Archive – Science

The world’s longest stairway

This content was published on Jul 31, 2009 The 11’674 steps running alongside the funicular tracks of the Niesen Railway make the stairway the longest anywhere, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Once a year, the steps are opened for a running competition up the 2,336 metre-high mountain. (Gaby Ochsenbein and Christian Raaflaub, swissinfo.ch)

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Mountain dwellers have fewer heart problems

This content was published on Jul 30, 2009 Even just being born in the mountains has a beneficial effect, according to researchers at the university’s Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine. “We could show that the risk of dying of a heart attack decreased by 22 per cent for each 1,000 metres of increase in altitude,” David Fäh, the study’s author, told swissinfo.ch.…

Geneva inaugurates UN lake water project

This content was published on Jul 30, 2009 The thermal-exchange network will allow UN agencies and other international and non-governmental organisations to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions and conserve water. “The UN has played a pioneering role,” said State Councillor Robert Cramer on Wednesday, adding that the SFr33-million ($30.3-million) project “symbolized Geneva’s commitment to renewable energies”. The network should allow the UN to cut 2,000…

Solar Boat

This content was published on Jul 29, 2009 In 2006,a Swiss-built solar vessel became the first sun-powered boat to cross the Atlantic. The 14-metre “Sun21” catamaran took six months to cover 13,000 kilometers. The solar energy captured by mounted photovoltaic panels was used to power the boat’s electric motors and any surplus was stored in batteries, allowing it to travel at a constant…

Caution urged over caesarean trend

This content was published on Jul 27, 2009 The Geneva University Hospital team compiled health data for nearly 60,000 newborns between 1982 and 2004 – the largest ever Swiss study to compare neonatal outcomes across the different delivery methods and pregnancy times. Over the 20-year period, 13 per cent of births were delivered by caesarean, of which one third were elective – performed…

Tamiflu to be reimbursed by insurers

This content was published on Jul 26, 2009 The medicine, used to treat the H1N1 virus, will be made available free from August 1 to hospital patients, children aged over three and adults aged over 65. A box of ten Tamiflu pills costs around SFr80 ($74). The Federal Health Office confirmed on Sunday that even though pregnant women were a risk group for…

Defending the cup

This content was published on Jul 23, 2009 Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli unveiled an impressive catamaran dubbed the Alinghi 5 that will defend the 33rd America’s Cup, scheduled to be held in February. The team sails under the colours of the Société Nautique de Genève.

SCIENCEesuisse

This content was published on Jul 22, 2009 SCIENCEsuisse is an introduction to the fascinating world of science, focusing on the country’s role as a centre for international research. The series, directed by leading Swiss filmmakers, profiles 25 outstanding researchers from a wide range of disciplines. We find out which projects top researchers are working on and what scientists are pondering in the…

Sweaty robot tests fabric

This content was published on Jul 21, 2009 Sam – short for Sweating Agile Thermal Manikin – was developed for use in research and industry, notably for testing fabrics. Sam is the brainchild of physicist Mark Richards and is the most evolved of the robots developed by makers, Humanikin, a spin-off of the St Gallen-based federal laboratory for material testing and research. Richards…

Swiss astronaut shares memories of moon landing

This content was published on Jul 19, 2009 Claude Nicollier tells swissinfo.ch that when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their first steps on the Moon 40 years ago it was like a childhood dream come true. Nicollier joined the United States space agency, Nasa, in 1980 to become a member of the team of future space shuttle specialists. He later took part…

Archive – Science

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Archive – Science

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The world’s longest stairway

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Mountain dwellers have fewer heart problems

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Geneva inaugurates UN lake water project

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Solar Boat

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Caution urged over caesarean trend

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Tamiflu to be reimbursed by insurers

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Defending the cup

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SCIENCEesuisse

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Sweaty robot tests fabric

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Swiss astronaut shares memories of moon landing

Popular Stories

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