Why do people kill?

Science & Cocktails is proud to present a unique episode about some of the worst sides of human experience and what science has managed to uncover about the nature of our dark side. Alette Smeulers, professor at the University of Groningen, has spent a lifetime trying to understand why people commit massive atrocities, and will tell you what she found out. Before that Debra Dambo Dinning Orchestra plays inciting notes and rhythms.

The war in Palestine; the war in Ukraine; repressive regimes which torture, rape and kill; the terror attacks all over the world – these are all crimes that shock the human conscience and horrify us into disbelief and yet they dominate our news channels. Who are the people behind this violence and why do they torture, rape and kill? What kind of people are they? What motivates them to do this? How do they see their own crimes? What makes them resort to violence? But also: How can we stop them?