NewsThe ‘cuddle hormone’ oxytocin does not make women who had a harsh upbringing more empathetic towards other people who are being excluded from the group. Extra oxytocin is effective in women who have had a more sensitive upbringing. These are the findings of PhD research by Madelon Hendricx-Riem.
It's a race against time for Charles Jeurgens, Leiden Professor in Archival Studies. He is investigating how the colonial authorities created the archives in the National Archive in Jakarta. ‘The acidic paper deteriorates rapidly in this hot and humid climate.’
Seventeenth-century inventor and scientist Christiaan Huygens has been called the Leonardo da Vinci of the Low Countries. He studied Law and Mathematics in Leiden, and left his valuable archives to the University. What is his legacy?
In order to understand how the anti-cancer drug Bortezomib works, Leiden chemists have mapped the machinery of the proteasome the cell’s waste processing factory. They share their method in Nature Protocols so that labs can start using it.
'I got a woman way over town that's good to me, oh yeah…' Bands rocking the stage, with barely any electricity and gradually disappearing light projectors, pumped up by the crowd and exhilarated under the vibe. And what a crowd, what a vibe. That was how the ISN Cultural Festival that took place on June 8 came to an end after ten hours of continuous entertainment.
Michael Ignatieff, Canadian author, university professor and former politician, has been appointed Cleveringa Professor for the 2013-2014 academic year at Leiden University, the Netherlands. Professor Ignatieff will deliver the Cleveringa lecture on 26 November 2013.
On 12 June 2013, the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski will be giving his third important European speech, this time in Leiden. The title of his lecture will be: ‘Poland, the Netherlands and the European Union - Common Challenges'.
Toineke Westen of the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) has succeeded in creating a human DNA profile using less starting material. A large-scale LUMC database at the Leiden University Medical Center formed the basis for her study. PhD defence was 6 June 2013.
From 10 June, the whole world can follow free lectures given by Leiden Professor of European Law Stefaan Van den Bogaert. He will be teaching an online course on 'The Law of the European Union: An Introduction'. More than 30,000 students will be following the digital lectures.
Archaeologist Professor Jan Kolen has been appointed Director of the LDE Center for Global Heritage and Development (CGHD) with effect from 1 July 2013. This new inter-university heritage center is due to start in the autumn of 2013 within the framework of the strategic alliance between Leiden University, Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam (LDE).
Eight out of ten experimental drugs do not make it past the test phase on patients. Piet Hein van der Graaf, Professor of Systems Pharmacology, would like to prevent this waste of time and money by using new measurement and calculation methods. Inaugural lecture on 27 May.
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences has elected fifteen new members, including three Leiden professors: Joke Bouwstra, Ronald Cramer and Eveline Crone.
Of the 86 VIDI research grants awarded by NWO, thirteen were awarded to Leiden researchers. This represents about 15%, a very high score. Five of Leiden's thirteen laureates are women.
The Rectors of 17 European Universities met on 17 and 18 May in Leiden for a Rectors' Assembly. Carel Stolker, Rector Magnificus of Leiden University, hosted the meeting.
Our reflexes seem to be influenced subconsciously by the way we perceive what we see. Leiden cognitive psychologist Marnix Naber published an article on this subject in the Journal of Vision.
Not far from archaeological tourist attraction Petra in Jordan is Udhruh: a small but promising site. This is where Leiden archaeologist Mark Driessen will be excavating a Roman encampment, together with the local population. His project is fully funded by crowdfunding via CommonSites.
Researchers at the Laboratory for Astrophysics of the Leiden Observatory have succeeded in producing water under conditions similar to those found in space.
Science is all about extending borders, and that is precisely what Quentin Bourgeois, Jan Dalhaus and Kim de Jong will be doing. Thanks to a Rubicon Grant they will in the coming year be able to continue their research abroad.
Leiden University has its finances in order and in the last year has booked a positive result of more than twenty million euros. The money will be used for educational investments due to the increase in student numbers. In the coming years, this positive result is expected to drop to two million euros.
This summer, all first-year Leiden students will be formulating a study plan for their second year of study. The study plan is being introduced in order to encourage students to keep up their study tempo after the first year.
