31st January 1985
Nevil Gray reports on the recently opened AMC, the University of Amsterdam’s teaching hospital. At the time, it was the biggest building in Europe and replaced two old hospitals in the city …
10th November 1985
Dutch psychiatrist Jan Bastiaans (1917-1997) identified this syndrome and developed a treatment for it, sometimes using LSD, which was highly controversial but effective. It not only applies to …
28th March 1988
“In this weekly programme, we’ll be covering science as it really is, including some of the problems scientists are facing to keep their programmes sufficiently funded. We’ll be …
29th June 1988
Anne Blair Gould traces the history of the international conservation movement, which resulted in the establishment of the Worldwide Fund for Nature. The founding president was His Royal Highness …
29th August 1989
Anne Blair Gould meets Robert Swan, the first man to walk to both the North and the South Pole. Apart from being a leading Pole explorer, Swan is also deeply committed to the future of the …
27th May 1991
Did you know that walruses whistle and that rays are basically flattened sharks? Find out more as Anne Blair Gould revisits the Dutch marine animal park at the Harderwijk Dolfinarium. It has the …
8th July 1991
On the eve of the total eclipse of the sun on July 11, 1991, our reporter Nina Morgan describes the preparations made for this event at one of the world’s best observatories, the Mauna Kea …
1st October 1991
Virtual reality is now a household term. It has been used in science and technology since the 1950’s. But when this programme was made, virtual reality was just becoming accessible to consumers …
3rd February 1992
This year the Technical University of Delft celebrates its 150th anniversary. The TU Delft was officially founded in 1842 by King William II as a Royal Academy, with the primary purpose of training …
10th February 1992
It can take many billions of years for a star to get its act together, for the heavens are in a constant state of flux—at a pace rather a bit too prolonged for mere humans to observe. Yet when this …
30th November 1992
In the modern age almost every facet of our lives is affected by the findings of science of psychology: business and politics, the work floor, education, traffic safety, fashion, design and the list …
18th January 1993
This programme is part of the series Research FileIn this edition of our weekly science magazine Research File, our special guest is Douglas Adams (1953-2001), author of the science fiction comedy …
15th February 1993
Jonathan Groubert explores the early days of electric cars. Considering the efforts already being made when this programme was made in 1993, why aren’t our streets already swarming with …
26th April 1993
As every left-hander knows, the world is set up for the convenience and safety of right-handers, and all sorts of sinister and guache associations are linked to the use of our southpaw. Ninety …
7th June 1993
Protection of the Earth’s environment may well be the greatest challenge facing humanity in this century, and not a day goes by without a mention of it in the media somewhere. Important goals …
5th July 1993
This programme is part of the series Research FileHow long have we known about dinosaurs? And what new wonderful discoveries are we still making about these intriguing creatures which appeared over …
12th July 1993
At the very latest after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster in Ukraine in 1986, the broad public was thoroughly aware of the unsustainability and long-term dangers to life as a result of energy …
26th July 1993
This programme is part of the series Research FileThe use of condoms not only helps to prevent unplanned pregnancy but it can also prevent sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea, herpes and …
13th September 1993
This programme is part of the series Research FileIn this edition of our weekly science magazine Research File, we speak with Dr. John Sloboda, professor of psychology at Kew University, about his …
20th September 1993
This programme is part of the series Research FileIn this edition of our weekly science magazine Research File, we speak with two scientists who have studied what might really be happening when we …
8th November 1993
Alternative medicine has been gaining ground over established medical practice. Rather than go to a physician, hundred of thousands of patients turn to treatments that they believe are more natural …
15th November 1993
This programme is part of the series Research FileAnne Blair-Gould visits two of the six Caribbean islands that make up the Netherlands Antilles. Saba is tiny, rocky and made up of sheer volcanic …
20th November 1993
Bonobos, known for years as “pygmy chimpanzees”, are now recognised to be a separate species of primate, and one of our most intriguingly close relatives. They are particularly loved for …
25th November 1993
This programme is part of the series Research FileThis Research File was made at a time when scientists were asking whether a genetic factor is involved in a person’s sexual orientation. …
4th April 1994
This edition of our weekly science magazine “Research File” focuses on statistics. As Mark Twain famously pointed out: “There are lies, there are damn lies, and then there are …
27th October 1996
This special edition of our science program , Research File, is devoted to the achievements of Dutch 17th- century mathematician and physicist Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695). Huygens’ …
11th July 1997
