Archive – Science

English dominance leaves academic cold

This content was published on Sep 1, 2004 In an interview with swissinfo, Anne-Claude Berthoud praises the co-existence of German, French and Italian in Switzerland as a model for the European Union. In June Berthoud became president of the Swiss Academy of Social Sciences, which groups about 50 scientific organisations and focuses on promoting research. She is a professor at Lausanne University in…

Scientists pinpoint cause of altitude sickness

This content was published on Aug 31, 2004 Urs Scherrer and Claudio Sartori say studies they have carried out show that High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) is triggered by the lungs’ inability to transport sodium adequately. HAPE can occur when climbers ascend a mountain too quickly. Fluid builds up in the lungs, causing shortness of breath and extreme tiredness. Unconsciousness or even death…

Research enriches Swiss development aid

This content was published on Aug 30, 2004 The programme, which has an initial four-year budget of SFr32.6 million ($25.4 million), is seen as an essential part of Switzerland’s development aid strategy. Leading Swiss institutions, such as the Swiss Tropical Institute in Basel and the Graduate Institute of Development Studies in Geneva, are taking part in the initiative. They are working closely with…

More Swiss seek psychiatric help

This content was published on Aug 30, 2004 Twice as many women as men seek help from a psychiatrist. Around 271,000 people received psychiatric treatment in Switzerland in 2002 – an increase of 0.4 per cent on 1997, according to the study published by the Federal Statistics Office on Monday. The increase was mainly the result of more women seeking help for mental…

Scientists hail malaria breakthroughs

This content was published on Aug 27, 2004 Both involve artemisinin, an ancient Chinese herbal extract, which has been used for centuries to treat the disease. Malaria kills about one million people worldwide each year, many of them children. The parasitic disease, which is spread by mosquitoes, is present in 90 countries in the world but is particularly rife in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists…

Switzerland gets its own Jurassic Park

This content was published on Aug 26, 2004 The prints, which were made as the dinosaurs crossed a Jurassic beach over 150 million years ago, were found in the path of a planned motorway. “This is one of the most, if not the most, important track sites in the world,” said Wolfgang Hug, head of canton Jura’s palaeontology section. The footprints first came…

Study finds hardship among Switzerland’s disabled

This content was published on Aug 26, 2004 The survey – the first of its kind in Europe – comes amid a debate about spending cuts and alleged abuses of the welfare system. According to the study by the Swiss National Science Foundation the current political debate about benefits for disabled people is too focused on financial aspects, and does not take account…

Swiss death expert dies aged 78

This content was published on Aug 25, 2004 Family members said Kübler-Ross, who suffered a series of strokes in 1995, died on Tuesday night of natural causes at her home in Scottsdale, Arizona. Kübler-Ross’s bestselling 1969 book, “On Death and Dying”, explained her theory that the dying go through five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. “She brought the…

Mobile phone antennae spark protests

This content was published on Aug 23, 2004 But they are facing stiff opposition from the public amid fears that the aerials are the source of electromagnetic pollution – which may damage health. The antennae are a part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network, the 3G industry standard being adopted by many mobile operators. Hailed as the future for mobile phones,…

Switzerland takes on new role in South Africa

This content was published on Aug 20, 2004 During an annual conference on Friday, the Swiss development agency said Switzerland would end the ten-year programme it launched to lend stability after apartheid. Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said Switzerland would take aim at poverty in southern Africa, with a new focus that includes other African countries. “Poverty and income disparity are the greatest threats…

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