Many reports from antiquity about outbreaks of plague mention Egypt as the source of pestilences that reached the Mediterranean. But was this really the case? Researchers from the University of Basel are conducting a critical analysis to add some context to the traditional view.
Using lasers rather than scalpels and saws has many benefits in surgery. Yet they are only used in isolated cases. But that could be about to change: laser systems are getting smarter and better all the time, as a research team from the University of Basel demonstrates.
Pregnancy and motherhood lead to brain remodeling. A research team at the University of Basel has now discovered through experiments with mice that distinct pools of stem cells in the adult brain are turned on during pregnancy. They give rise to specific types of olfactory bulb neurons, the team reports in “Science”.
The biotech company T3 Pharmaceuticals, a spin-off from the University of Basel, is being acquired by the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. T3 Pharma has developed a novel technology that uses live bacteria to deliver therapeutic proteins to cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment.
Recent research by Basel archaeologist Dorota Wojtczak together with a team of researchers from France and Denmark has shown that engravings in a cave in La Roche-Cotard (France) were actually made by Neanderthals.
When bacteria build communities, they cooperate and share nutrients across generations. Researchers at the University of Basel have been able to demonstrate this for the first time using a newly developed method. This innovative technique enables the tracking of gene expression during the development of bacterial communities over space and time.
People who drink more than three liters of fluid a day may be suffering from a rare hormone deficiency. For many, however, it is just a harmless habit. Failing to differentiate the two correctly can be fatal, so researchers have been investigating what kind of test delivers a reliable diagnosis.
How does electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones affect semen quality? A research team from Geneva and Basel has published a major cross-sectional study on the subject. It shows that frequent use of mobile phones does have an effect on sperm concentration and total sperm count.
How strongly are the ideas of Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk influencing today’s digital economy? An economic sociologist at the University of Basel has analyzed speeches, book contributions and articles from Silicon Valley, demonstrating the emergence of a new spirit of digital capitalism.
