Archive – Science

Bat lovers sing the virtues of a maligned mammal

This content was published on Aug 24, 2001 “These are lovely little animals, not blood-sucking vampires,” says Volker Mahnert, director of Geneva’s Natural History Museum, home of the Swiss Bat Centre. “Hardly anyone has ever seen one of them close up. We want people to get to know them and walk away a positive image,” he told swissinfo. The fifth edition of Bat…

Brazil patent threat takes Roche by surprise

This content was published on Aug 23, 2001 The Brazilian government made the move on Wednesday, saying the medication was urgently needed by sufferers and that it did not have the funds to pay for it. The drug, called Viracept or Nelfinavir, is a vital ingredient in the drugs cocktail which Brazil supplies to thousands of people with Aids. The compound is designed…

Brazil to break patent on Roche Aids drug

This content was published on Aug 23, 2001 Brazil’s health minister, Jose Serra, said on Wednesday that he would employ a clause in the country’s 1997 intellectual property law which allows patents to be broken in cases of national emergency or when companies employ abusive pricing policies. “After six month of negotiation and after exhausting all the possibilities for an agreement with Roche…

Greenpeace slams Novartis over GM baby food

This content was published on Aug 21, 2001 Greenpeace said it had detected huge amounts of genetically modified soya in Gerber baby food in the Philippines. Gerber is a subsidiary of Novartis. It said tests conducted by an internationally licensed laboratory in Hong Kong had found that between 34 and 66 per cent of the food’s content had been genetically modified. “That’s a…

Watch this space…

This content was published on Aug 21, 2001 Feature Preview If the walls could talk, the Bellevue would have stories to tell. Along with the hotel on Wengern Alp, it has seen countless illustrious guests pass through its doors – from Lord Byron, Sir Leslie Stephen and Marx and Engels. The two hotels have been in the same family hands now for five…

Watch this space…

This content was published on Aug 21, 2001 Feature Preview Many 17th and 18th century men, from scientists to peasants, made contributions to the development of the ice age theory. But it wasn’t until the early 19th century that the theory and the movement of glaciers was properly defined, thanks in no small part to experiments carried out in extreme and primitive conditions…

Watch this space…

This content was published on Aug 21, 2001 Feature preview Switzerland is bidding to have the “Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn” region declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. Unesco is expected to decide later this year. If the bid is successful, it will be the first time a natural region of the Alps is rewarded with such an honour. The bid has drawn attention to the fragility…

Archaeological find sheds light on Switzerland’s Jewish past

This content was published on Aug 17, 2001 Officials in canton Aargau said on Friday that researchers excavating the former Roman town of Augusta Raurica had found the ring while digging at the site of a house dating from the second or third century. The bronze finger ring bears the traditional seven-candle Jewish “menorah” symbol. It also depicts a ram’s horn, symbolizing Rosh…

Underwater “city” reveals clues about origin of life

This content was published on Aug 17, 2001 During their research some 15 kilometres from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the scientists discovered a new type of hydrothermal vent in the ocean floor, which they believe provides ideal conditions for bacteria to develop. “At first, we thought we were looking at a very unusual coral field consisting of very intricate, beautiful white structures,” said Gretchen…

Roche plans to launch Aids-fighting drug

This content was published on Aug 15, 2001 The drug, named T-20, is being developed with the United States biotech firm Trimeris Inc., and is expected to be available in 2003. Roche chairman Franz Humer said he anticipates that it will gain approval in the United States and Europe, and would later be more widely used. “If the data is good, I would…

Archive – Science

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

Archive – Science

More

Bat lovers sing the virtues of a maligned mammal

More

Brazil patent threat takes Roche by surprise

More

Brazil to break patent on Roche Aids drug

More

Greenpeace slams Novartis over GM baby food

More

Watch this space…

More

Watch this space…

More

Watch this space…

More

Archaeological find sheds light on Switzerland’s Jewish past

More

Underwater “city” reveals clues about origin of life

More

Roche plans to launch Aids-fighting drug

Popular Stories

Most Discussed