Robert Chesal talks to Arend Jan Dunning (1930-2009), cardiologist and prolific writer about medicine and society, medical history, ethics, science and religion, art, theology and about his extensive …
14th November 1997
Midwives were often older mothers who used their knowledge to help others deliver their babies safely at home. But through the years, their position has been taken over by doctors and hospital staff. …
14th November 1997
When you lift a glass of golden, glistening foam-coiffed beer to your lips and taste the liquid as it seeps down your throat, do you really have any idea what lies behind the magic that then fills …
14th November 1997
Experiments that involve animals often evoke strong emotions. So any solution that does not involve the hapless creates must be welcomed. Right? Unfortunately, it’s far more complicated than …
4th April 1998
In this edition, the Netherlands expects to produce 10% of its energy from wind energy. The programme examines how the world nearly hunted whales to extinction, and why the current moratorium on …
9th May 1998
In this edition of the programme: Two years after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Research File attends A conference in Washington reviewing the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident and how the world …
16th October 1998
The Research File visits the BPRC in Rijswijk. At the centre, there are 1500 apes and monkeys, which are used to test new vaccines for malaria and AIDS. Some say that this is cruel. Others argue that …
3rd January 1999
For this edition of our weekly science magazine “Research File”, Liesbeth de Bakker attended the 1998 annual science festival of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and …
25th March 1999
Some 50 million people around the world now suffer from the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease, a degeneration of the brain’s functions that occurs mostly among elderly people. So as the world …
26th April 1999
A two-part series on the sun. In part one, a personal view of the August 1999 total eclipse of the sun by Laura Durnford. In part two, a portrait of the sun, our nearest star.…
16th July 1999
Liesbeth de Bakker investigates the possible impact of the unraveling of the exact composition of our DNA. Can we really weed out bad genes, and do we really want to? Are human beings really defined …
11th August 1999
A total eclipse of the sun was seen in England on August 11, 1999. Our science editor Laura Durnford, a native of Cornwall, went home to witness this unique event, when the moon passes between the …
20th August 1999
Smallpox is regarded as one of the most consequential of all the pestilential diseases that have plagued humanity for the past ten thousand years. One in three could die from it during an epidemic, …
6th September 1999
Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was the second Dutchman to win a Nobel Prize. His award was in theoretical physics. Albert Einstein worshipped him as a father figure, and he was well respected by …
6th December 1999
Anne Blair Gould takes stock of what has been happening since HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS in 1984: what has been achieved so far, what has failed and what we can expect in the near …
7th March 2000
When we enjoy a cold drink on a hot summer’s day, we don’t realise that the phenomenon of coldness itself was the subject of scientific scrutiny or that this clear cold crystal was once …
16th March 2000
Now if you live in the Far North and you think you’ve spotted a polar bear rummaging through your trash or a moose wandering around your backyard, or even in the Alps, if you think you see a …
29th May 2000
In the mid-17th century, Dr. Franciscus Sylvius was a professor of medicine at Holland’s first and most famous university. The Faculty at Leiden paid double the normal salary to entice the famous …
26th June 2000
This Research File special is all about global warming and how it will affect the health of people all around the planet. It coincides with this year’s UN Climate Change Conference in The Hague. The …
29th August 2000
Gareth Mitchell investigates the impact of war on scientific research and the changes it brought about on life in the postwar years. Radar, nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, psychology, new …
23rd October 2000
Anne Blair Gould explains what Lyme disease is, what causes it, how it manifests itself and why it is so difficult to diagnose. We hear the story of two suffers – Radio Netherlands’ …
7th November 2000
Eugène Dubois was a Dutch doctor and anatomist whose ambition was to prove that evolution was not just a theory. He wanted to find fossils from an extinct creature that was the intermediate in form …
9th November 2000
Anne Blair Gould visits a quarry near Maastricht where in 1998 a skeleton was found of a mosasaur, dating from the Maastrichtian, a geological period stretching from around 65-71 million years ago. A …
9th November 2000
Microbes are a major source of diseases: from colds, diarrhoeae and respiratory infections to salmonella. And most of thesse we pick up in the home. As Anne Blair Gould heard from one of her guests, …
9th November 2000
Anne Blair Gould visits Sitchting Aap in Almere. The rescue centre offers a (temporary) home to animals confiscated from airport customs, science labs and private homes. The animals range from …
9th December 2000
When this programme was made in 2000, the world celebrated the 20th anniversary of the global eradication of the dreaded smallpox disease. Encouraged by this tremendous achievement, a global campaign …
3rd August 2001
