UNI NOVA – Research Magazine of the University of Basel
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In conversationThe psychology of why we take risks.
Interview: Catherine Weyer / Why does the same situation feel risky to one person and safe to another? Psychologist Loreen Tisdall explains how emotions, experience and age shape our perception of risk. And why recognizing a danger doesn’t always stop us from taking a chance.
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OpinionBanning social media for young people, Professor Gradl-Dietsch?
Text: Gertraud Gradl-Dietsch, psychiatrist / A ban aims to protect young people from the risks of social media, but what would they also be losing out on? Perspectives from child and adolescent psychiatry.
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OpinionBanning social media for young people, Professor Wolfers?
Text: Lara Wolfers, media psychologist / A ban aims to protect young people from the risks of social media, but what would they also be losing out on? Perspectives from media psychology.
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ResearchNoah’s Ark for the global elite: Safe havens from climate change
Text: Samuel Schlaefli / Exclusive safari lodges in Namibia, luxury resorts in Antarctica or smart cities in Mauritius: Global elites are creating havens for a world shaped by climate change. A University of Basel research project examines how these places take shape and what they mean for local communities.
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ResearchCrisis and disaster in antiquity.
Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher / Ancient historians interpreted difficult times very differently than we do today. Classicist Gunther Martin believes their perspectives are especially worth revisiting in our own troubled times.
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ResearchEffective correspondence: How letters encourage patients to switch to generic drugs.
Text: Tobias von Rohr / A Swiss study found that patients who received personalized information from their health insurer were around four times more likely to choose cheaper medication. The findings also helped prompt a change in federal policy.
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Fact CheckFact check: Electromagnetic hypersensitivity?
Text: Martin Röösli / Some people report being particularly sensitive to electromagnetic fields. Epidemiologist Martin Röösli debates whether cellphone masts and Wi-Fi hotspots are really to blame for their symptoms.
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In conversation“The U.N. is being put to the test like never before.”
Interview: Samuel Schlaefli* / Iran, Venezuela, Gaza, Ukraine: International law is being violated all over the world. We talk to Andreas Müller, an expert on international law, about the past and present of a fragile but enduring concept.
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DossierMoney, myths and might.
Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher / The oldest coins in the Mediterranean were found in what is now western Turkey, but the circulation of coinage was not ubiquitous in the ancient world. Rather, bartering was the dominant economic system, particularly in times of crisis.
