Recharge overview
How they celebrate carnival abroad
Below the rivers, it’s the time of year: carnival! Yet every carnival city has its own traditions. But what is it like abroad? In this edition of “What do scientists say about …”, three scholars reflect on carnival outside the Netherlands.
Born from an alternative womb: who are your legal parents?
According to Lisa van Roermund, PhD candidate in Family Law at Radboud University, recent societal and technological developments are begging for a new definition of parenthood. “Legislators must anticipate to avoid future problems.”
Jacques Vriens is ambassador of the Kletskoppen Festival: “Making every child a reader”
Jacques Vreins is the Netherlands’ first Children’s Book Ambassador and will also be present in his role as ambassador at the Kletskoppen Festival: the free language festival taking place on 22 February in Nijmegen.
Pay gap among academics does not stop at university
The pay gap between men and women does not disappear when they leave university, even with a PhD. In fact, immediately after obtaining their doctorate, women already start with an average disadvantage of 171 euros per month.
Surviving slavery: family ties were vital
Young children who grew up in slavery on Surinamese plantations were much more likely to die if they were without a mother. This is evident from a historical analysis of Surinamese slave registers.
More social support can sometimes lead to more – and sometimes to less – use of mental health care
Social support plays a crucial role in both accessing appropriate care and in scaling care down. Beckers will defend his PhD thesis at Radboud University on 13 February.
Everyone unconsciously adapts their communication for children – including autistic adults
When you talk to a child as an adult, you unconsciously change the way you speak. It is often thought that such adjustments are more difficult for autistic people, but new research shows that this group can initiatially keep up.
Who is responsible for a collision involving a self-driving car?
AI scientist Lotte van Elteren helps us understand what is at stake and what to consider when using AI in her book Ik, AI (I, AI).
Why focus is decisive in an Olympic dream
Giving a great performance when the stakes are high. This is the challenge many athletes will face in the next couple of weeks during the Olympic Winter Games. What does it take to achieve the best possible focus at the right time – under pressure?
Are Curious Babies Smart Toddlers?
Volgens Eline de Boer zijn baby’s zijn ongelooflijk leergierig. Waarschijnlijk werkt deze leergierigheid als een boost voor de cognitieve ontwikkeling op de lange termijn.
Five tips for the InScience 2026 science film festival
From 3 to 8 March 2026, the InScience Film Festival will once again take place in Nijmegen. There you can discover dozens of science films, in-depth talks, experiments and art installations. The theme of this edition is “The Things We Do For Love”.
Research reveals regional and demographic differences in Parkinson’s disease in the Netherlands
Parkinson's disease is more common among people with a higher socioeconomic status and in the northern provinces of the Netherlands. This and more has been revealed by a large-scale study conducted by researchers at Utrecht University and Radboudumc.
Why plastic-free products are often still made of ... plastic
This may sound familiar. You are in the supermarket and you consciously choose a ‘plastic-free’ or ‘sustainable’ product, only to discover later that there was plastic in it after all. How is that possible?
Four tips to keep your New Year’s resolutions in February
Daniela Becker, Jacqueline Vink, Eliana Vassena en Hanneke den Ouden geven je vier tips om je goede voornemens ook in februari (en misschien nog wel langer) vol te houden.
How your life course can affect your retirement
Pension inequality does not only arise around retirement age, but builds up throughout life. These are the findings of researcher Mustafa Firat, who will obtain his PhD from Radboud University on 28 January.
Meeting up with other students is a good way to prevent loneliness
Loneliness is a common problem among students. However, encouraging students to socialise at an early stage can improve the well-being of this group. This is evident from an experiment with a new preventive intervention.
One year of Trump: unpopular, but efficient
On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump began his second term as president of the United States. From that day on, the world was struck by one surprise after another.
Sport and sexuality: the unexpected success of Heated Rivalry
Heated Rivalry, a six-part drama about two hockey players who develop a romantic relationship, is a hype. Communication scientist Joël Hendrix explains what makes the show so successful, and what impact the series could have.
Why we know everything about yoga, but little about Hinduism
In the West, we practise yoga en masse. But we know remarkably little about Hinduism, the religion to which we owe this physical exercise. That is why Radboud Reflects is organising a course on Hinduism from the end of January.
Smart solutions for real problems: computing science students come up with ideas
In mid-January, around 120 computing science students from Radboud University's New Devices Lab presented smart solutions to real problems from real clients.