In this programme, Liesbeth de Bakker investigates what has become of those who were affected by the world’s worst ever nuclear accident. Many people have been unable to return home as their …
30th September 2001
In this special, Anne Blair Gould tries to find answers to some pertinent questions. How did the latest outbreak start in Britain, where did it come from, how to best combat it and what do we know …
13th October 2001
This programme is part of the series Chris Chambers meetsIn this unedited interview for Talking it Over, Chris Chambers meets the controversial ecologist and conservationist Dr. Frans Vera. He talks …
26th October 2001
Insects in film, insects in art, insects in medicine, insects in magic – you name it and insects have been in it! Add together all the dragonflies and honey bees, beetles and butterflies, locusts and …
9th November 2001
This programme is part of the series Research FileIn the fourth programme of the series Science and Society, Laura Durnford investigates to what extent science and technology are helping us to fight …
9th November 2001
This programme is part of the series Research FileDan Falk examines the relationship between science and religion. Just think of the fate of people like Copernicus and Galileo whose discoveries …
9th November 2001
This programme is part of the series Research FileIn part two of science and society, Anne Blair Gould examines the relationship between science and food. From food safety, how to make our food …
9th November 2001
Anne Blair Gould goes on location to talk to Dutch researchers who are testing the hearing abilities of dolphins and porpoises. This information should result in an alarm system that would warn …
25th November 2001
Am I the master of my own life? Are any of us? Or do our responsibilities to the ones who love us make them co-owners of our lives? Do we have the right to put the full stop at the end of our own …
14th December 2001
There’s a medical condition that can cause a huge range of problems – for example, brain damage, physical abnormalities of the face and heart, problems with behaviour, vision and the immune …
7th January 2002
Why is it that adults have such a tough time learning a new foreign language, while children and even babies put the rest of us to shame and learn fluency in no time. What can scientists learn from …
20th January 2002
Some say it is a call for change. But which change? All critics seem to agree that Holland can’t sustain its position as a major food exporter. Animal welfare must be strengthened. The …
25th March 2002
In the 1980’s and the early 1990’s, the Netherlands had a leading position in this field in Europe. That’s gone now. Why? Liesbeth de Bakker talks to experts, politicians and …
13th May 2002
The 2002 Arctic Science Summit Week was held recently at the University of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. The main focus of the summit: the interaction between the Arctic and the …
17th June 2002
A series of visits to a site that’s being transformed by special engineering and technology into a ‘wild’ city park for thousands of people after a long history as a wildlife haven, …
24th June 2002
The Netherlands is specialising in working towards a vaccine against one specific stage in the malaria parasite’s complex life cycle. We discuss the issues and discoveries and drop in on a …
19th August 2002
In this Research File special, Liesbeth de Bakker looks at the surprising applications (and future possibilities) of a poison that is best known for causing botulism. Apart from the cosmetic …
19th September 2002
When this programme was recorded in 2002, there were 1.7 million known species. Scientists estimate that there are an additional 20 to 100 million species that have not yet been described. 90% of all …
10th October 2002
Laura Durnford examines the life and work of Aletta Jacobs (1854-1929). She was born in the middle of the 19th century, became the first woman to go the university (in 1871!), became a medical doctor …
10th October 2002
In this updated version of the programme, which was first broadcast on December 18, 2000, Laura Durnford looks at the progress being made in hand transplants. The programme examines the techniques …
22nd October 2002
As life expectancy increases, so is the prevalence of osteoporosis or brittle bone disease. The genesis of osteoporosis is often during childhood. If, for instance, you didn’t like milk as a …
8th November 2002
The sheer size and beauty of mountains never ceases to provoke feelings of awe, humility and wonder. But mountains are also important water towers and natural habitats for peoples, plants and …
9th November 2002
This programme is part of the series Research FileIn part three of a series on science and society, Liesbeth de Bakker examines the influence science has had on sports. At one time, talent was the …
9th November 2002
Laura Durnford investigates the weird and wonderful world of a new type of matter. It is called Bose-Einstein condensate and is very different from the solid, liquid and gaseous states of matter …
15th November 2002
Many of the crops we ate just a century ago have disappeared from the face of the earth. Scientists are responding to the threat of further genetic erosion by storing seed samples of threatened …
29th November 2002
The sheer size and beauty of mountains never ceases to provoke feelings of awe, humility and wonder. But mountains are also important water towers and natural habitats for peoples, plants and …
6th December 2002
In our efforts to fight disease, we have inadvertently created new strains of bacteria that are immune to our entire arsenal of antibiotics. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), for …
