Recharge overview
Diaper theft and other everyday crime during World War II
Why did people steal bicycles, clothes, chickens, and sheep during World War II? And how did they talk about their crimes during their trial? Historian Jan Julia Zurné regularly stumbles upon interesting stories in archival materials of courts during her research. At the beginning of September, the blog 'Oorlogsboeven’ (War Crooks) was published on which these stories can be read and the developments in her research can be followed.
Studying abroad and learning a language
Studying abroad is often seen as the best way to learn a new language, as it allows students to fully immerse themselves in the second language. For her dissertation, linguist Xiaoru Yu investigated the effect of studying abroad on the learning and comprehension of spoken English by Chinese learners of English.
Blind spot in maritime history: Cogs, Small Cogs and Boats
Among hundreds of shipwrecks excavated in the Flevoland polders (reclaimed land of the former Zuiderzee inlet) are more than twenty from the Hanseatic period (ca. 1250-1500). For his research, Karel Vlierman (79) reconstructed these medieval trading vessels - called cogs - piece by piece to contribute to maritime history.
Gaming your healing
Playing videogames can improve your well-being and may even help with recovery from trauma and other mental health challenges.
Do you ever get ‘hangry’?
Many people get short-tempered when they have not eaten for a while; they become ‘hangry’. This is not merely posturing but a survival mechanism that motivates you to start looking for food.
Doubling of depression in pregnant women during corona lockdown
Twice as many pregnant women experienced anxiety and depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands compared to the number during the 'old normal'. The women experienced many worries about the new and unknown virus, diminished social contacts and loss of work and income. In addition, the supporting role of the partner increased, but social and healthcare support fell short. These are the main conclusions of researchers from the Radboudumc, published in Scientific Reports.
Faculty of Science will focus on engineering education
The Faculty of Science (FNWI) is working on plans for engineering courses. There will also be research groups focused specifically on technological developments. With this development, the university is following the example of other general universities.
From Einstein to Falcke: A mathematical history of black holes
In order to understand something about the general theory of relativity, it is important to listen to different experts who all say exactly the right things. Thanks to his book Foundations of General Relativity, which was published by Radboud University Press, Professor Klaas Landsman has also made a contribution to this theory.
The influential society behind painter Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch (circa 1450-1516) was already a celebrated painter in his own time. It is striking that many of the contemporary lovers of Bosch's art were in contact with each other in one way or another. Art historian Marieke van Wamel examined the influential society of burghers, clerics and nobles who made a significant contribution to spreading the fame of Hieronymus Bosch and his work in Europe.
How birds, mammals and children learn sounds
Some songbirds learn to sing by listening to other birds. Some other animals can learn to copy sounds. But what does that tell us about human speech? Sonja Vernes from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen is lead editor of a special issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B on vocal learning in animals and humans, bringing together research on animals ranging from seals and bats to birds and humans.
Help, rivers are getting too warm
Now that the earth is warming, the survival of many species of freshwater fish is in danger according to recent research at Radboud University. Why is it such a problem when species go extinct? And more importantly, what can we do about it? “The scenarios are hopeful and sad at the same time.”
Climate change demands resilient water management
Last summer’s floods once again demonstrated the necessity for a resilient policy. How good is the Dutch policy? What strategies did other countries adopt? What is required to address climate change directly? Mark Wiering, associate professor of Environmental Sciences, conducted research in this area. “The government must communicate the full story.”
The leisure activities of willful workers in Schiedam
What did the workers in Schiedam, a city in the southwest of the Netherlands, do in their spare time between 1850 and 1975? And what does that say about the zeitgeist and socio-economic changes? Historian Paul Bassant mapped it out on the basis of various forms of leisure - from street life to theatre visits.
AI helps the defibrillator think
In the future, the Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and the defibrillator will be able to do more than they do today. Now the devices can only give patients who need to be resuscitated a shock, but in time it will be possible, with the help of artificial intelligence, to say more about the condition of the resuscitated patient.
Campaign aimed at raising awareness among young people about ‘orphanage tourism’
Last week, the Dutch Better Care Network launched their Wees Wijs campaign, which aims to raise awareness among young people about the negative aspects of volunteering in orphanages in developing countries. The campaign is based on research that has been carried out by a group of researchers that include developmental sociologist Sara Kinsbergen from Radboud University. We asked Sara Kinsbergen a couple of questions.
Why we get tired after having a meal
Odds are that after having a meal you get tired: that’s the after-dinner dip. This is because your body and brain enter a resting state, but fortunately you can turn it off yourself!
Language phenomena as bedtime stories
A lot of exciting things happen in the Dutch language and the research on it. In the new book What happens in the Dutch language!? sixty linguists discuss the most diverse linguistic phenomena in Dutch and the role of frequency in it in short, accessible chapters. ‘You can read a chapter before going to sleep, so to speak, and then you quickly have a good idea of what is happening in many different areas.’
How word storage influences our language production
In Dutch, the plural of some words can be formed in two ways, as with aardappel (potato): both aardappelen (potatoes) and aardappels (potatoes) are correct. Linguist Tim Zee used this plural variation to investigate how different processes play a role in human language ability and how they interact.
'We have a moral responsibility to welcome Afghans'
Romain Malejacq has been studying Afghanistan since 2007. He is a researcher at the Center for International Conflict Analysis and Management (CICAM) and wrote the book Warlord Survival: The Delusion of State Building in Afghanistan. What are his views on the current developments in Afghanistan? How does he see the future for the war-torn country? And what is our responsibility in the West?
What it looks like when a black hole snacks on a star
While black holes and toddlers don't seem to have much in common, they are remarkably similar in one aspect: Both are messy eaters, generating ample evidence that a meal has taken place. New research from Radboud University and the University of Arizona documents a fatal encounter between an unlucky star and an intermediate-mass black hole.