An accelerating universe won over the students, and a challenge to the myth of human superiority won over the experts.
The fifth Dutch Cosmos Boekenprijs was awarded on 9 October, with two prizes of €1,500 each.
The scholierenjury, made up of 50 secondary school students aged 15 to 18, chose Heelal op hol by Yannick Fritschy, a concise and accessible account of the ever-faster expansion of the universe and of the mystery of dark energy. Fritschy, who studied astronomy and classical languages, is an editor at New Scientist.
The vakjury of experts chose De arrogante aap by primatologist Christine E. Webb, which argues that the belief in human superiority has little scientific support, and explores the complexity of non-human life, from birdsong to coral reefs and fungi. The jury was made up of Peter-Paul Verbeek, Rector Magnificus of the University of Amsterdam, palaeontologist Yanell Braumuller, mathematician Clara Stegehuis and particle physicist Auke Pieter Colijn.
The winning books
- Scholierenjury: Heelal op hol. Over de steeds snellere groei van het universum, Yannick Fritschy (Veen Media)
- Vakjury: De arrogante aap. De mythe van de superieure mens, Christine E. Webb, translated by Frits van der Waa and Evert van der Waa (De Bezige Bij)
Also shortlisted: Peter Berx, Biologie (Borgerhoff & Lamberigts); Toby Walsh, De kortste geschiedenis van AI (De Bezige Bij); Margot Brouwer, Sterrenstof zijn wij (Querido).
Yannick Fritschy with the student jury. Photo: Bram Belloni
