The European Research Council has awarded ERC Starting Grants to two scientists from Basel. The prestigious funding goes to the biochemist Prof. Dr. Maria Hondele from the University of Basel and Dr. Johannes Felsenberg from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research.
Fake news is not a phenomenon that only affects the educationally disadvantaged in our society. Academics are also prey to it, says social psychologist Professor Rainer Greifeneder. He has recently published a new book on the subject.
Researchers have revealed a new molecular mechanism by which bacteria adhere to cellulose fibers in the human gut. Thanks to two different binding modes, they can withstand the shear forces in the body.
At the Biozentrum of the University of Basel two new professors have been appointed: Professor Knut Drescher as Associate Professor of Microbiology and Biophysics, and Professor Anissa Kempf as Assistant Professor of Neurobiology. Furthermore, the University Council has promoted five lecturers and appointed three adjunct professors.
Soil loss due to water runoff could increase greatly around the world over the next 50 years due to climate change and intensive land cultivation. This was the conclusion of an international team of researchers led by the University of Basel, which published the results from its model calculation in the scientific journal PNAS.
In the body, so-called programmed cell death prevents cells with irreparable damage from surviving and turning into cancer cells. In the “EMBO Journal”, researchers at the University of Basel’s Biozentrum, report how a certain protein variant thwarts the self-destruction and thus promotes the growth of breast cancer cells.
The endogenous regulation of a specific gene is associated with a reduced risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder following a terrifying experience. In particular, traumatic memories of the experience are less severe. Researchers from the University of Basel have reported these findings in the scientific journal PNAS.
By layering different two-dimensional materials, physicists at the University of Basel have created a novel structure with the ability to absorb almost all light of a selected wavelength. The achievement relies on a double layer of molybdenum disulfide. The new structure’s particular properties make it a candidate for applications in optical components or as a source of individual photons, which play a key role in quantum research. The results were published in the scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Researchers at the University of Basel in collaboration with colleagues from Pisa have developed a new concept that uses the electron spin to switch an electrical current. In addition to fundamental research, such spin valves are also the key elements in spintronics – a type of electronics that exploits the spin instead of the charge of electrons. The results were published in the scientific journal Communications Physics.