2nd January 2003
The tradition of setting off fireworks has existed for centuries in the Netherlands, initially, it was thought, to scare off ghosts. Every year, 2.5 million Dutch families set off 50 million kilos or …
12th January 2003
A person with bipolar disorder or manic depression typically can experience mood swings between extreme happiness and the deepest hell. This thoroughly treatable condition is the subject of a widely …
26th January 2003
This edition of Sound Fountain is one of a series called “stigma” on various forms of mental phenomena that we tend not to speak about often or candidly. One such mental quirk, …
28th February 2003
In the chilly highlands of Iceland, construction is under way. Roads are being made to serve a new hydro-electric power plant, which doesn’t yet exist. If it’s built, this will be about the largest …
21st May 2003
The very diverse ways that animals deal with their gender and sexuality and even their sexual preferences are absolutely fascinating. This week’s programme begins with advice from a certain Dr. …
15th August 2003
This programme is part of the series Research FileBecause of the high water table in the Netherlands, even wood can be preserved in the Dutch soil for thousands of years, making this country a great …
23rd August 2003
This programme is part of the series Research FileThis programme gives us an update on the treatment and prevention of diabetes. There are two types of the disease, but in both cases the increased …
15th October 2003
Anne Blair Gould reports from the RAI on the 9th International Symposium on microbial ecology, attended by 1700 microbe ecologists. She meets a host of Dutch and foreign experts who explain the …
21st January 2004
For her time, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) was a modern, daring, scandalous, divorced woman who lived in a cloister and at the age of 52 went off to Dutch Suriname to fulfill her calling as a …
24th January 2004
The summer of 1783 seemed like the end of the world for European farmers. A dry, foul-smelling fog settled on the land one day—desolating crops, burning plants, and killing people. In one French …
5th March 2004
In the early 17th century, Robert Burton’s exhaustive study “The Anatomy of Melancholy” was an immediate best-seller. Nearly four hundred years later, Andrew Solomon included Burton in his own …
17th March 2004
Every year the Netherlands is the favourite stopover of millions of migrating birds, including 1.5 million geese. It’s all about location, location, location. The Netherlands has the …
9th April 2004
This programme is part of the series Research FileIn this special edition of our weekly science programme marking World Health Day, we focus on the growing worldwide problem of obesity. Scientists …
14th April 2004
This is about a Danish research project called Musica Humana which involves music specially composed to relax nervous patients, calm busy nurses and bring deeply anaesthetised patients back to …
16th April 2004
In 2004 André Kuipers became Holland’s second person in space, when he travelled to the International Space Station with fellow astronauts from Russia and the United States. Shortly before the …
22nd April 2004
To mark the 375th anniversary of the birth of Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695), the Research File looks at this Dutch mathematician, physicist, astronomer and inventor who is widely regarded as one of …
6th May 2004
Climate change inevitably affects the life cycles of plants and animals. In this special award-winning edition of the Research File, reporter Daniel Grossman explains the science of observing how …
13th August 2004
Sun, fun and snorkeling among the beauties of the sea is what we would like to associate with coral reefs. But disease, bleaching and unsustainable fishing practices are destroying the Earth’s …
10th September 2004
The summer of 1783 seemed like the end of the world for European farmers. A dry, foul-smelling fog settled on the land one day—desolating crops, burning plants, and killing people. In one French …
29th September 2004
Anne Blair Gould asks what biodiversity is and why it’s important to stop the loss of biological diversity (animals, plants, fungi, bacteria). Scientists estimate that species are now going …
4th October 2004
This programme is part of the series Research FileA smorgasborg of science subjects in this week’s edition of the Research File: ACT’s – Automatically Controlled Trucks An interview …
9th November 2004
Laura Durnford examines the relationship between the Netherlands and the oral contraceptive pill, 40 years after its introduction. Apart from talking to the experts in the field of public health, …
15th November 2004
Imagine an African landscape nearly half the size of the Netherlands, antelopes and zebra grazing a huge, flat wetland full of storks, cranes and wading birds. This is the Kafue Flats of Zambia …
20th April 2005
In this edition of our weekly magazine on developments in this country, Dutch Horizons, science editor Anne Blair Gould looks at the 100th anniversary of Natuurmonumenten, the Dutch Society for the …
25th June 2005
We know humour is good for our health, but why is this so? What is the science behind the healing that comes from a good laugh? This is one of the questions science editor Anne Blair Gould tries to …
21st August 2005
Apart from being fun places to visit, zoos are also places were research is being carried out. In Rotterdam Zoo, they are trying to breed giant Chinese salamanders. In the same zoo’s Oceanium, …
18th November 2005
