AI, parasitic plants and losing your way: seven tips for the Night of Discoveries
The Night of Discoveries on 19 December is an evening of art, chance encounters, thought-provoking talks, live music and interactive experiences across seven venues. With so much on offer, where should you begin? Here are seven tips.
From AI to IQ
Leiden AI researcher Thomas Moerland will take you on a journey from the first ideas about thinking machines to the modern algorithms that learn from huge amounts of data. Look with him at the relationship between AI and human brains, and at the possible future of this technology. There’ll be plenty of time for questions and discussion. Come and think about how computers and we humans think.
The psychology of losing your way
How do we find our way, for example at a festival like Night of Discoveries? Most of us rely on maps, instructions and what we see around us, but for a small percentage of people, it’s not quite that simple. They have Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD), a kind of spatial dyslexia, which means they often get lost, even in familiar places. Why is this, and how can we help them? Professor Ineke van der Ham explains in her talk about losing and finding your way.
Escape room: discover the university’s secrets
Can you solve the puzzles set by Leiden University’s founder and discover the university’s secrets? Come to the escape room and find out.
A bizarre botanical world
Animals are fascinating, but plants are dull. Or are they? Step into the weird and wonderful world of plants that strangle and drain their hosts, make strange dietary choices and are experts in camouflage. Rogier van Vugt is Head of Horticulture at the Hortus botanicus and presenter of the BinnensteBuiten TV show. He travels the world to study and photograph these plants in the wild. He will talk about some of his strangest encounters.
AI pub quiz
Are you intrigued by AI or would you like to test your knowledge? Take part in the AI pub quiz organised by young AI researchers from Leiden University’s Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS).
A magnetic sense in humans?
Birds, turtles and even insects can navigate huge distances thanks to the Earth’s magnetic field. But what about us humans? Do we have a hidden sense of direction? Researcher Björn Keyser dives into the human brain and shows what the latest neuroscientific studies reveal. Discover how our internal compass works – and whether we might just sense more than we think.
The Encapsulation of Hope
In a minimalist room, a handwritten poem, AI-generated photos and video form an installation inspired by the myth of Pandora. It is Leiden in the year 2075, and knowledge is transmitted directly into students’ minds, without the need for books or lecturers. Will there be space in this future for wonder, creativity and real human contact?
For the full programme and to buy tickets, see the festival website.