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Science & Education 23 March 2023

How whale poo and artificial clouds might reverse climate change

In a master class at VU Amsterdam, climate expert Sir David King proposed two innovative solutions for climate repair: artificial whale poo and cloud machines. “Because he is such an amazing speaker, we decided to make this master class open…
Science & Education 17 March 2023

Will the fungus from The Last of Us turn us into zombies?

In the thrilling plot of the hit series The Last of Us, a fungus infects humans and turns them into zombies. Mycologist Vasilis Kokkoris sheds light on how realistic this scenario is.
Science & Education 3 March 2023

How our immune system plays an unexpectedly big role in Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease takes place both in the brain and in the blood, with immune cells playing a vital role. That is what Lynn van Olst discovered during her PhD research, earning her a cum laude degree.
Science & Education 9 February 2023

‘Without collaboration with businesses, you miss out on many opportunities’

To get funding, researchers have to collaborate a lot: with one another, with companies and also internationally. During a Dutch Research Council (NWO) meeting it became evident that this can lead to all sorts of problems, but still: “There’s enough…
Science & Education 30 January 2023

Psychological safety helps to enhance workplace performance

Management teams with high psychological safety perform better than teams where psychological safety is low, according to new research by VU Amsterdam external PhD student Elmira Nijhuis. While it has long been known that psychological safety and good work performance…
Science & Education 25 January 2023

Will computers replace scientists?

Computers can analyse large amounts of data better and faster than humans, and OpenAI’s new chatbot is able to – within seconds – produce a text that looks a lot like a scientific article. Four experts about AI’s potential in…
Science & Education 17 January 2023

Knowledge Security Helpdesk receives almost 150 queries

Which scientists can we work with and how careful should we be? Over the the course of almost 12 months, the Knowledge Security Helpdesk received 148 questions. One year ago, the government launched a Helpdesk intended to help universities en…
Science & Education 5 January 2023

‘Despite teething problems, recognise and reward is the wave of the future’

Universities worldwide are looking for new ways to assess the quality of science. With its new ‘recognise and reward’ focus, the Netherlands has a chance to be among the frontrunners in this area, says AWTI advisory board chair Eppo Bruins….
Science & Education 23 December 2022

Jolanda van der Velden’s mini hearts truly beat

Personalised medicine for heart patients would be an ultimate dream come true for many physicians. The miniature hearts Jolanda van der Velden is building at the Physiology Lab may make that dream a reality.
Science & Education 1 December 2022

‘Foreign powers are after Dutch technology’

“States undertake large-scale activities to acquire knowledge and technology in the Netherlands”, according to a new report by the intelligence services about military and political threats.