ScienceLink artikelen in C2W International 2025
View all stories from this issue.
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InternationalFrom sugar to safety: a new era in flame retardants
While many current flame retardants are effective, they contain halogens such as chlorine or bromine, which are not ideal in terms of safety. In ChemCatChem, researchers from KU Leuven, Oleon and Devan present the synthesis approach of a new phosphorous, biobased flame retardant.
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InternationalHormone-free plant regeneration
Researchers at Wageningen University & Research and KeyGene have developed a method that enables plant cells to regenerate into new plants without the need for externally administered hormones. The researchers report their findings in The Plant Cell.
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InternationalMysterious dimer unravelled
For decades, researchers labelling cysteines with methanethiosulfonate groups have observed the formation of a mysterious dimer. Martina Huber set to work with a team from Leiden to unravel the hitherto unknown structure. The answer to the puzzle can be found in ChemistryOpen.
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InternationalProtecting your focus time in academia
Between endless emails, meetings, and administrative tasks, finding time for deep work has become increasingly difficult in academic life. In her final column of the year, Isabelle Kohler shares the strategies she’s developed to protect time for the work that truly fulfills her: writing, reading, and thinking.
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InternationalSensor visualises DNA damage without interference
Biochemists at Utrecht University have developed a fluorescent sensor that makes DNA damage and repair visible in living cells and animals for the first time. In an article published in Nature Communications, the researchers demonstrate how the sensor binds to damaged DNA without interfering with the repair process.
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InternationalDutch researchers receive M grants for innovative research projects
Research that is both innovative and fundamental, and which is of a high quality and/or scientific urgency. This is the goal of the 21 successfully funded projects. Some of the projects also involve members of our associations.
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InternationalYSF2026: Meet the speakers
The Young Scientist Forum (YSF2026) offers a combination of scientific presentations and career talks covering all those other topics that are crucial to researchers. We can already introduce the speakers. Not yet registered? Don’t wait too long, the deadline is 10 December 2025.
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InternationalChemistry set
A chemistry set for children seems like a perfect gift. But when Sjoerd Rijpkema got one himself, he was met with an unpleasant surprise.
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InternationalProtecting crops with sugar molecules
How can we ensure that pesticides used in agriculture are both effective and safe? Ghent-based start-up B-COS hopes to provide part of the solution with chitooligosaccharides, which are produced by bacteria. These carbohydrate-like substances act as a vaccine, boosting the plant’s immune system.
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InternationalShould you quit your PhD?
‘Should I quit my PhD?’ is a question many doctoral students face but few dare to voice. In her column, Isabelle Kohler explores why this decision feels so taboo, reflects on her own moments of doubts as a PhD student, and offers practical support for anyone wrestling with this question.
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InternationalEnvironmentally Friendly Additives in Cement and Plasterboard
Additives in cement and plaster ensure strong, water-resistant materials, but they are often expensive and harmful to the environment. PhD candidate Annet Baken discovered how such substances influence the nanoscale crystal formation of building minerals, thereby slowing down the hardening process.
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InternationalThe Antwerp renaissance of the plastics sector
Newcomer Vioneo plans to produce plastics from green methanol on a large scale in Antwerp. The strict environmental regulations in Europe are actually an advantage. ‘It supports our business case.’
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International‘Cross-cutting conferences are a great way to broaden your horizon’
Looking ahead to ECC10 in Antwerp, C2W International had a quick chat with plenary speaker Kim Jelfs, professor of Computational Materials Chemistry at Imperial College London.
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InternationalExploring what’s next: 10 tips for early-career researchers shaping their career path
PhD students and postdocs highly specialise in research and scientific expertise. Something that’s often lacking is looking forward to career options. In this special edition of Exploring Academia, Isabelle Kohler presents ten tips to help you take actionable steps towards your career preparation.
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InternationalA thousand times better with microfluidic protein identification platform
Structural biologists from Vrije Universiteit Brussel have presented a new microfluidic platform called MISO to Nature Methods. This reduces the necessary protein purification by up to a factor of one thousand.
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InternationalNew Bachelor’s degree in Green Chemistry in Emmen
NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences has launched a new Bachelor’s degree in Green Chemistry to train eco-conscious chemists.
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InternationalMeasuring dementia threads with peptide dyes
In PNAS, biochemists from Utrecht University and their international colleagues present a new measurement method called FibrilPaint, which makes the growth of harmful protein clumps in the brain visible.
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InternationalWill you become a researcher or an AI user?
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the world in just three years. Isabelle Kohler ponders this rapid transformation and questions whether the focus on output in academia risks undermining the core purpose of PhD training. She argues that PhD students should develop skills and expertise, not just deliver results, and ...
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InternationalSuper antibiotic EVG7 keeps beneficial bacteria intact
It’s been just over a year since C2W | Mens & Molecule first wrote about the super antibiotic EVG7. Now, the Leiden team has returned, showing that EVG7 selectively targets the harmful bacterium Clostridioides difficile without significantly affecting beneficial gut bacteria in a mouse model.
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InternationalRegistration is now open: FEBS Young Scientist Forum 2026
Maastricht will be the place to be for the international biochemistry and molecular biology community from 4 to 8 July 2026, when it will host the 50th FEBS Congress. Although this may seem a long way off, there is every reason to take action now. Registration is now open for the FEBS Young Scientists Forum, which will take place from 2 to 4 July 2026.