Neuropsychologist Mariska Kret through to top 5 Science Talent
Neuropsychologist Mariska Kret is through to the next round in the 2016 Science Talent contest organised by New Scientist magazine.
Public votes and jury assessment
In two and a half weeks, almost 9,000 people have voted for the most talented young scientists in the Netherlands and Flanders. A jury has also assessed the candidates and five finalists have been chosen. Leiden historian Karwan Fatah-Black was one of the 25 nominees, but he didn't make it to the top 5.
Non-verbal emotions
Mariska Kret (1982) studies how people express their emotions via non-verbal channels and how these emotions are received. She also looks at the influence of interactions on trust, cooperation and competition. As part of her research she analyses changes in the body and brain during different emotions, in the lab and in real life. To find out more about the evolution of emotions, her research includes animals related to humans, such as chimpanzees and bonobos. She recently studied emotions in bonobos at the zoo in Apenheul, the Netherlands, having introduced the animals to touchscreens. This turned out to be groundbreaking research that made it to the world press.
Prize ceremony 22 September
On 22 September Kret and the other four finalists will be present at the New Scientist Live: Brein event in Amsterdam. All five of them will make a presentation on their research. At the end of the event, the winner will be announced and the prize will be awarded.