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science Physics & MaterialsWhatever happened to graphene?In 2004, two researchers in Manchester used sticky tape to peel a layer of carbon just one atom thick from a lump of graphite. Graphene was said to be stronger than steel and a better conductor than copper. Six years later, their work won the Nobel Prize in Physics. So why aren’t your phone and laptop made of it yet?
science Chip TechnologyWhat makes Nvidia chips so special for AI?Most of today’s AI models were trained on Nvidia chips and the company has become one of the most valuable in the world. Yet, Nvidia does not manufacture a single chip itself. Its best-known product started life as a graphics card for gamers. And according to researchers who design AI hardware, it is not even particularly efficient at AI. So how did a gaming company end up powering the AI boom?
science HealthWhy am I still fatigued years after breast cancer?You had your last cancer treatment and want to start living again. Yet one in four women is still fatigued 10 years after breast cancer. Kim Wijlens of the University of Twente studies what that fatigue does to your life and which treatment suits whom.
science Behaviour & SocietyWatching a horror film? 5 tips to feel less scaredOn Halloween, you might curl up on the sofa with friends to watch a horror film. Before you know it, you're squeezing the hand of whoever is sitting next to you. Coincidence? Not quite. Researchers from the University of Twente, Dutch research organisation TNO and several other institutes gave festival-goers a good scare in a horror cinema. One of them shares five tips for your own film night.
science Safety & SecurityHow easy is it to crack your password?I used to use the same password for everything. It was convenient, because who can remember twenty different passwords? Then I realised that wasn't exactly safe. So I came up with what I thought was a smarter solution: a slightly different password for each account. A different letter for Instagram, a different digit for Spotify, and of course, always the same exclamation mark. Problem solved, or so I thought. But is that little password trick really such a good idea? And just how easy is it for a hacker to crack your password?
Kees Studies
science HealthKees Study: Could a robot make your colonoscopy more comfortable?In the Netherlands, everyone aged 55 to 75 gets a home test for bowel cancer every two years. An abnormal result leads to a colonoscopy, in which a doctor steers a long tube with a camera through your large intestine. In 2022, almost 57,000 people had one. Could a robot make that easier for the doctor and more comfortable for you?
science HealthKees Study: Can I get a tattoo without a needle?Around 44 million Europeans have a tattoo, and the method has barely changed in centuries. A needle punctures the skin over and over to leave ink behind. It hurts, and it damages the skin. In this Kees Study I find out if I can tattoo without a needle?
science HealthKees Study: My brain hacked, how brain stimulation could help with Parkinson'sImagine your hand moving without you telling it to. Not because you flinched, but because an electrical signal in your brain gave the command. That's what happens in Parkinson's disease. At the same time, electricity on the brain can also help to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. That's exactly what researchers at the Brain Stimulation Lab of the University of Twente are trying to understand.
science Physics & MaterialsOlympic questions: What makes an ice skating suit faster?Ice skating at speeds exceeding 50 kilometres per hour. How do olympians achieve that top speed on the ice? The push-off is crucial, of course, but did you know that at Olympic speeds, approximately 80 per cent of the opposing force is air resistance? In this episode of Kees Study, I dive into the wind tunnel to discover how aerodynamics can make the difference between silver and gold.