Archive – Science

Solar taxi tour ends in the snow

This content was published on Dec 18, 2008 Plagued by snow, ice and a broken windscreen wiper, the final days of the 53,451 kilometre tour were a chilly challenge for Palmer and his “Solartaxi” team. Despite the difficult conditions, Palmer was a mere 25 minutes late for his homecoming party at the D4 Technopark in Root in canton Lucerne – not bad considering…

Beam me up, Geneva

This content was published on Dec 16, 2008 Researchers at Geneva University have developed a “quantum memory”, capturing a single particle of light (a photon) in a crystal and then reproducing and retransmitting it. The findings, published in last week’s edition of the academic journal Nature, could translate into important applications in the field of quantum cryptography, guaranteeing highly secure communication, and quantum…

Cosmic magnifying glass reveals black hole details

This content was published on Dec 15, 2008 Scientists from the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne were part of a European Space Organisation (ESO) team that employed a magnification effect known as macrolensing, which uses a galaxy as a natural telescope. That effect, combined with the ESO’s Very Large Telescope, provided them with a level of detail 1,000 times greater than the…

Scientists find family of stress-related genes

This content was published on Dec 11, 2008 Didier Trono, lead author of the study, found that a group of genes dubbed KRAB-ZFP allows organisms to absorb and manage stress. Without those genes, creatures have a hard time adapting to external events. The findings were published on Thursday in the online journal “Neuron” and open new avenues for medical treatment. “Nature gives us…

Brain laboratory adds to neuroscience hub

This content was published on Dec 9, 2008 From March 2009 about 200 scientists are expected to start work at the laboratory, which is likely to form part of a future regional neuroscience centre bringing together research teams from the Lake Geneva area. On Monday the university unveiled a 13-tonne, state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner at its Brain and Behaviour Laboratory (BBL),…

Patients take control with chargeable implants

This content was published on Dec 8, 2008 The Activa RC implant, made in Switzerland by the United States firm Medtronic, gives patients more control over abnormal movement symptoms that result from degenerative disorders of the central nervous system. Neurosurgeons carried out procedures on the first two Swiss patients, aged 42 and 37, in November and December, the Bern University Hospital said on…

Nuclear firm funding for cancer study questioned

This content was published on Dec 8, 2008 The decision to allow the firms, Axpo and BKW Energy, to fund around a quarter of the SFr820,000 ($672,000) study raises questions about whether they will try to influence the results, due to be published in 2011. Axpo and BKW Energy support nuclear energy along with a mix of other non-renewable and renewable sources. Last…

Swiss do business out of this world

This content was published on Dec 1, 2008 Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, who leads the delegation, told swissinfo Switzerland’s precision-parts and high-tech industries will continue to play a critical role in space flight. Ministers from Esa’s 18 member states and representatives from the European Union gather every three years in The Hague to discuss the future of the agency’s space programme. The latest meeting took…

Lötschberg 1906-1913

This content was published on Nov 26, 2008 A series of photos documenting the way of life of the Italians who built the first Lötschberg tunnel, put together by historian Susanne Ulrich.

Prehistoric crocodile comes ashore

This content was published on Nov 24, 2008 Up until now, discoveries of the metriorhynchus have only been made in a handful of countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Argentina and Chile. The skeleton was uncovered near the village of Courtedoux in the northwestern Jura mountains, a region already known for yielding numerous fossils, including remains of marine, littoral and terrestrial organisms. Among the…

Archive – Science

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Archive – Science

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Solar taxi tour ends in the snow

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Beam me up, Geneva

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Cosmic magnifying glass reveals black hole details

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Scientists find family of stress-related genes

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Brain laboratory adds to neuroscience hub

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Patients take control with chargeable implants

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Nuclear firm funding for cancer study questioned

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Swiss do business out of this world

More

Lötschberg 1906-1913

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Prehistoric crocodile comes ashore

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