Podcast: A Deep Dive Into the World of Tiny Crabs
Christos Vlasakidis & Martijn Luinstra A deep dive into the unknown can be uncomfortable, but also utterly fascinating. The course Nature of Scientific Disciplines allowed us to experience exactly that, working in pairs to produce a podcast on a field of science different from our backgrounds. We researched, discussed, and thought a lot about concepts…
White-noise CD works against irritating hum (EN/NL)
Approximately 2 percent of the Dutch population are bothered by low-frequency sound, although a clear cause has never been found. Half of these people can be helped through the use of a CD with white noise, UG researchers say.
Sleepy geese: light pollution keeps them awake (EN/NL)
Just like people, geese get less sleep when it’s light outside. But geese also sleep less during cloudy nights. Sjoerd van Hasselt wondered why. The answer? Light pollution.
Cracking the virus: zooming in to a nanometre (EN/NL)
While others are still battling the coronavirus, biophysicist Martijn Middelkamp is working on combating what’s also called a ‘silent pandemic’: Hepatitis B. He studies the way viruses grow, using one of the strongest microscopes in the world.
How to protect organs on transport? (EN/NL)
Transplant hearts, kidneys, or lungs from brain-dead donors often don’t work as well as organs from living donors. Tina Jager wants to find out why.
Students want to tackle the source of the nitrogen problem: cows’ stomachs (EN/NL)
Ten Groningen students may have discovered the perfect way to solve the nitrogen issue: a food supplement that inhibits the production of ammonia inside cows.
Climate change on the North Pole: It starts off small (EN/NL)
Five years in a row, ecologist Cristophe Brochard went to Svalbard to study plankton: minuscule creatures and algae that tell us how the environment at the polar region is doing. Unfortunately, it’s not doing well. ‘It’s happening here in real time. It’s dramatic.’
Children with severe ADHD should have priority for behavioural therapy (EN/NL)
Some children with ADHD benefit more from behavioural therapy than others, researcher Annabeth Groenman discovered. ‘It’s important these children don’t end up on a wait list.’
Alternative vaccine test leads to less animal testing (EN/NL)
Aurora Signorazzi did her PhD on a way to test vaccines with less animal testing. ‘Ultimately, that is what you are looking for in science. That you find something that is not yet known.’
Goodbye, sense of smell (EN/NL)
Many unfortunate souls lost their sense of smell and taste after a covid infection – perhaps permanently. How does this affect their daily lives, and what can be done to help them?
A good year for godwits, but the population is still declining (EN/NL)
Not everyone enjoyed the cold, wet spring, but it was a blessing for godwits. ‘We haven’t seen this many chicks survive in years’, says meadow bird researcher Jos Hooijmeijer.
Can a great tit turn into a night owl? (EN/NL)
How does light pollution affect birds? Biologists Barbara Helm and PhD student Aurelia Strauss placed smart birdhouses all over the Zernike campus to find out.
Need to stay motivated at work? Reward yourself (EN/NL)
People are always looking for a way to reward themselves. ‘Once I finish this, I can get a coffee.’ The corona crisis has robbed us of these little rewards moments. But Geraldina Gaastra says they’re very important.
Bridging Science 