Archive – Science

Swiss say “no” to proposal for cheaper medicine

This content was published on Mar 4, 2001 The government had recommended rejection of the initiative, put forward by the Denner retail chain. While approving the initiative’s goal of cheaper medicines, the government said it went too far. The initiative proposed that all medicines sold in the neighbouring countries of Germany, Italy, France and Austria should automatically be available for sale in Switzerland.…

Car industry grateful for Swiss contribution

This content was published on Mar 2, 2001 Visitors to the Motor Show, which runs until March 11 at the Palexpo exhibition centre, come to marvel at the high-tech concept cars and technical innovations developed by German, Italian and Japanese firms. But what they are almost certainly unaware of is that these are often produced with Swiss help. Some 120 Swiss companies, employing…

Author moves world’s great mysteries to Interlaken

This content was published on Mar 1, 2001 Visitors to Interlaken will soon be able to journey back in time to ancient Egypt or the Mayan kingdom, or travel to Mars. At a ceremony at a disused airfield outside of the resort on March 1, von Däniken and his partners laid the foundation for the “Mysteries of the World” park. They say they…

Swiss see US a sweet land of waste, fast food and problems

This content was published on Feb 28, 2001 Swiss views about America are revealed in a survey of over 1,000 people whose opinions were canvassed by the research institute, GfS. Some 84 per cent said Americans were incapable of getting to the bottom of their problems, and a similar number feel that the US is the supreme example of a land of waste.…

Medical scientists urge end to forced sterilisations

This content was published on Feb 27, 2001 In February 2000, the academy proposed forcibly sterilising mentally handicapped Swiss people who lacked discernment. The proposal was strongly criticised. In place of last year’s directive, the academy has published simple recommendations regarding sterilisation, laid down by their central ethics committee. The committee has to complete the ammendments to the existing directive before it can…

Zurich voted top city in global survey

This content was published on Feb 27, 2001 In third place was Vienna in Austria. Geneva was not far behind, sharing joint fourth place with Copenhagen in Denmark and Sydney, Australia. The Swiss capital, Bern, also scored high marks, making Switzerland the only country to have three cities in the world’s top 10 list. Germany was also well represented, with both Frankfurt and…

Hotel industry kicks off year with record month

This content was published on Feb 27, 2001 The Federal Statistical Office said on Tuesday that Swiss hotels chalked up 2.77 million overnight stays in January, a rise of 4.3 per cent – or 114,000 nights – over the same month last year. The record number of stays comes on the back of one of the industry’s best winters yet, despite poor snow…

Edelweiss smoothes out the wrinkles

This content was published on Feb 25, 2001 Scientists say the Alpine plant protects the skin from the effects of ageing and can therefore prevent wrinkles. Professor Kurt Hostettmann, director of the Institute of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry in Lausanne, explains why the plant is generating such interest: “Edelweiss grows at very high altitude. This means that they are exposed to a very strong…

Minor earthquake hits canton Valais

This content was published on Feb 24, 2001 The quake struck late on Friday night and lasted for 20 seconds. The epicentre was reported to be five kilometres beneath the earth in Sembrencher. Regional police received a number of calls from anxious members of the public, who thought the quake was the result of an explosion or avalanche. Earthquakes occasionally strike Switzerland, but…

Music on the brain

This content was published on Feb 23, 2001 Working with patients suffering from epilepsy at the University Hospital in Zurich, Heinz-Gregor Wieser, professor of neurology, has been looking at how the brain responds to and processes audio information. “We found out that the organisation of music in the brain is in the temporal lobe,” he said. “Several structures here and in other brain…

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Swiss say “no” to proposal for cheaper medicine

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Car industry grateful for Swiss contribution

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Author moves world’s great mysteries to Interlaken

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Swiss see US a sweet land of waste, fast food and problems

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Medical scientists urge end to forced sterilisations

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Zurich voted top city in global survey

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Hotel industry kicks off year with record month

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Edelweiss smoothes out the wrinkles

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Minor earthquake hits canton Valais

More

Music on the brain

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