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  • Smart technology for regenerative agriculture

    Drones that monitor crop diseases and sensors that measure soil life: the Synergia research project brings together researchers, companies and societal partners to work on ecological agriculture supported by smart technology. Only by working together can they find answers to the major social and environmental challenges facing the sector.

  • The sound of gravity

    Their existence was predicted in 1915 by Einstein in his general theory of relativity. Now, after more than 25 years of observations with extremely sensitive radio telescopes around the world, gravitational waves with the longest-ever wavelengths have very probably been detected. And this discovery would not have been possible without the crucial contribution of ASTRON’s Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope in the Netherlands.

  • To fly or not to fly

    Every spring and autumn, huge movements of birds, bats and insects migrate through the skies across the earth. Along the way, they encounter an increasingly crowded airspace, where wind turbines and aeroplanes, among other things, are taking up more and more space. Thanks to weather radar, it is now much easier to predict exactly where and when they fly, how high and in what composition.

  • Species seeks species

    In 2023, a project was launched to construct an infrastructure to identify every living species in the Netherlands and to monitor biodiversity. The digital platform, called ARISE (Authoritative and Rapid Identification System for Essential biodiversity information), is the first of its kind in the world. It will provide researchers with various tools for rapid and automated mapping of the natural world by any method. The partners in the project believe it can help to reverse the loss of biodiversity. The platform is already accessible for researchers.

  • Panta Rhei: Fundamental fluid dynamics makes a world of difference

    Next to its instrumental role in flood protection, fluid dynamics has also been crucial for the development of efficient laptop cooling, increasingly powerful computer chips, more accurate climate models, optimised wind turbine parks, and much more. The Netherlands are at the international forefront in this fundamental field with its many and diverse practical applications.

  • Zero-emission battery

    A food truck at a festival, a toiling gardener in the woods or a music video recording in a remote location. These are all situations where there is no power grid but electricity is needed. A unique zero-emission battery system offers a sustainable solution.

  • Long-awaited apology

    'I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul.' On 1 July 2023, precisely 150 years after the abolition of slavery in the former Dutch colonies, King Willem-Alexander apologised on behalf of the Netherlands. What part did science play in the making of that apology?

  • Lessons learned from the coronavirus epidemic

    The coronavirus pandemic has passed. We don’t know whether there will be a second wave, but it goes without saying that we will need to be better prepared if there is. In this article, researchers present a number of lessons they have drawn from the corona period that could prove useful in the event of a recurrence. Watch out for the children and juveniles. Consider more than just the physical effects. Abandon sweeping policies and try to adopt customised measures instead.

  • (Un)acceptable climate risk

    If we want a just world, we need to scale back, according to professor Joyeeta Gupta. By the time we give everyone in the world access to the minimum amount of water, food and shelter, we will essentially have already overshot the Earth’s planetary boundaries.

  • Sharp vision: MRI technology for the eye

    How do you get an accurate image of a small, mobile organ like the eye using MRI? Researchers at Leiden University Medical Centre have managed to do it through technological innovation. And this is of great value for patients.

  • Wonders of the Tour décor: Tour de Geology

    What began as a series of popular blogs to explain geological phenomena that can be seen during television coverage of sports events eventually led to appearances on one of the favourite talk shows on Dutch television during the summer: the Avondetappe hosted by Dione de Graaff. Geologist and cycling fanatic Douwe van Hinsbergen describes the programme as a highpoint of his life. 'I seldom find myself in company with whom I immediately feel so much at home!'

  • In fear and tremor

    Earthquakes sometimes trigger new quakes, and the earth’s plates ‘lock up’ again faster than previously thought. New insights from geoscientists about the underlying mechanisms are enabling us to better prepare for the next earthquake. ‘The accuracy of our predictions today was unthinkable a quarter of a century ago.’