What exactly is a good book?
The summer months are reading months for many people. But what makes a good book? Is there a formula for success? We ask a literary expert.
Research and society
Imke searches for lost voices
Imke Kissel researches unilateral vocal cord paralysis and wants to develop therapies tailored to the needs of patients.
How (un)healthy is worrying?
We all worry from time to time. It can even be good to clear the head, says professor Ernst Koster (department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology). However, it can also get out of hand.
Baby boom in the veterinary clinic thanks to Professor Ann Van Soom
Artificial reproduction methods, such as IVF and ICSI, have already been successfully applied in humans. But this has not been the case for many domestic animals. In horses, for instance, it has seemed to be an impossible task for a long time to fertilise the eggs outside the body. Until Ann Van Soom and her team started focusing on it.
Can we expect a solution for pollen allergy?
Do you suffer from hay fever? You are not alone: no less than 1 in 3 people worldwide have an allergy, particularly to pollen or dust mites. For people aged between 20 and 45 this amount is as much as 40%. “In fact, we expect this number to keep growing in the future”, predicts professor Philippe Gevaert (department of Head and Skin), clinical head of the Ear, Nose and Throat department at Ghent University Hospital. “But, don’t worry: a solution is on the way.”
striking
De ziekte van Alzheimer, frontotemporale dementie en ALS zijn verwoestende neurodegeneratieve ziekten zonder uitzicht op herstel. UGent-professor Bart Dermaut, klinisch geneticus en arts, realiseert met zijn wetenschappelijk onderzoek een doorbraak die toekomstige therapieën een nieuwe richting kan uitsturen. Mede dankzij schenkingen en erfenissen van patiënten.
Heat pump: a good idea or not?
Our homes need to become a lot more sustainable. Besides insulation, the heat pump is the latest ‘big’ thing when it comes to new construction and renovation projects. But is the heat pump worth the hype?
striking
Eline Pottie is addicted to drugs, well to researching them anyway. As a postdoc, she is investigating how psychedelics work and where the effects come from. “I find it fascinating that we still don’t know why these drugs make us hallucinate,” she says.
Birds return from the south: how do they know where to go?
De komst van de lente betekent ook de terugkeer van heel wat trekvogels na hun overwintering in warmere landen. Maar hoe vinden die vogels, in tochten die vaak duizenden kilometers lang zijn, hun weg? Niet met Waze of Google Maps, maar wel dankzij de zon, een soort ingebouwd kompas én snelwegen.
Coach CoDi: the motivation-boosting tool that helps children become independent coders in Scratch
Elk kind aan het coderen krijgen, dat is de gedeelde missie van enkele UGent-onderzoekers en het leerplatform FTRPRF. Samen ontwikkelden ze met de steun van VLAIO een digitale co-teacher voor de populaire programmeertaal Scratch.
Climate tower in Congo fills a big gap in our knowledge
Deep in the Congolese rainforest stands a tower 57 metres high that is helping in the fight against climate change. Since October 2020, the Ghent University climate tower has been measuring both the amount of CO2 captured and stored by the tropical rainforest and the levels of water exchange between the forest and the atmosphere.
Extra opportunities for young cancer researchers
Cancer researcher Celine Everaert is currently developing an important test that should help to improve treatment for cancer patients. This is possible because of a scholarship, funded by donations and bequests.