Recharge overview
Bothnian Sea Expedition: a quest for methane-eating microbes
An international team of researchers, led by Radboud University, funded by the ERC Marix project and NESSC, left at the start of July on board of the research vessel Pelagia: the Dutch flagship for marine research. For two weeks, the team studied the dynamics of methane in the Bothnian Sea.
Alternative form of communication reduces needle fear in children
Many children are afraid of needles. This causes stress and unrest, which causes a blood draw to take longer and sometimes to go less well. A study conducted by Radboud university medical center shows that an alternative form of communication reduces anxiety during a blood draw. In addition, it considerably shortens the duration of the procedure.
“Volunteers are like the fire brigade in providing support to refugees”
Volunteers play a crucial role in providing support to refugees. What drives these people to get involved? Sociologists from Radboud University and Utrecht University decided to find out. “It gives people pleasure and satisfaction to spend their time in a meaningful way, and to see their efforts lead to quick results.”
15th 4Days Marches Research concerns the heart, hydration and heat
The heart, hydration and body temperature are what this year's 4Days Marches Research of Radboud university medical center is all about. With this, the researchers in the 15th edition return to where the study began in 2007. Since that year, they have followed hundreds of participants every year during the 4Days Marches. Professor of Physiology Maria Hopman is head of research.
Floating plants best at purifying wastewater
According to research by Lisanne Hendriks, an ecologist at Radboud University, azolla and duckweed are the best floating aquatic plants for purifying wastewater. The plants absorb nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater and so render it much cleaner. The phosphorus and other pollutants in the water can then be recovered and reused.
Twelve years in the saddle with Aristotle
It started in 2007 as a joke. A friendly bet prompted alumnus Bram Witvliet to hop on his bike. The mission? To cycle through all of Brabant, taking photographic evidence of each town sign he passed along the way. The joke soon grew into a twelve-year passion project that took Bram through all of the Netherlands. With 250 cycling trips, 25,249.47 kilometres, and 3,075 towns in the books, the journey was complete. The former Classics student penned a book about his experiences (Bram Fietst) in which he recounts the remarkable thoughts and places that struck him.
Learn how to program your way
Programming skills are in high demand among students, internship organisations and employers. It therefore comes as no surprise that the enrolment numbers for the elective course Introduction to R Programming in Biology is also on the rise. These students come from vastly different backgrounds and have different preferences. With this in mind, assistant professor Jelle Hilbers felt it was high time to update the course to the needs of his students. He was awarded a €55,000 Comenius Teaching Fellow grant to do just that and explains how he plans to use it.
Long live the RAVE! Dancing as a form of rebellion
Dancing until the sun comes up to adrenaline-pumping beats or minimalistic rhythms while immersed in a seemingly endless trance with like-minded people. Raving is the subject of Roel Smeets' Radboud Reflects lecture at Stadseiland Stek
Migrants after Brexit: 'If you don't want me, I don't want you either'
Brexit may have made it a lot harder for British companies to retain highly skilled migrants. Many migrants feel they need to distance themselves from the United Kingdom, even as others indicated not being affected at all, according to a new study published in the Academy Management Discoveries. With a growing populist backlash against migration in a number of countries around the world, from Brexit to Trump's rhetoric in the United States, the study provides valuable insight for companies with a high number of migrants among staff.
Looking for sulphur via the James Webb Space Telescope
Thanks to research by two Radboud students, as of 1 July, scientists from Radboud University will be able to use the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to test their predictions. From this month, the scientists will be allotted 35 hours of observation time on the JWST to look for the presence of sulphur dioxide in the atmospheres of three exoplanets.
Clock-like precision of pulsars opens new window for studying gravitational waves
A team of European astronomers, along with Indian and Japanese colleagues, has reported evidence that strongly suggests the detection of ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves. Such waves, which have not previously been observed, probably originate from pairs of supermassive black holes at the centre of merging galaxies. This discovery is the result of more than 25 years of observations with the most sensitive radio telescopes in Europe and India, including the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) in the Netherlands. In doing so, they have opened a new window for studying gravitational waves, which can give astronomers a glimpse into the universe's best-kept secrets. The team's research has been published in a series of articles in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics
Energy subsidy reforms in Europe require step-by-step approach
Countries around the European Union are looking at reforms of energy subsidies, to encourage more sustainable energy use and to accommodate the higher prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. These countries should be careful and considerate of the effects these reforms may have on the firms and productivity in these countries, Natascha Wagner, a researcher from Radboud University, and her colleague Zahra Zarepour (Erasmus University) warn. Their study of an energy reform in Iran in 2010, published in Energy Economics, identifies some challenges that can come with such reforms.
Playfully practicing speaking and reading
The Centre for Language and Speech Technology at Radboud University Nijmegen and the game company 8D Games have jointly investigated the possibilities of speech technology embedded in games that promote reading and speaking skills. During the project, the game concept and functional prototype DigiJuf was developed and tested at various stages on primary school-aged children.
Fight against the couch potato in you
It’s no secret that people generally prefer tasks that are easy and require minimum effort over those that are more challenging. A recent study shows that you can overcome this laziness when there’s a chance for learning.
Brain basics: A journey through the brain
Our brains are complex organs that display a variety of functions. How are they structured? In this blog, we will commence on a journey through the areas, structures, and organization of our brains.
Project against waste of expensive medicines gets follow-up
A research project against medicine waste at Radboud university medical center is being expanded to ten additional hospitals, including all UMCs. The project started in 2020 in four hospitals, led by Radboudumc. It showed that redistributing medicines can save millions of euros per year. Now the project is getting a nationwide follow-up.
Aquatic animals living closer to the edge when it comes to heat stress
Amphipods have a much smaller safety margin to cope with warmer water in rivers than has been recognised previously. They also need to get used to warmer water gradually. This is shown by the research of, among other ecologists, Wilco Verberk of Radboud University.
'European slavery in Asia seems to have disappeared from collective memory'
Historian Dries Lyna and his colleagues are trying to bring the forgotten Asian slavery back into history. ‘We want to reconstruct family histories of enslaved people and their descendants’ With his research, Lyna hopes to contribute to a wider awareness of the colonial past and its repercussions on our culture.
History of slavery on Aruba and St. Eustasius online
Island communities such as Aruba and St. Eustasius were hit hard by slavery. This is apparent from the databases Aruba: slavernij en emancipatie, 1840–1863 (Aruba: slavery and emancipation, 1840–1863) and Sint Eustatius. Borderellen en emancipatieregister, 1862–1863 (St. Eustasius. Slave owner registers and emancipation register, 1862–1863), as published on the websites of the Archivo Nacional Aruba (ANA) and the Dutch National Archives in The Hague on 29 June. Using the databases, citizens can now conduct their own research into slavery on Aruba and St. Eustasius, for instance by searching for the surnames given to their ancestors after the Dutch Abolition of Slavery in 1863.
Reflecting the spirit of the times in music
Music is like a mirror of society. And more than that even. It is also predictive and anticipatory, a harbinger of things to come. Although we often only see this in retrospect, says Frank Mehring, Professor of American Studies at Radboud University. He teaches twentieth and twenty-first century visual culture and music, and talks about the link between music and society.