Born in 1936, Jan van Hooff’s childhood predestined him to become a famous animal behavourist. After all, his parents were the directors of Burgers Zoo in Arnhem, and this is where he grew up. …
25th November 2005
Govert Schilling is a familiar name on Dutch talk shows and best-selling books about astronomy. He has written dozens of books on space and the stars and has received several awards for popularising …
25th December 2005
Part One: Part Two: In this 52-minute interview, science editor Anne Blair Gould speaks with André Kuipers, who in 2004 became the second Dutchman to travel into space. Kuipers talks about his …
4th February 2006
In this documentary, we present personal stories from people who suffer from Lyme disease, a painful and exasperating ailment caused by the bite of the common deer tick, the difficulties and ignorant …
27th December 2007
Claire Cavanaugh visits the European Space Research and Technology Center, ESTEC, in Noordwijk in Holland’s North Sea dunes. ESTEC is the “brains” of the European Space Agency …
31st January 1985Nevil Gray reports on the recently opened AMC, the University of Amsterdam’s teaching hospital. At the time, it was the biggest building in Europe and replaced two old hospitals in the city …
10th November 1985Dutch psychiatrist Jan Bastiaans (1917-1997) identified this syndrome and developed a treatment for it, sometimes using LSD, which was highly controversial but effective. It not only applies to …
29th June 1988Anne Blair Gould traces the history of the international conservation movement, which resulted in the establishment of the Worldwide Fund for Nature. The founding president was His Royal Highness …
29th August 1989Anne Blair Gould meets Robert Swan, the first man to walk to both the North and the South Pole. Apart from being a leading Pole explorer, Swan is also deeply committed to the future of the …
27th May 1991Did you know that walruses whistle and that rays are basically flattened sharks? Find out more as Anne Blair Gould revisits the Dutch marine animal park at the Harderwijk Dolfinarium. It has the …
8th July 1991On the eve of the total eclipse of the sun on July 11, 1991, our reporter Nina Morgan describes the preparations made for this event at one of the world’s best observatories, the Mauna Kea …
1st October 1991Virtual reality is now a household term. It has been used in science and technology since the 1950’s. But when this programme was made, virtual reality was just becoming accessible to consumers …
3rd February 1992This year the Technical University of Delft celebrates its 150th anniversary. The TU Delft was officially founded in 1842 by King William II as a Royal Academy, with the primary purpose of training …
10th February 1992It can take many billions of years for a star to get its act together, for the heavens are in a constant state of flux—at a pace rather a bit too prolonged for mere humans to observe. Yet when this …
30th November 1992In the modern age almost every facet of our lives is affected by the findings of science of psychology: business and politics, the work floor, education, traffic safety, fashion, design and the list …
15th February 1993Jonathan Groubert explores the early days of electric cars. Considering the efforts already being made when this programme was made in 1993, why aren’t our streets already swarming with …
26th April 1993As every left-hander knows, the world is set up for the convenience and safety of right-handers, and all sorts of sinister and guache associations are linked to the use of our southpaw. Ninety …
7th June 1993Protection of the Earth’s environment may well be the greatest challenge facing humanity in this century, and not a day goes by without a mention of it in the media somewhere. Important goals …
5th July 1993This programme is part of the series Research FileHow long have we known about dinosaurs? And what new wonderful discoveries are we still making about these intriguing creatures which appeared over …
12th July 1993At the very latest after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster in Ukraine in 1986, the broad public was thoroughly aware of the unsustainability and long-term dangers to life as a result of energy …
26th July 1993This programme is part of the series Research FileThe use of condoms not only helps to prevent unplanned pregnancy but it can also prevent sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea, herpes and …
13th September 1993This programme is part of the series Research FileIn this edition of our weekly science magazine Research File, we speak with Dr. John Sloboda, professor of psychology at Kew University, about his …
20th September 1993This programme is part of the series Research FileIn this edition of our weekly science magazine Research File, we speak with two scientists who have studied what might really be happening when we …
8th November 1993Alternative medicine has been gaining ground over established medical practice. Rather than go to a physician, hundred of thousands of patients turn to treatments that they believe are more natural …
15th November 1993This programme is part of the series Research FileAnne Blair-Gould visits two of the six Caribbean islands that make up the Netherlands Antilles. Saba is tiny, rocky and made up of sheer volcanic …
20th November 1993Bonobos, known for years as “pygmy chimpanzees”, are now recognised to be a separate species of primate, and one of our most intriguingly close relatives. They are particularly loved for …
25th November 1993This programme is part of the series Research FileThis Research File was made at a time when scientists were asking whether a genetic factor is involved in a person’s sexual orientation. …
