How advanced are robots? Why do we communicate differently with them than with humans? And why are cats, in the end, perhaps the better companions than robots?

In today’s episode, Antonia talks with Lynn de Rijk about how we communicate with beings that aren’t human, or, differently put: how we communicate with cats and robots. And why that is sometimes anything but straight-forward. Lynn talks about her research at the cat café in Nijmegen and Amazon robots that have already ceased to exist before they even hit the consumer market.

Lynn de Rijk is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Arts and part of the Centre for Language Studies. They investigate how humans attribute meaning to non-verbal conduct – especially between humans and non-humans.

Would you like to learn more about communication between humans, cats, robots and others? Then follow Lynn’s suggestion and have a look at the books Ways of Being by James Bridle and Animal Languages by Eva Meijer.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise

Why has the European far-right become increasingly popular? How do they use religion to shape their anti-immigration discourses? And what role does TikTok play in all of this?

In today’s episode, Jara investigates what is behind the anti-immigration discourse of the European far right. Together with her guest, Kirsten Smeets, she will explore how opponents are created, why religion still plays a role in secular societies, and what makes the far right seem like an emergency break.

Kirsten completed her PhD at Radboud University in the Department of Philosophy, Ethics, and Political Philosophy, and is now a lecturer at Utrecht University in the field of religious studies. In her research, she examines religious contra-identities in the anti-immigration discourse of the European far right.

Do you want to know more about this topic? Follow Kirsten’s tips and read “The Far Right Today” by Cas Mudde or listen to the podcast episode “Why I left Christianity and the Far Right” with Joram Van Klaveren.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise

What is behind a black hole? What do they look like? And how on Earth do you take a picture of one?

In today’s episode, Jara faces one of her childhood fears, namely being sucked into the darkest mystery of the universe – the black hole. How likely is Earth to disappear behind the universe’s final curtain? What would that mean? And what actually is this dreaded black hole, to begin with? Luckily, her guest Heino Falcke has the answers.

Heino is a Professor of Astroparticle Physics and Radio Astronomy at the Institute for Mathematics, Astronomy, and Particle Physics (IMAPP) of the Faculty of Science. Together with his team, Heino was the first one to take a picture of a black hole.

If you want to learn more about black holes, follow Heino’s tip and read his book “Light in the Darkness: Black Holes, the Universe, and Us”.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise

AI seems to have come to stay, but what does the future of artificial intelligence hold? And why is it perhaps one of the most penetrating technologies since the development of language?

In the second part of the AI special, we take a look at the future of AI. Together with Pim Haselager, Antonia talks about how AI might change as a technology – and how humans will likely too. Will reading lose its importance? Can (and should) you generate ideas with the help of artificial intelligence? And how is AI changing the relationship we have to ourselves?

Pim Haselager is a professor of artificial intelligence and a principal investigator at the Donder’s Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour.

This episode is part of a two-part special on Artificial Intelligence. Make sure to also have a look at the first episode of the series about the past and present of AI – and the next Vox magazine on Artificial Intelligence, featuring an interview with Pim Haselager.

How do you persuade an audience? What is ethos, and why is it so important? And what connects ancient philosophers like Aristotle with modern politicians like Donald Trump?

Rhetoric is the answer — at least to many of the questions that arise when taking a closer look at the workings of public discourse. Invented in antiquity, rhetoric still shapes our present and future, and is therefore placed in the spotlight in this episode of In a Nutshell.

Together with her guest Bé Breij, Jara explores the power of rhetoric, its somewhat negative reputation, and how one can analyze the art of persuasion.

Bé is a professor of Latin language and literature, a specialist in ancient rhetoric, and the founder of Peitho, the Radboud knowledge center for rhetoric and persuasion.

Do you want to delve deeper into the world of rhetoric? Follow Bé's tip and read "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith, "Thank You for Arguing" by Jay Heinrichs, and/or "You Are Not Human: How Words Kill" by Simon Lancaster.

And be sure to check out Peitho's website at https://www.ru.nl/en/departments/faculty-of-arts/peitho.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise

Where did AI come from? How is it changing society? And why do we need a European approach to Artificial Intelligence?

In today’s episode, we are tackling the most discussed topic in recent weeks: Artificial Intelligence. Whether people are remaking The Lord of the Rings entirely in the style of Studio Ghibli, power self-driving cars or ask ChatGPT to write their uni assignments, AI seems to be everywhere. But where did it come from? And how is it affecting society right now?

Together with professor of Artificial Intelligence and principal investigator at the Donders Institute Pim Haselager, Antonia talks about the power and the dangers of AI, what human rights respecting AI can look like – and why universities have a more important role to play than they might think.

This episode is part of a two-part special on Artificial Intelligence. Stay tuned for the second part, where we talk about the future of AI – and the next Vox magazine on Artificial Intelligence, featuring an interview with Pim Haselager.

What makes and breaks a good romantic relationship? Why can’t our relationships be perfect? And how can mindfulness help us make better connections?

Ah, romantic relationships. They make us see the world through rose-colored glasses and let us feel thousands of butterflies in our tummies, don’t they? Yet, many people would likely agree that having a romantic relationship can be quite a challenge. So, how to do them right?

In this episode of In a Nutshell, Jara explores the science behind romantic relationships. Her guest, Johan Karremans, offers intriguing insights into the world of interpersonal connections and explains how mindfulness can help us in our relationships with others.

Johan is a Professor at the Behavioural Science Institute. In his research, he investigates what determines the failure and success of social relationships and what role mindfulness can play in our relationships.

Do you want to know more about mindfulness and social relationships? Follow Johan’s tip and read “Buddha’s Brain” by Rick Hanson. And for those who want to start practicing mindfulness themselves, Johan suggests the meditation app “InsightTimer”.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise

Why are we afraid of math? Can you make peace with the school subjects you hate? And how important are feelings and attitudes towards a subject when it comes to doing well? (Spoiler alert: very.)

Everyone has that one subject in school (or at university) they don’t like – and in today’s episode, Antonia is tackling precisely that: the subjects we dislike and the disciplines we are bad in. Or, at least, feel like we are. Together with guest Sanne van der Ven, Antonia explores the interplay of cognition, emotions and school performance. And, more importantly, how to (at least somewhat) overcome it.

Sanne van der Ven is an assistant professor at the Behavioural Science Institute (BSI). She explores children’s differences in subjects like mathematics, reading and spelling and how cognition and emotions can factor into school performance.

Would you like to learn more about math anxiety and the science behind it? Then follow Sanne’s advise and have a take at this YouTube documentary about dyscalculia (in Dutch).

We are now on Instagram!

Do you want to discover interesting research topics? And have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of a podcast? You can now follow us on the official In a Nutshell Instagram account (@inanutshell.podcast).

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise