What a year: our most-read articles of 2025
The Russian threat to Europe, pro-Palestine protests, the passing of psychologist Andrea Evers and speculations on extraterrestrial life. These were among our most popular articles of the year.
Europe’s security looks uncertain now that President Trump has started negotiations with Russia. That’s what we wrote back in February, soon after Trump’s return to the White House. What does this mean for the Netherlands? What do we need to do? We put these pressing questions to Professor of War Studies Frans Osinga. Trump was undermining the international organisations that ensure our security and prosperity, Osinga said. Tensions were already simmering in Europe, with cable cutting, cyber attacks and later the drones. Europe is on its own when it comes to deterring aggression, said Osinga. This seems more apt than ever at the end of this turbulent year.
War with Russia more likely now Trump has spurned Europe
Strategic voting
After the fall of the Schoof government, the Netherlands went to the polls again in October. Many people wondered whether to vote strategically; for instance, to prevent a certain party from emerging as the victor. Political scientist Andrei Poama and his team studied this phenomenon. Strategic voting isn’t just a rational decision, he argued. ‘It’s a question of moral and political compromise.’ The researchers concluded that strategic voters often experience strong emotions such as sadness, regret, frustration and shame.
How to tell if your strategic vote is truly strategic
Pro-Palestine protests
The devastating war in Gaza has caused widespread grief and deepened global divisions. There was also unrest at the university this year, with demonstrations and university buildings being occupied. The exchange programmes with Israeli universities had already been frozen, and no new collaborations may be started. The university held various debates on the topic and a special committee will issue recommendations about academic ties with Israel at the start of 2026. Read more in our Israel-Palestine dossier.
In memoriam Andrea Evers
The death of Andrea Evers (1967-2025), Professor of Health Psychology, had a huge impact. She was a driving force at the Institute of Psychology, the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, the university and beyond. Evers conducted groundbreaking research on the power of the placebo effect and its opposite, the nocebo. Her research helped lay the foundation for understanding how psychological and behavioural factors play a crucial role in the course and outcome of medical conditions.
In memoriam: Andrea Evers (1967 - 2025)
Speculations about extraterrestrial life
Researchers analysed almost 30 years of communication on astrobiology, the study of life in the universe. They studied speculations and promises in academic papers, press releases and news articles. News articles proved most speculative, especially via quotes from scientists. The most common speculations were about the conditions for extraterrestrial life, followed by those on the existence of life itself. Exoplanet research is particularly often accompanied by high expectations about extraterrestrial life, they wrote in PLOS One.
Speculations about extraterrestrial life peak in news articles
New insights about Homo erectus
Archaeological finds off the coast of Java, Indonesia provide insight into the world of Homo erectus, 140,000 years ago. During dredging operations in the Madura Strait, Leiden archaeologists found the fossilised remains of 36 vertebrate species and two skull fragments of Homo erectus. The finds provide a unique picture of how and where these early humans lived, said Leiden archaeologist Harold Berghuis.
Homo erectus from the seabed, new archaeological discoveries in Indonesia