4th April 1994This edition of our weekly science magazine “Research File” focuses on statistics. As Mark Twain famously pointed out: “There are lies, there are damn lies, and then there are …
27th October 1996This special edition of our science program , Research File, is devoted to the achievements of Dutch 17th- century mathematician and physicist Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695). Huygens’ …
11th July 1997Robert Chesal talks to Arend Jan Dunning (1930-2009), cardiologist and prolific writer about medicine and society, medical history, ethics, science and religion, art, theology and about his extensive …
14th November 1997Midwives were often older mothers who used their knowledge to help others deliver their babies safely at home. But through the years, their position has been taken over by doctors and hospital staff. …
14th November 1997When you lift a glass of golden, glistening foam-coiffed beer to your lips and taste the liquid as it seeps down your throat, do you really have any idea what lies behind the magic that then fills …
14th November 1997Experiments that involve animals often evoke strong emotions. So any solution that does not involve the hapless creates must be welcomed. Right? Unfortunately, it’s far more complicated than …
16th October 1998The Research File visits the BPRC in Rijswijk. At the centre, there are 1500 apes and monkeys, which are used to test new vaccines for malaria and AIDS. Some say that this is cruel. Others argue that …
3rd January 1999For this edition of our weekly science magazine “Research File”, Liesbeth de Bakker attended the 1998 annual science festival of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and …
25th March 1999Some 50 million people around the world now suffer from the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease, a degeneration of the brain’s functions that occurs mostly among elderly people. So as the world …
26th April 1999A two-part series on the sun. In part one, a personal view of the August 1999 total eclipse of the sun by Laura Durnford. In part two, a portrait of the sun, our nearest star.…
16th July 1999Liesbeth de Bakker investigates the possible impact of the unraveling of the exact composition of our DNA. Can we really weed out bad genes, and do we really want to? Are human beings really defined …
11th August 1999A total eclipse of the sun was seen in England on August 11, 1999. Our science editor Laura Durnford, a native of Cornwall, went home to witness this unique event, when the moon passes between the …
20th August 1999Smallpox is regarded as one of the most consequential of all the pestilential diseases that have plagued humanity for the past ten thousand years. One in three could die from it during an epidemic, …
6th September 1999Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was the second Dutchman to win a Nobel Prize. His award was in theoretical physics. Albert Einstein worshipped him as a father figure, and he was well respected by …
6th December 1999Anne Blair Gould takes stock of what has been happening since HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS in 1984: what has been achieved so far, what has failed and what we can expect in the near …
7th March 2000When we enjoy a cold drink on a hot summer’s day, we don’t realise that the phenomenon of coldness itself was the subject of scientific scrutiny or that this clear cold crystal was once …
29th May 2000In the mid-17th century, Dr. Franciscus Sylvius was a professor of medicine at Holland’s first and most famous university. The Faculty at Leiden paid double the normal salary to entice the famous …
26th June 2000This Research File special is all about global warming and how it will affect the health of people all around the planet. It coincides with this year’s UN Climate Change Conference in The Hague. The …
29th August 2000Gareth Mitchell investigates the impact of war on scientific research and the changes it brought about on life in the postwar years. Radar, nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, psychology, new …
23rd October 2000Anne Blair Gould explains what Lyme disease is, what causes it, how it manifests itself and why it is so difficult to diagnose. We hear the story of two suffers – Radio Netherlands’ …
7th November 2000Eugène Dubois was a Dutch doctor and anatomist whose ambition was to prove that evolution was not just a theory. He wanted to find fossils from an extinct creature that was the intermediate in form …
9th November 2000Anne Blair Gould visits a quarry near Maastricht where in 1998 a skeleton was found of a mosasaur, dating from the Maastrichtian, a geological period stretching from around 65-71 million years ago. A …
9th November 2000Microbes are a major source of diseases: from colds, diarrhoeae and respiratory infections to salmonella. And most of thesse we pick up in the home. As Anne Blair Gould heard from one of her guests, …
9th November 2000Anne Blair Gould visits Sitchting Aap in Almere. The rescue centre offers a (temporary) home to animals confiscated from airport customs, science labs and private homes. The animals range from …
9th December 2000When this programme was made in 2000, the world celebrated the 20th anniversary of the global eradication of the dreaded smallpox disease. Encouraged by this tremendous achievement, a global campaign …
3rd August 2001In this programme, Liesbeth de Bakker investigates what has become of those who were affected by the world’s worst ever nuclear accident. Many people have been unable to return home as their …
