Love, war and... football: 2024 in Leiden stories
A new government, conflicts around the world and obviously a lot of science: these are the five stories about Leiden University that you enjoyed reading in 2024.
Dutch ports and airports a target
Although the war in Ukraine might feel like a distant problem, experts warn that the risk of threats closer to home is real. Leiden Professor of War Studies, Frans Osinga, confirms this. ‘If a NATO country is attacked, Article 5 applies and American units can suddenly land in Rotterdam and be transported to the eastern border. That makes Dutch ports and airports a logical target for Russian missiles and they can be here within minutes. So the threat is close to hand.’
The interview with Osinga receives an honourable mention because it is by far our most-read story of 2024.
Cabinet with Leiden influences
It took almost six months for the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB to reach an agreement and for the Schoof I cabinet to be a fact. Alumni from Leiden University are interesting as it is, particularly if they end up in government. So people were curious about which cabinet members started out in Leiden. Their numbers have since decreased by one: Junior Minister Nora Achahbar (Dutch Law in Leiden) resigned in November because of ‘polarising language’. Who are the remaining four? Read our story to find out.
Just not feeling it
Men overestimate their chances on the dating market, and then some. This was the somewhat confronting message of psychologist Iliana Samara’s PhD dissertation. She spent four years researching what causes romantic attraction between people. Eye trackers and a speed date provided the research data needed. Samara discovered that we mirror the body language of people we find attractive. A broad smile during a date does not bode well for the future, however, and men who would like to meet an attractive date again overestimate their chances. But then again, nothing ventured...
How to beat your colleagues in the work football pool
We won’t mention the Dutch team’s performance in the semi-final. Although to be fair they didn’t do too badly at Euro 2024. So orange-loving colleagues, friends and family will have done quite well in the football pools. A tip for the Women’s Euro in 2025 or the Men’s World Cup in 2026: take a scientific approach to football pools. And statistician Marjolein Fokkema has an important tip too: switch off your emotions, however much you want your country to win.
More pavement gardens please!
Often little more than a square metre and sometimes even less, pavement gardens are worth their weight in gold to urban animals and plants. Ecologist Joeri Morpurgo spent days crawling around the centre of Amsterdam and The Hague. He identified a mind-boggling 235 plant and 154 insect species. ‘That’s a gigantic number of species, more even than is usually found in natural areas’, he said. Should you be wondering what to ask for from Santa, Morpurgo has a tip. ‘Out with the tiles and in with the planters!’ The greener, the better – in towns too.
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