UNI NOVA – Research Magazine of the University of Basel

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  Research

  Fact 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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  Dossier

  Money, 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.

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  Dossier

  Investing begins in the mind.

  Text: Noëmi Kern / Many people are nervous about putting their capital in financial assets. But not investing also comes with risks. The economist Jacqueline Henn specializes in financial market theory. Her aim is to help people become more financially literate. She explains what to consider when investing, and the role that time plays.

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  Dossier

  The laws of poverty.

  Interview: Urs Hafner / Anyone who has to live on less than three dollars a day has to become the manager of their own survival. At the same time, poverty is being criminalized, as legal scholar Krista Nadakavukaren Schefer explains.

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  Dossier

  Living on credit.

  Text: Tobias von Rohr / Money is based on a system of trust, promises and expectations. This makes it possible to accrue debts. Far from being a deviation from the norm, debts are the foundation of a modern economy.

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  Dossier

  How can banks better protect themselves against crises?

  Text: Barbara Spycher / Major banks must not be allowed to fail. Yet taxpayers shouldn’t end up footing the bill for bailouts. This is why we need new ideas for regulating banks.

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  Dossier

  Digital gold.

  Text: Fabian Schär / Bitcoin is a purely digital currency, so why does it have value? And what opportunities and risks are associated with it? Crypto expert Fabian Schär offers his perspective.

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  Dossier

  A cashless future.

  Text: Michelle Isler / How would a society without coins and banknotes function? And what role does the government play in this? A thought experiment.