30th September 2001In this special, Anne Blair Gould tries to find answers to some pertinent questions. How did the latest outbreak start in Britain, where did it come from, how to best combat it and what do we know …
13th October 2001This programme is part of the series Chris Chambers meetsIn this unedited interview for Talking it Over, Chris Chambers meets the controversial ecologist and conservationist Dr. Frans Vera. He talks …
26th October 2001Insects in film, insects in art, insects in medicine, insects in magic – you name it and insects have been in it! Add together all the dragonflies and honey bees, beetles and butterflies, locusts and …
9th November 2001This programme is part of the series Research FileIn the fourth programme of the series Science and Society, Laura Durnford investigates to what extent science and technology are helping us to fight …
9th November 2001This programme is part of the series Research FileDan Falk examines the relationship between science and religion. Just think of the fate of people like Copernicus and Galileo whose discoveries …
9th November 2001This programme is part of the series Research FileIn part two of science and society, Anne Blair Gould examines the relationship between science and food. From food safety, how to make our food …
9th November 2001Anne Blair Gould goes on location to talk to Dutch researchers who are testing the hearing abilities of dolphins and porpoises. This information should result in an alarm system that would warn …
25th November 2001Am I the master of my own life? Are any of us? Or do our responsibilities to the ones who love us make them co-owners of our lives? Do we have the right to put the full stop at the end of our own …
14th December 2001There’s a medical condition that can cause a huge range of problems – for example, brain damage, physical abnormalities of the face and heart, problems with behaviour, vision and the immune …
7th January 2002Why is it that adults have such a tough time learning a new foreign language, while children and even babies put the rest of us to shame and learn fluency in no time. What can scientists learn from …
20th January 2002Some say it is a call for change. But which change? All critics seem to agree that Holland can’t sustain its position as a major food exporter. Animal welfare must be strengthened. The …
25th March 2002In the 1980’s and the early 1990’s, the Netherlands had a leading position in this field in Europe. That’s gone now. Why? Liesbeth de Bakker talks to experts, politicians and …
13th May 2002The 2002 Arctic Science Summit Week was held recently at the University of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. The main focus of the summit: the interaction between the Arctic and the …
17th June 2002A series of visits to a site that’s being transformed by special engineering and technology into a ‘wild’ city park for thousands of people after a long history as a wildlife haven, …
24th June 2002The Netherlands is specialising in working towards a vaccine against one specific stage in the malaria parasite’s complex life cycle. We discuss the issues and discoveries and drop in on a …
19th August 2002In this Research File special, Liesbeth de Bakker looks at the surprising applications (and future possibilities) of a poison that is best known for causing botulism. Apart from the cosmetic …
19th September 2002When this programme was recorded in 2002, there were 1.7 million known species. Scientists estimate that there are an additional 20 to 100 million species that have not yet been described. 90% of all …
10th October 2002Laura Durnford examines the life and work of Aletta Jacobs (1854-1929). She was born in the middle of the 19th century, became the first woman to go the university (in 1871!), became a medical doctor …
10th October 2002In this updated version of the programme, which was first broadcast on December 18, 2000, Laura Durnford looks at the progress being made in hand transplants. The programme examines the techniques …
22nd October 2002As life expectancy increases, so is the prevalence of osteoporosis or brittle bone disease. The genesis of osteoporosis is often during childhood. If, for instance, you didn’t like milk as a …
8th November 2002The sheer size and beauty of mountains never ceases to provoke feelings of awe, humility and wonder. But mountains are also important water towers and natural habitats for peoples, plants and …
9th November 2002This programme is part of the series Research FileIn part three of a series on science and society, Liesbeth de Bakker examines the influence science has had on sports. At one time, talent was the …
9th November 2002Laura Durnford investigates the weird and wonderful world of a new type of matter. It is called Bose-Einstein condensate and is very different from the solid, liquid and gaseous states of matter …
29th November 2002The sheer size and beauty of mountains never ceases to provoke feelings of awe, humility and wonder. But mountains are also important water towers and natural habitats for peoples, plants and …
6th December 2002In our efforts to fight disease, we have inadvertently created new strains of bacteria that are immune to our entire arsenal of antibiotics. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), for …
2nd January 2003The tradition of setting off fireworks has existed for centuries in the Netherlands, initially, it was thought, to scare off ghosts. Every year, 2.5 million Dutch families set off 50 million kilos or …
