Timeline

Sex isn’t just about reproduction - at least not for our closest relatives. A new study, co-authored by Utrecht University behavioural biologist Edwin van Leeuwen and the late Frans de Waal, reveals that bonobos and chimpanzees use sex to reduce tension and strengthen social bonds. These findings suggest that the last common ancestor of humans, bonobos, and chimpanzees - over six million years ago - may have already been using sex for social purposes.

Read more about this research here.

The Newsflash delivers quick, bite-sized updates on the latest developments at the Faculty of Science, Utrecht University. In the latest edition, learn more about what grasslands are more vulnerable to extreme drought and how researchers from Utrecht contribute to discussion about the significance of AI for work and research. 

Find out more here.

The Newsflash delivers quick, bite-sized updates on the latest developments at the Faculty of Science, Utrecht University. In the latest edition, discover which human symptoms of depression can also be observed in other primates, such as chimpanzees and gorillas. Additionally, the Newsflash highlights new researchers’ efforts to raise awareness about climate change and explores whether large language models can help organizations extract data to analyze the work processes.

Find out more here.

A cutting-edge AI tool can now predict how well seed potatoes will grow into healthy potato plants. Developed by biologists from Utrecht University in collaboration with TU Delft and plant breeders, the tool uses DNA data from bacteria and fungi found on seed potatoes and drone images of potato fields. “This marks the beginning of a new era in farming, where microbiology and AI come together to enhance agriculture.”

Find out more about this breakthrough here.

Over the next five years, Professor Bert Weckhuysen from Utrecht University will investigate how colorants in plastic bottles can be recycled more effectively. During the recycling process, colorants in plastics are often lost — a missed opportunity, according to Weckhuysen. "Colorants and other additives are precisely what give plastic bottles their value. We aim to find a way to recover and reuse these substances."

For this research, Weckhuysen has been awarded a grant from the Circular Plastics NL initiative, funded by the Dutch National Growth Fund. Learn more about this project.

Artificial intelligence allows researchers to better understand and model the complex climate system in ways that were not possible before. In a new article, researchers including Henk Dijkstra, Professor of Dynamical Oceanography at Utrecht University, show that artificial intelligence can help to fill in gaps in climate data, making datasets larger, more complete, and globally consistent.

Read more about the article here.

For a decade now, the Science for Life community has brought together over a thousand life science researchers in Utrecht from diverse fields and institutions. This year's annual Science for Life Conference on December 2nd in Beatrix Theater in Utrecht promises to be extra special, celebrating a decade of achievements. It features talks from international experts and the community's founders, Albert Heck and Casper Hoogenraad. 

Registration for the event is still possible before Monday, November 25th. Find out more about the event here.

The Newsflash provides quick and bite-sized updates on what's happening at the Faculty of Science of Utrecht University. In the latest edition, you can learn more about research showing that the Greenland ice sheet temporarily stores large volumes of meltwater during the summer, contributing to sea level rise. Furthermore, the CloudRoots project, a collaboration between Utrecht University and Wageningen University, is set to investigate the interactions between the atmosphere and Amazon ecosystems.

Discover more news from the Faculty of Science here.

Photo by Thomas Nylen, Technical University of Denmark

On Friday 31 January, the focus areas Applied Data Science, Governing the Digital Society and Human-centered Artificial Intelligence from Utrecht University are organizing an interdisciplinary conference focused on the theme of “AI Transformations: Language, Technology, and Society” at the Railway Museum in Utrecht. The event aims to foster engaging and informed discussions on the pressing topics within the realm of AI Transformations regarding language, technology, and society.

Find out more about this event

Photo by © iStock/Suriya Phosri

Would you like to stay up to date with what is happening at the Faculty of Science of Utrecht University? The latest Newsflash highlights mathematician Jan-Willem van Ittersum, who received the prestigious Christiaan Huygens prize for his groundbreaking PhD research. Additionally, Jasper Kars conducted PhD research on the interplay between AI and democracy and the high-tech plant lab NPEC was visited by Dutch TV producers.

Discover more news from the Faculty of Science here.

Photo: Paul Voorham