Nature reports

Two hundred years’ worth of literature and CT-scanned models give new insights in the evolution of pea crabs. Pea crabs are considered to be parasitic, living inside and on a wide range of hosts, including bivalves, ascidians and..

Due to overharvesting, all ebony wood from Madagascar has been legally protected since 2013. Black ebony is a highly valuable source of wood that is often used in parts of acoustic string instruments. Wood anatomy - the study of..

During a scientific expedition to the Caribbean island Bonaire, a team of scientists discovered a new host for the parasitic gall crab Opecarcinus hypostegus. The little crabs live inside holes in hard coral species, like the new..

Pteropods, abundant aragonitic calcifying plankton, are the equivalent of 'canaries in the coal mine' for our acidifying oceans. Researchers have shown that two major groups of pteropods have Cretaceous origins and hence, must..

The first record of the Gold-fringed Pygmy in Germany prompted a review of this elusive species in Europe. More than half of the known specimens originate from just two countries: 17 from England and 11 from the Netherlands. Is..

The most commonly used method for the taxonomic identification of tree trunks is wood anatomy. The number of experts with a long-term training is decreasing, however, while the technology continues to develop. Wood anatomists from..

Butterfly orchid flowers evolved into different shapes in adaptation to their pollinators. Dewi Pramanik (Naturalis Biodiversity Center) and colleagues reveal the evolutionary origin of three highly specialized orchid floral..

Scientific names of animals and plants consist of two parts: the genus name and the specific name. The genus name is not only a name label, but also an indication of evolutionary relationship: all species with the same genus name..

In 2021, the Amsterdam Zuidas will host 'Sapiens', a unique place where young people and scientists can work together on projects that improve our planet. The initiative will be launched by Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Vrije..

The type of question that museums ask about objects in their collection influences conversations between parents and children. Researchers from Leiden University and Naturalis Biodiversity Center studied how questions influence..