12th January 2003A person with bipolar disorder or manic depression typically can experience mood swings between extreme happiness and the deepest hell. This thoroughly treatable condition is the subject of a widely …
26th January 2003This edition of Sound Fountain is one of a series called “stigma” on various forms of mental phenomena that we tend not to speak about often or candidly. One such mental quirk, …
28th February 2003In the chilly highlands of Iceland, construction is under way. Roads are being made to serve a new hydro-electric power plant, which doesn’t yet exist. If it’s built, this will be about the largest …
21st May 2003The very diverse ways that animals deal with their gender and sexuality and even their sexual preferences are absolutely fascinating. This week’s programme begins with advice from a certain Dr. …
15th August 2003This programme is part of the series Research FileBecause of the high water table in the Netherlands, even wood can be preserved in the Dutch soil for thousands of years, making this country a great …
23rd August 2003This programme is part of the series Research FileThis programme gives us an update on the treatment and prevention of diabetes. There are two types of the disease, but in both cases the increased …
15th October 2003Anne Blair Gould reports from the RAI on the 9th International Symposium on microbial ecology, attended by 1700 microbe ecologists. She meets a host of Dutch and foreign experts who explain the …
21st January 2004For her time, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) was a modern, daring, scandalous, divorced woman who lived in a cloister and at the age of 52 went off to Dutch Suriname to fulfill her calling as a …
24th January 2004The summer of 1783 seemed like the end of the world for European farmers. A dry, foul-smelling fog settled on the land one day—desolating crops, burning plants, and killing people. In one French …
5th March 2004In the early 17th century, Robert Burton’s exhaustive study “The Anatomy of Melancholy” was an immediate best-seller. Nearly four hundred years later, Andrew Solomon included Burton in his own …
17th March 2004Every year the Netherlands is the favourite stopover of millions of migrating birds, including 1.5 million geese. It’s all about location, location, location. The Netherlands has the …
9th April 2004This programme is part of the series Research FileIn this special edition of our weekly science programme marking World Health Day, we focus on the growing worldwide problem of obesity. Scientists …
14th April 2004This is about a Danish research project called Musica Humana which involves music specially composed to relax nervous patients, calm busy nurses and bring deeply anaesthetised patients back to …
16th April 2004In 2004 André Kuipers became Holland’s second person in space, when he travelled to the International Space Station with fellow astronauts from Russia and the United States. Shortly before the …
22nd April 2004To mark the 375th anniversary of the birth of Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695), the Research File looks at this Dutch mathematician, physicist, astronomer and inventor who is widely regarded as one of …
6th May 2004Climate change inevitably affects the life cycles of plants and animals. In this special award-winning edition of the Research File, reporter Daniel Grossman explains the science of observing how …
13th August 2004Sun, fun and snorkeling among the beauties of the sea is what we would like to associate with coral reefs. But disease, bleaching and unsustainable fishing practices are destroying the Earth’s …
29th September 2004Anne Blair Gould asks what biodiversity is and why it’s important to stop the loss of biological diversity (animals, plants, fungi, bacteria). Scientists estimate that species are now going …
4th October 2004This programme is part of the series Research FileA smorgasborg of science subjects in this week’s edition of the Research File: ACT’s – Automatically Controlled Trucks An interview …
9th November 2004Laura Durnford examines the relationship between the Netherlands and the oral contraceptive pill, 40 years after its introduction. Apart from talking to the experts in the field of public health, …
20th April 2005In this edition of our weekly magazine on developments in this country, Dutch Horizons, science editor Anne Blair Gould looks at the 100th anniversary of Natuurmonumenten, the Dutch Society for the …
25th June 2005We know humour is good for our health, but why is this so? What is the science behind the healing that comes from a good laugh? This is one of the questions science editor Anne Blair Gould tries to …
21st August 2005Apart from being fun places to visit, zoos are also places were research is being carried out. In Rotterdam Zoo, they are trying to breed giant Chinese salamanders. In the same zoo’s Oceanium, …
18th November 2005Born in 1936, Jan van Hooff’s childhood predestined him to become a famous animal behavourist. After all, his parents were the directors of Burgers Zoo in Arnhem, and this is where he grew up. …
25th November 2005Govert Schilling is a familiar name on Dutch talk shows and best-selling books about astronomy. He has written dozens of books on space and the stars and has received several awards for popularising …
25th December 2005Part One: Part Two: In this 52-minute interview, science editor Anne Blair Gould speaks with André Kuipers, who in 2004 became the second Dutchman to travel into space. Kuipers talks about his …
27th December 2007Claire Cavanaugh visits the European Space Research and Technology Center, ESTEC, in Noordwijk in Holland’s North Sea dunes. ESTEC is the “brains” of the European Space Agency …