Archive – Science

Tunnel device targets truck fire risk

This content was published on Jul 11, 2008 Designed by innovative Swiss software firm ECTN, the device detects heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) that are overheating. It is said to be the first of its kind in Europe. The two-way Gotthard tunnel, a main traffic axis which links north and south Europe, can carry up to 1,000 vehicles an hour. At 16.9 kilometres long,…

Study finds Aids treatment gap is closing

This content was published on Jul 8, 2008 While the study, published in the online journal PLos Medicine on Tuesday, is a vote of confidence for the standardised drug treatments South Africa provides to its millions of patients, the authors also call for greater efforts to be made to ensure people are diagnosed and treated earlier. The World Health Organization backed the study,…

Butterfly zoo celebrates 20th anniversary

This content was published on Jul 3, 2008 Butterfly zoo celebrates 20th anniversary.

Scientists map brain’s wiring diagram

This content was published on Jul 2, 2008 It provides a draft of the connections in the cerebral cortex – the outer layer of the brain responsible for activities such as reasoning and planning – and fills in some of the important blanks concerning this organ. The scientists used a variation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), known as diffusion spectrum imaging, to study…

Switzerland hoists sail at World Expo

This content was published on Jun 27, 2008 Friday is Swiss day at the exhibition. President Pascal Couchepin is visiting, with a delegation made up of representatives of politics, diplomacy and business. In his opening speech, Couchepin underlined the importance of water as a vital resource. Water and sustainability are the themes of the Expo. Visitors enter the site across a pedestrian bridge…

Zurich secures $90 million nanotech laboratory

This content was published on Jun 25, 2008 The pioneering deal will enhance Zurich’s status as one of the world’s leading centres in the cutting-edge science and allows for further collaborations with companies and institutions. The $90 million (SFr93.5 million) research facility will be built in Rüschlikon, along Lake Zurich, by the spring of 2011. It will house 900 square metres of “cleanroom”…

Solar-powered aircraft sets endurance record

This content was published on Jun 23, 2008 The 2.6-kilogram autonomously controlled Sky-Sailor flew more than 27 hours to complete the 874.4 kilometre journey at an altitude of between 200 and 400 metres. It was not the first aircraft of its kind to fly more than 24 hours, researchers said, but was the first to do so without using thermal winds or altitude…

How the Swiss watch their language

This content was published on Jun 23, 2008 But despite its name, it is a work of immense scholarship. The title derives from the Greek word for “peculiar”: the Idiotikon is a comprehensive dictionary of spoken and written German in the form peculiar to Switzerland. Switzerland has four national languages – German, French, Italian and Romansh – each of which has its own…

Ice cores reveal abrupt climate change

This content was published on Jun 20, 2008 Studying data from Greenland ice cores, the researchers said the information could prove groundbreaking for forecasting sudden changes to the climate in future. The researchers – using a Swiss-developed system – looked at the ice year for year over a 3,000 year period, according to a report in the journal Science published on Friday. The…

Young scientists prepare for lift-off

This content was published on Jun 18, 2008 The project is one of nine CubeSats accepted by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the first mission of the new European rocket Vega. It was pitted against a total of 22 proposals submitted by students at European universities. CubeSat is a generic name for a satellite measuring only 10x10x10cm and weighing not more than…

Archive – Science

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Archive – Science

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Tunnel device targets truck fire risk

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Study finds Aids treatment gap is closing

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Butterfly zoo celebrates 20th anniversary

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Scientists map brain’s wiring diagram

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Switzerland hoists sail at World Expo

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Zurich secures $90 million nanotech laboratory

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Solar-powered aircraft sets endurance record

More

How the Swiss watch their language

More

Ice cores reveal abrupt climate change

More

Young scientists prepare for lift-off

Popular Stories

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