Why has the European far-right become increasingly popular? How do they use religion to shape their anti-immigration discourses? And what role does TikTok play in all of this?

In today’s episode, Jara investigates what is behind the anti-immigration discourse of the European far right. Together with her guest, Kirsten Smeets, she will explore how opponents are created, why religion still plays a role in secular societies, and what makes the far right seem like an emergency break.

Kirsten completed her PhD at Radboud University in the Department of Philosophy, Ethics, and Political Philosophy, and is now a lecturer at Utrecht University in the field of religious studies. In her research, she examines religious contra-identities in the anti-immigration discourse of the European far right.

Do you want to know more about this topic? Follow Kirsten’s tips and read “The Far Right Today” by Cas Mudde or listen to the podcast episode “Why I left Christianity and the Far Right” with Joram Van Klaveren.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise

What is behind a black hole? What do they look like? And how on Earth do you take a picture of one?

In today’s episode, Jara faces one of her childhood fears, namely being sucked into the darkest mystery of the universe – the black hole. How likely is Earth to disappear behind the universe’s final curtain? What would that mean? And what actually is this dreaded black hole, to begin with? Luckily, her guest Heino Falcke has the answers.

Heino is a Professor of Astroparticle Physics and Radio Astronomy at the Institute for Mathematics, Astronomy, and Particle Physics (IMAPP) of the Faculty of Science. Together with his team, Heino was the first one to take a picture of a black hole.

If you want to learn more about black holes, follow Heino’s tip and read his book “Light in the Darkness: Black Holes, the Universe, and Us”.

Edit: Jara Majerus

Cover: Antonia Leise

AI seems to have come to stay, but what does the future of artificial intelligence hold? And why is it perhaps one of the most penetrating technologies since the development of language?

In the second part of the AI special, we take a look at the future of AI. Together with Pim Haselager, Antonia talks about how AI might change as a technology – and how humans will likely too. Will reading lose its importance? Can (and should) you generate ideas with the help of artificial intelligence? And how is AI changing the relationship we have to ourselves?

Pim Haselager is a professor of artificial intelligence and a principal investigator at the Donder’s Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour.

This episode is part of a two-part special on Artificial Intelligence. Make sure to also have a look at the first episode of the series about the past and present of AI – and the next Vox magazine on Artificial Intelligence, featuring an interview with Pim Haselager.