Archive – Science

ABB wins huge China power orders

This content was published on Dec 18, 2007 The 2,000-kilometre power line will cross the country from western China to the highly industrialised coastal area in the east, said ABB. The company said the line would have the capacity to meet the needs of about 31 million people based on per-head consumption. The link, ordered by China’s State Grid Corporation, is scheduled for…

Gay fruit flies provide courtship clues

This content was published on Dec 17, 2007 While the evolutionary basis for homosexuality remains a mystery, researchers have succeeded in using genetic manipulation or drugs to rapidly turn the flies’ homosexual behaviour on and off. “We discovered that by manipulating a gene we called genderblind, even in the adult flies we were able to modify their courtship towards other males,” said Yaël…

Arctic weather makes an appearance

This content was published on Dec 16, 2007 The minus 25 degrees was measured on the Ofenpass in the eastern canton Graubünden on Saturday night. Valais, in the French-speaking part of the country was not too far behind with minus 22 degrees at Obergoms. Even Italian-speaking Ticino, normally the warmest and sunniest part of Switzerland, was not spared. Temperatures fell to minus seven…

French nuclear plant earthquake risk

This content was published on Dec 13, 2007 They fear earthquake risks have not been properly taken into account at France’s oldest nuclear plant, which began operations in 1977. The site at Fessenheim is considered to be in a seismic-risk zone. The two cantons mandated a private firm to evaluate the potential danger after the French and Swiss authorities did not respond to…

Smoking raises the risk of diabetes

This content was published on Dec 12, 2007 Those who light up regularly face a 44 per cent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with non-smokers, according to data published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. “We knew a few studies had already assessed this link, but we didn’t expect to find so many –…

Funding to help protect tropical forests

This content was published on Dec 11, 2007 The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) announced it would provide SFr8.75 million ($7.75 million) towards the project, which was launched on the sidelines of the Bali climate conference on Tuesday. The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) is aimed at helping developing countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and degradation. According to Seco, almost…

Question marks still hang over Kyoto accord

This content was published on Dec 11, 2007 To help meet its targets, Switzerland, like many other countries, has opted for a carbon credit trading system to reduce pollution. But environmentalists have questioned the practice, saying it is little more than a licence to pollute. The 175-nation Kyoto agreement requires 36 industrial nations to reduce greenhouse gases by an average of five per…

Swiss flip the switch to save the climate

This content was published on Dec 9, 2007 The action, which also took place in Germany and Austria, was intended to send a signal to leaders participating at the two-week international climate change conference in Bali. The organisers in Switzerland said they were satisfied with the action, which was followed by numerous households and companies in Swiss-German regions, particular in Bern, Zurich, Winterthur,…

Swiss scientists join in climate alarm call

This content was published on Dec 6, 2007 They called on participants in the United Nations Climate Conference in Indonesia to reduce levels by at least 50 per cent from their 1990 levels, by the year 2050. Among the signatories are ten researchers from Switzerland, including eight who helped compile this year’s report by the Intergovernmental Climate Change Panel. The researchers are urging…

Swiss spend heavily to learn language of life

This content was published on Dec 5, 2007 About SFr400 million ($357.8 million) is to be invested in this emerging field over the next four years in a research initiative called SystemsX.ch. This sum in one research field is unprecedented in Switzerland. After decoding the genomes – total genetic information – of various plants, animals and microorganisms, systems biology is regarded as the…

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Archive – Science

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ABB wins huge China power orders

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Gay fruit flies provide courtship clues

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Arctic weather makes an appearance

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French nuclear plant earthquake risk

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Smoking raises the risk of diabetes

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Funding to help protect tropical forests

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Question marks still hang over Kyoto accord

More

Swiss flip the switch to save the climate

More

Swiss scientists join in climate alarm call

More

Swiss spend heavily to learn language of life

Popular Stories

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