science wire

We know much about the behaviour and policies of right-wing autocrats, but little was known about their personality profile.

The A wing of Science Park 904 has a remarkable sight: the skeleton of a young African elephant. 'Ah, Bob the elephant', says neurobiologist Taco Werkman fondly.

Corporate tax avoidance by multinational corporations is not too different from alchemy. The latter claims to transform metals into gold.

When the schools in the Netherlands closed on 16 March, children had to learn at home and parents took up a key responsibility to assist them.

Virtual assistants, which use speech recognition to carry out a growing number of tasks, are becoming increasingly popular. We still do not know much about how families with young children are using this new type of smart software, and UvA communication scientists are now set to study this in greater depth.

Can artificial intelligence help compose a successful Eurovision hit? Team Can AI Kick It, consisting for the most part of staff and students from the University of Amsterdam and the University of Ut

Concern for the well-being of refugees is growing. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) sounded the alarm over conditions in crowded reception centres on five Greek islands. Is the EU doing enough to protect refugees during this corona crisis? researchers who conduct research into migration are expressing their concern and offer their time and expertise to help preparing new guidelines.

UvA communication scientist Mark Boukes collects and analyses corona humour from around the globe, together with Giselinde Kuipers from KU Leuven.

People worldwide are scared of the coronavirus. They are anxious that their friends and family will be infected, of that they will be infected themselves.

Having seen the shocking images of the coffins piled up in Italy on the internet, we need to ask ourselves whether we and the rest of the world are prepared for the considerable impact of the coronavirus epidemic.

In these uncertain times, we do whatever we can to feel a certain sense of control. Some buy surgical masks and hoard supplies, while others organise a national day of prayer. UvA social psychologist Michiel van Elk reflects on the purpose of prayer: 'prayer is the ultimate coping mechanism'. Besides a call for joint prayer, there is also a cartoon making the rounds on social media depicting religious leaders desperately gathered around a scientist staring through a microscope with the caption 'Please.

The 1992 paper on the orbital angular momentum of light by Les Allen, Marco Beijersbergen, Robert Spreeuw (UvA-IoP) and Han Woerdman has been chosen as one of three "classic" papers by the journal Ph

Demand for electric cars has exploded as a result of the energy transition, propelling demand for the main raw material in car batteries: lithium.

Our trainees Maria and Mink, both aged fourteen, talked to brain researcher Reinout Wiers about his discoveries relating to addiction. He learned that automatic processes in the brain play an important role, and that you can overcome them. What is your research about? 'I do research into addiction in the broad sense.

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded Vici grants worth 1.5 million euros to UvA researchers Jason Hessels, Christof Monz and Roger Laeven.

Ambitious research project in partnership between academia, companies and the Netherlands Forensic Institute Analytical chemists from the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam are

Airbnb attracts increasing numbers of tourists to neighbourhoods where the traditional hotel industry is limited or absent.