Lia Goltstein We all know that one person who will not touch their food if there is a more exotic ingredient in it. Some individuals even demand that all salad ingredients are put into separate bowls, so they can decide for themselves what is in it. These individuals are fittingly known as picky eaters. Picky eating is characterised by an unwillingness to eat certain familiar foods or to try new foods, as well as having strong food preferences [1]. But how come some individuals will not even … [Lees meer...]
When left is emotionally right
Mylène Gorissen As you are probably all aware of, people have a favour for using either their right or their left hand. This is the result of lateralisation (division) of the brain in two hemispheres, with each its own distinct functions. However, what most of you probably are not aware of is that there is also a lateralisation in the way humans carry their new-born children. Decades of research shows that mothers prefer to carry their baby on the left side of their body using their left arm … [Lees meer...]
DNA: The hard drive of the future?
Jelmer Raaijmakers Ever wondered how many DNA-containing cells you would need to store the latest Avengers movie on your storage device? The previous sentence might sound really strange to you, but utilizing currently available DNA technologies to store large amounts of data (read “digital data”) might be the future of data storage. Data scientist Goldman was talking with his fellow bioinformaticians in a hotel in Hamburg (Germany) one day when the question popped up: “What is to stop us from … [Lees meer...]
Lifting or running: which gives you that six-pack faster?
Quentin Marsman The last few years people are increasingly hitting the gym to work on their physique, most importantly to lose fat. Most men start lifting to increase their muscle mass and acquire the beloved six-pack, whereas most women jump on the treadmill to burn calories and ultimately lose fat and weight. The new Dutch guideline for sports and exercise from 2017 advises people to do muscle and bone strengthening exercises next to cardiovascular exercises, like playing football or running … [Lees meer...]
Pink elephants
Maaike Plug When reading the title, you will possibly think of the Belgian beer ‘Delirium Tremens’, which has a pink elephant as a logo. This beer is very popular among many students on the Friday afternoon drink at the Aesculaaf. But it is also the name of a type of delirium caused by withdrawal from alcohol. According to DSM-5, the criteria for delirium tremens are a reduction in heavy use of alcohol, two or more of the eight symptoms after reducing alcohol consumption, a decreased … [Lees meer...]
A good old nap
Naaz Shareef It is already May, the last month of spring. It is the month where spring flowers bloom massively. However, May is also known as the ‘’Better Sleep Month’’, according to the Better Sleep Council. The purpose of the Better Sleep Month is to raise awareness about sleeping better and the benefits of sleep. Students are familiar with sleep deprivation, for example when they are pulling an all-nighter or cramming for an exam. The first thing students do to catch up on sleep, is … [Lees meer...]
The Placebo Effect: Just a Trick?
Joyce Krekels Some time ago, I went to the RAMS symposium ‘Placebo effect: The Mind as Medicine’, where professor Andrea Evers and PhD student Judith Tekampe from Leiden University spoke about positive (placebo) and negative (nocebo) treatment effects that occur as a result of a patient’s expectations and beliefs about the effect of a certain treatment or its side effects (1). This urged me to dig a little bit deeper into the placebo effect and how it can be applied in the clinic. Remarkably, … [Lees meer...]