Highlighted Papers

Simulations by a team of scientists, including University of Groningen Professor of Artificial Intelligence Davide Grossi, show that an unrestricted flow of information can amplify incorrect ideas amongst like-minded people.

Scientists at the University of Groningen studied cells growing under different conditions and found that some conditions led to changes in molecular mobility inside the cells. This was caused by the clustering of proteins that produce amino acids. These findings could improve cell factories.

Molecular geneticist Danny Incarnato and his team demonstrate how small molecules that bind to RNA rarely affect its function, whereas molecules that alter the structure of RNA have a greater effect. The results were published on 23 March in the journal Nature Communications.

Seals rely on their highly sensitive whiskers to detect tiny water movements left behind by swimming fish. New research by University of Groningen scientists shows that active whisking improves sensing, helping seals accurately follow underwater trails.

Metamaterials are composites with a very precisely controlled structure. It is this structure that determines the properties of the metamaterial, not the substances it is made of. New research helps to predict the mechanics of metamaterials, so they can be designed with higher precision.

University of Groningen researchers have developed a method for the customer service department of the company AFAS to check answers generated by AI. The system uses the same methods as human experts and is based on internal documentation as a knowledge base.

Mechanical engineer Francesco Maresca and his team from the University of Groningen have worked out how memory metals change shape at the atomic level. ‘Based on our model, better shape memory crystalline materials could be designed for applications that require reversible deformations, vibration damping, or impact absorption.’

An international team of astronomers, including Tim Lichtenberg and PhD student Emma Postolec, has found strong evidence for an atmosphere on a rocky exoplanet. The ultra-hot “super-Earth” TOI-561 b appears to be surrounded by a thick layer of gases above a global magma ocean.

An international team of scientists, led by University of Groninge professor Olaf Scholten, has observed radio wave-emissions originating from a commercial airliner, most likely caused by the discharge of static electricity.

While the majority of colours are matte, some are shiny. Evolutionary biologist Casper van der Kooi wondered why shiny colours are so rare.

Scientists from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have developed a soft polymer hydrogel that can conduct electricity as well as metal can. This finding has the potential for a large numbers of applications, for example in biocompatible sensors and in wound healing.

Euan Young and colleagues show that under harsh conditions, the biological cost of reproduction can shorten women’s lifespans. Scientific theory indeed predicts that having more offspring leads to a shorter life span, but until now, evidence of this link in humans was mixed.

Researchers at the University of Groningen investigated which monitoring methods are most effective for monitoring small mustelids.

Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have developed a polymer that adopts a coiled spring configuration at low temperatures and unfolds again upon heating. Furthermore, the molecule can break down into smaller molecules under certain conditions.

In various animal species, having older siblings impacts the chances of survival in the early years of life. Researchers of the University of Groningen (Netherlands), University of Exeter (UK) and University of Turku (Finland) discovered that in humans, the impact of older siblings is largely determined by their sex: having older brothers close in age negatively impacted girls, whereas having older sisters close in age had a positive effect on both girls and boys. 

Scientists from Groningen University and the University of Amsterdam have developed upconversion nanoparticles to assist in powering molecular motors.

A new study, led by University of Groningen molecular biologist Danny Incarnato, identifies hundreds of shapeshifting regulatory RNA switches in E.coli bacteria and human cells.

Read our highlighted papers from June: a Precision Psychiatry Roadmap calls for more biological testing and treatments, and in the Wadden Sea, many species are declining, and only a few are thriving.

A new study shows where and when a new climate arrives in the Arctic regions.