Archive – Science

Biologist wins science prize

This content was published on Sep 3, 2001 “We are mainly interested in responses of plants to stress situations,” said prize-winner, Enrico Martinoia, from Neuchâtel. “We are trying to understand how plants can survive in soils which are contaminated with heavy metals or chemicals and how they then detoxify.” Many soils are heavily contaminated with heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, copper, zinc…

Mixed reaction to probe into Switzerland’s wartime past

This content was published on Sep 1, 2001 The eight studies, published in Bern on Thursday, show how economic, financial and trade agreements struck with Germany and Italy in 1934 and 1935 helped the Axis powers to fund their war efforts. The studies also reveal that Swiss industry cooperated with the Nazi regime, particularly through its subsidiaries in Germany. They are the first…

Roche agrees to lower price of Aids drug in Brazil

This content was published on Sep 1, 2001 The announcement comes a week after Brazil’s health minister, Jose Serra, said he would employ a clause in the country’s 1997 intellectual property law that allows patents to be broken in cases of national emergency or when companies employ abusive pricing policies. At a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Serra said the government would…

Protein research offers hope to stroke victims

This content was published on Aug 31, 2001 The work is a collaboration between the dermatology and psychiatry departments of Geneva University. About 17,000 people a year in Switzerland suffer a stroke. In the United States, some 600,000 people a year are affected. Some strokes are fatal while others cause permanent or temporary disabilities, affecting mobility, speech, vision and even understanding. “We have…

Virus kills cancer tumours in mice

This content was published on Aug 30, 2001 The research at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) in Epalinges sheds light on an existing phenomenon – why some viruses damage cancer cells but spare normal, healthy cells. The research involves a gene called p53 which normally suppresses tumours. In many cancer patients, the p53 gene is defective. The virus exploits that…

Pollution spill kills fish

This content was published on Aug 29, 2001 “It’s an ecological catastrophe,” said Christina Meissner, a spokeswoman for the cantonal environment department. “The Allondon is affected almost yearly by cases of pollution but this is the worst we’ve ever recorded. “It completely wipes out all the efforts the authorities in Geneva have undertaken to protect nature.” The Allondon, whose source is in the…

Top medical body supports research on surplus embryos

This content was published on Aug 29, 2001 In its latest guidelines, the Academy’s ethics committee has endorsed research on human embryos, produced by in vitro fertilisation. However, the organisation opposes the synthesis of embryos purely for research purposes, as well as therapeutic cloning. Human embryonic stem cell research is one of the most contentious areas of scientific investigation. It allows scientists to…

Two-thirds of Gondo disaster funds spent

This content was published on Aug 26, 2001 Roland Jeanneret, spokesman for Solidarity Chain, told swissinfo that two-thirds of the SFr74 million has already been spent, and reconstruction of the village of Gondo was not even included in those expenses, he said. Between October 11 and October 15 last year, 13 people were killed and many others lost their homes in Gondo, in…

Matchmakers seek mates for lonely beavers

This content was published on Aug 25, 2001 The dam-builders were hunted to extinction in Switzerland at the beginning of the 19th century for their fur and for food. However, between 1958 and 1977, 140 beavers were released into the wild. Today, their number has almost trebled. “Between 350 and 400 beavers currently live in Switzerland but the next step is to try…

Ombudsman gnashes teeth over dental costs

This content was published on Aug 25, 2001 Werner Marti, director of the price surveillance office, has issued a public warning that dentists are not making the cost of treatment easily available to the public. “In our opinion, every patient should have the possibility to look into the prices before he sees a dentist,” Marti said in an interview with swissinfo. The Swiss…

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Archive – Science

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Biologist wins science prize

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Mixed reaction to probe into Switzerland’s wartime past

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Roche agrees to lower price of Aids drug in Brazil

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Protein research offers hope to stroke victims

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Virus kills cancer tumours in mice

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Pollution spill kills fish

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Top medical body supports research on surplus embryos

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Two-thirds of Gondo disaster funds spent

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Matchmakers seek mates for lonely beavers

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Ombudsman gnashes teeth over dental costs

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