Archive – Science

A visit to the underworld

This content was published on Jul 4, 2003 A three-metre flight of steps led down from the embankment of the River Aare into the bowels of the earth. Beneath the clean streets, used water, human waste and other detritus are whisked away, out of sight, through 320 kilometres of tunnels spanning the length and breadth of the medieval city. Our guide was Markus…

Dinosaur site wins Unesco accolade

This content was published on Jul 2, 2003 Monte San Giorgio, which lies on the southern shore of Lake Lugano, is famous for its abundance of well-preserved reptile and fish fossils. In the late 19th century, miners began digging for bituminous shale on the Italian side of Monte San Giorgio in order to extract oil to light the street lamps of Milan. What…

Shambhala: Bleu

This content was published on Jul 1, 2003

BeamExpress shines for investors

This content was published on Jun 30, 2003 The company develops next-generation multiple-wavelength arrays and tuneable lasers. BeamExpress delivers its lasers in a semiconductor format, known as a VCSEL. Its target market is optical networking systems’ manufacturers, who provide equipment for metropolitan and access networks. The telecommunications industry has been interested in VCSELs as a replacement for the more expensive, and larger, edge-emitting…

Welcome to the Swiss rainforest

This content was published on Jun 29, 2003 Twelve years in the making, the Masoala rain hall lets visitors glimpse rare plants and animals in a realistic setting. Designed to mimic conditions on Madagascar’s threatened Masoala peninsula, the latest addition to Zurich zoo boasts temperatures in the mid 30s and humidity levels of more than 80 per cent. The building even has its…

Swiss swelter in early summer heat

This content was published on Jun 29, 2003 The blast of African heat is worrying climate experts, threatening the Alpine ecosystem and making some farmers break out into a cold sweat. Unheard of temperatures have been recorded in Switzerland over the past month. While heat waves in June have been a recurrent event in recent years, they have never lasted as long as…

Alpine cultural identity under attack

This content was published on Jun 26, 2003 While some areas are being badly affected by depopulation, others are being swallowed up by ever-expanding urban centres. Werner Bätzing, professor of cultural geography at Germany’s University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, claims the survival of the Alps as a populated landscape with an identity of its own is at stake. According to Bätzing, recent decades have seen…

Old bikes create new hope

This content was published on Jun 26, 2003 The “Drahtesel”, or “Trusty Bike”, scheme near Bern employs out-of-work Swiss people to collect discarded bicycles and make them fit for sale in Africa. The “Trusty Bike” project provides short-term employment for jobless Swiss people, who collect and recycle discarded bicycles for sale in developing countries. Participants are able to gain work experience, while engaged…

Gene chip heralds new era of “tailored medicine”

This content was published on Jun 25, 2003 Experts hope the Roche chip – known as the Amplichip CYP450 – will revolutionise the way drugs are developed, tested and prescribed. Doctors rely on a trial-and-error approach when using advanced drugs. Roche says the gene chip will help avoid exposing patients to potentially dangerous side effects by identifying small variations in two genes affecting…

ISE’s next growth spurt driven by LED boom

This content was published on Jun 24, 2003 The new growth phase is driven by the need to simulate the light reflecting properties of these devices. The software company sells a visualization tool that has been used by semiconductor factory researchers at Intel, Toshiba, and Motorola, for the past ten years. Sales in 2002 were $13.5 million (SFr18 million), reflecting 30 percent growth…

Archive – Science

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Archive – Science

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A visit to the underworld

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Dinosaur site wins Unesco accolade

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Shambhala: Bleu

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BeamExpress shines for investors

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Welcome to the Swiss rainforest

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Swiss swelter in early summer heat

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Alpine cultural identity under attack

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Old bikes create new hope

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Gene chip heralds new era of “tailored medicine”

More

ISE’s next growth spurt driven by LED boom

Popular Stories

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