomy—the practice of identifying, naming, and classifying living things. Discover the full programm below and register here EUSurvey - Survey by May 21st. 👉🏼 www.naturalsciences.be/en/science/n...

🐧💻 This week, a colour 3D scan of our Great Auk was carried out at the Institute. 🌾 This digitisation was done in preparation for the exhibition “Doggerland. Verdwenen wereld in de Noordzee”, which will take place at the Zwin Nature Park from 28 June to 2 November 2025.

🦪 The European Flat oyster, back from (never?) being gone? Find out more about the comeback of this iconic marine ecosystem engineer to Belgian waters and on the role of man-made structures in this process 👉 shorturl.at/7HlCR. #naturerestoration #northsea #biodiversity #oyster #buildingwithnature

🌊 NID4BirdLIFE will provide nesting sites for black-legged kittiwake on Belgium's future energy island. Register for the webinar (20 May, 11h30) where we and our partners, @renewablesgrid.bsky.social, @inbo.be and @eliagroup.bsky.social will share insights on this approach ! 🔗 shorturl.at/DL4Bt

🦖🌴 Ten million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs, the climate warmed up rapidly and became more humid, resulting in a tropical environment. 🐦 In this context, the diversification of birds, which was already underway before extinction, accelerated.

🌿🌊 Dense vegetation on salt marshes can make them vulnerable to sea level rise. How? The plants block sediment from spreading, causing the marsh interior to sink relative to the rising water. 👉 shorturl.at/PODCj @uantwerpen.be @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social @aslo.org @globalchangebio.bsky.social

Insects, spiders, scorpions, crustaceans, millipedes…🕷🦋🦂 they’re all waiting for you in the Arthropodium! 🌍🐜 Arthropods – animals with six or more legs – make up no less than 80% of all known animal species. Take a close-up look at their external skeletons. 🔬