Prof. Marek Basler from the Biozentrum at the University of Basel and Prof. Paola Picotti from the ETH Zurich have been selected to receive the Friedrich Miescher Award 2018. This prize is Switzerland's highest distinction for young scientists working in the field of biochemistry.
After a wage increase, people tend to be more satisfied with their jobs – and even more so when what they have gained exceeds the wage increases of their colleagues. Yet, this effect on job satisfaction is not persistent, find two economists from University of Basel.
Astronomers have examined the distribution and movement of dwarf galaxies in the constellation Centaurus, but their observations do not fit with the standard model of cosmology that assumes the existence of dark matter.
A diagnosis of cancer causes huge psychological stress, but many patients do not receive any psychological support. An online stress management program can significantly improve their quality of life, as shown by a study conducted by researchers from the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel.
Researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, together with researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Dresden, have set up a novel lab-on-a-chip with accompanying automatic analysis software. As they report in Nature Communications, this integrated setup can be used to study gene regulation in single bacterial cells in response to dynamically controlled environmental changes.
Physicists have developed a technique based on optical microscopy that can be used to create images of atoms on the nanoscale. In particular, the new method allows the imaging of quantum dots in a semiconductor chip.
Ethicists from the University of Basel have outlined a new biosecurity framework specific to neurotechnology. While the researchers declare an outright ban of dual-use technology ethically unjustified, they call for regulations aimed at protecting the mental privacy and integrity of humans.
Prof. Silvia Arber, Neuroscientist at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, receives the Pradel Research Award 2018. She receives the award by the National Academy of Sciences for her groundbreaking research on the organization and function of circuits regulating motor behavior.
In Switzerland, 5,500 operations to combat morbid obesity are conducted every year. Gastric bypasses and sleeve gastrectomy operations perform similarly: patients lose two-thirds of their excess weight in the long term. When it comes to gastric acid reflux, the bypass clearly shows better results.
