Public Science

On the Essential Principles and Practice of Circadian Biology: A Road Map

by Roelof A. Hut and William J. Schwartz

Book Description: Circadian Biology is about the adaptation of life to our rotating world, to the Earth’s 24-hour rhythm of day and night. Not surprisingly, the field has attracted considerable popular and scientific interest from people seeking further study or applications. This new diversity is exciting and invigorating! But newcomers may have little or no foundational knowledge on the essential principles and practice of circadian biology, no framework upon which to incorporate their disciplinary experience and expertise. If this describes you, our intention is to provide you with a Road Map – call it a launching pad, jump start, gateway, or primer – as a first (and hopefully engaging and helpful) step to enter the field and as an entrée to its now voluminous literature.

Een wereld vol denkers / The World of Thinkers

By Sebastiaan Mathôt

Book Description: Een wereld vol denkers invites us to rethink our assumptions about thought, feeling, and consciousness. For a long time, humans saw themselves as uniquely capable of thinking and feeling, but growing evidence suggests otherwise: bees communicate, dolphins mourn, and even climbing plants mimic their neighbors. And what about jumping spiders that plan ambushes, or AI systems like ChatGPT?

The world is full of beings, animal, plant, and artificial, that act and respond in surprising ways. We all have intuitions about who or what truly thinks or feels. But are those intuitions correct?

In Een wereld vol denkers, cognitive neuroscientist Sebastiaan Mathôt takes us on a fascinating journey through the minds of bats, electric eels, buttercups, and self-driving cars. With insights from cognitive neuroscience, he reveals a far richer world, one where humans are no longer the only thinkers.

Podcast: De bovenverdieping

In the podcast series DE BOVENVERDIEPING, Jelte Posthumus speaks with six brain researchers, all affiliated with the University Medical Center Groningen, each bringing their own expertise and unique fascinations.