From November 2025 to February 2026, IVN Texel, in collaboration with NIOZ, is organizing a new series of winter lectures on the theme of "Small Animals." Tuesday, November 18, 2025: Undersea Hot Springs of Life (by Sabine Gollner - NIOZ and Jan de Leeuw - NIOZ / IVN). In 1977, scientists discovered that deep-sea hot springs teem with microbes. These microbes derive their energy not from sunlight, but from chemical compounds in the hot water. Many of these "tiny creatures" live in symbiosis with larger animals, such as meter-long tube worms. The organisms at these springs exhibit remarkable forms of evolution. There is strong evidence that precisely these kinds of springs, some four billion years ago, formed the nursery of the first life on Earth—the cradle of the single ancestor from which all current and extinct life descends. Tuesday, January 13: Mycorrhiza: Important Helpers in the Soil (by Malin Klein - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam). Mycorrhizal fungi live in symbiosis with almost all plant roots. They exchange nutrients with the plant and thus play a key role in ecosystems. There are different types of mycorrhizae, with different strategies and effects on plant growth and soil health. How exactly do these relationships work, and why can't plants survive without them? Wednesday, January 28, 2026: The Power of Soil Fungi (by Jan Buijs - NIOZ). Mycorrhiza are soil fungi that form a close partnership with the root system of plants. This helps plants absorb nutrients and water more efficiently and makes them more resilient to stress. This collaboration between root and fungus forms the basis for sustainable food production. Wednesday, February 11, 2026: Rhythm of the Beach (by Henk Bolhuis - NIOZ). A dune covered in the colored layers of cyanobacteria, often but incorrectly called blue-green algae, on the beach of Schiermonnikoog and in the mysterious bacterial "fairy rings" in Guérande, France. Time-lapse videos and photos reveal how these microscopic communities move, grow, and form patterns in rhythm with their environment. Time: 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM. Admission: Free. Registration required via: www.nioz.nl/en/news/ivnnioz-winterlezingen-20252026