Timeline

Sex isn’t just about reproduction - at least not for our closest relatives. A new study, co-authored by Utrecht University behavioural biologist Edwin van Leeuwen and the late Frans de Waal, reveals that bonobos and chimpanzees use sex to reduce tension and strengthen social bonds. These findings suggest that the last common ancestor of humans, bonobos, and chimpanzees - over six million years ago - may have already been using sex for social purposes.

Read more about this research here.

The Newsflash delivers quick, bite-sized updates on the latest developments at the Faculty of Science, Utrecht University. In the latest edition, learn more about what grasslands are more vulnerable to extreme drought and how researchers from Utrecht contribute to discussion about the significance of AI for work and research. 

Find out more here.

Researchers from Erasmus University Rotterdam and Erasmus MC have found that early childcare positively impacts children's future school skills and academic performance in grade 8. The study, led by Clair Enthoven and her colleagues, highlights the importance of ensuring equal access to early childcare for all families in the Netherlands. However, the research also reveals that childcare has a limited impact on reducing socioeconomic inequalities in this area for all children.

Find out more about the study here.

On Friday, 13 June 2025 Erasmus School of Economics will host the 7th edition of the Erasmus Corporate Governance Conference. This one-day workshop brings together scholars of Executive Compensation and other fields of Corporate Governance to discuss the latest developments in the field.

This year’s conference will broaden its scope to include papers that focus on agency related corporate governance topics. The keynote speaker is Nadya Malenko, Professor of Finance and Wargo Family Faculty Fellow at Boston College.

Find out more about the conference here.

The Newsflash delivers quick, bite-sized updates on the latest developments at the Faculty of Science, Utrecht University. In the latest edition, discover which human symptoms of depression can also be observed in other primates, such as chimpanzees and gorillas. Additionally, the Newsflash highlights new researchers’ efforts to raise awareness about climate change and explores whether large language models can help organizations extract data to analyze the work processes.

Find out more here.

A cutting-edge AI tool can now predict how well seed potatoes will grow into healthy potato plants. Developed by biologists from Utrecht University in collaboration with TU Delft and plant breeders, the tool uses DNA data from bacteria and fungi found on seed potatoes and drone images of potato fields. “This marks the beginning of a new era in farming, where microbiology and AI come together to enhance agriculture.”

Find out more about this breakthrough here.

After almost eight years of collaborating in interdisciplinary and societal impact-driven research, it is time to showcase the innovations and efforts created by the Erasmus Initiatives. This conference offers an opportunity to reflect on the journey so far—celebrating successes, learning from challenges, and drawing valuable lessons to inform future endeavors. Discussions will explore strategies for sustaining impact-driven research, overcoming interdisciplinary hurdles, and fostering meaningful stakeholder engagement. Attendees will gain insights into how to translate these lessons into actionable plans for their own research and collaborations.

This event is going to take place on Thursday, March 13, and it is open to researchers within and beyond Erasmus University who are engaged or interested in interdisciplinary research and societal impact. Find out more about the event here.

Erasmus University Rotterdam is proud to host the 23rd International Conference on Cultural Economics organized by the Association of Cultural Economics International (ACEI). The conference brings together a diverse range of scholars and practitioners from around the world that share an interest in research into the economic aspects of the arts and culture.

The conference will be held in person, starting on Tuesday, June 24th and ending on Friday, June 27th. Paper abstracts can be submitted by February 1st, 2025. Find out more about the event here.

Over the next five years, Professor Bert Weckhuysen from Utrecht University will investigate how colorants in plastic bottles can be recycled more effectively. During the recycling process, colorants in plastics are often lost — a missed opportunity, according to Weckhuysen. "Colorants and other additives are precisely what give plastic bottles their value. We aim to find a way to recover and reuse these substances."

For this research, Weckhuysen has been awarded a grant from the Circular Plastics NL initiative, funded by the Dutch National Growth Fund. Learn more about this project.

Artificial intelligence allows researchers to better understand and model the complex climate system in ways that were not possible before. In a new article, researchers including Henk Dijkstra, Professor of Dynamical Oceanography at Utrecht University, show that artificial intelligence can help to fill in gaps in climate data, making datasets larger, more complete, and globally consistent.

Read more about the article here.