Stories

When you think of a telescope, stargazing comes to mind, but the underground Einstein Telescope is different. It is all about engineering and technology. Jessica Steinlechner and Alex Amato reveal a portion of the magic they perform on only one component of the telescope: its mirrors.

Cola bottles and microplastics are two examples of plastics that frequently end up in the environment, which we then consume. Why? Simply because biodegradable alternatives have a hard time entering the market. Simon Schick at AMIBM investigated why this is the case.

Research on nature restoration along the river Maas turns out to be quite an adventure, as demonstrated by the study conducted by Sara Pastina and Maya Daumal. They investigated how plants, fish, and invertebrates find their way to their newly restored natural habitats.

Bulat Khaertdinov is the first winner of the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s Dissertation Prize. At the Department of Advanced Computer Sciences, he trains artificial intelligence to recognise and respond to human behaviour. Read on and familiarise yourself with the work of a computer scientist...

It is always great when a plan comes together, especially if it happens all at once. Rocio Arreguín Campos developed a quick and easy-to-use diagnostic tool for malaria. Together with her boss, Bart van Grinsven, she successfully tested the device in Brazil. Read their story about sensors, malaria...

Artificial intelligence can become trustworthy in medicine if trained on high-quality data from a sufficiently large and divers patient population. But what happens when data is scarce because a condition or trait is extremely rare? Michel Dumontier and his team are addressing this by combining real...

Imagine living on an island that loses about 90% of its land area due to natural disasters. How would you ensure there is enough space and food for yourself and your offspring? Would you become aggressive? Read how Leon Claessens and his colleagues figured out that in such cases, nature will promote...

Imagine having a healthy weight and still suffering a heart attack or stroke. Systems biologist Femke Smit is investigating the relationship between weight and health and is making some surprising discoveries. This week, together with her international colleagues, she is publishing her research in...

Compress the electrical energy from 2-3 large wind turbines and methane into a one-meter-long tube, and you’ll produce green hydrogen and other feedstocks for the chemical industry, all without releasing any CO₂. Read about green hydrogen research at Maastricht University!

Healthy school lunches in primary schools ensure that children consume more vegetables, both at school and at home. This is supported by research led by Ilse van Lier. Deloitte has utilised her findings to demonstrate that school lunches lead to healthier adults, resulting in reduced healthcare...