UNI NOVA – Research Magazine of the University of Basel

• 
  Dossier

  Research tweets.

  Text: Anika Zielenski / Communicating with the community and finding out what other research groups are doing: Six scientists' experiences in their Twitterverse.

• 
  Dossier

  Making politics visual.

  Text: Jonas Frey / Those seeking to win favor with voters are well-advised to be present on social media. How exactly politicians go about this – and how successful they are in their endeavors – is the subject of research by a team of political and computer scientists.

• 
  Dossier

  A disturbing dictionary.

  Text: Urs Hafner / Right-wing populism has been gaining strength for years now. The pandemic provided rich soil for the growth of conspiracy theories. Now, researchers have demonstrated a link between these phenomena based on online comments from right-wing populist circles.

• 
  Dossier

  The manipulation machine.

  Interview: Angelika Jacobs / Advances in artificial intelligence pervade social networks. Data scientist Geoffrey Fucile on the curated self, bots and the battle over the definition of truth.

• 
  Dossier

  Who rules the metaverse?

  Text: Eva Wolfangel / When social media creates virtual realities, many artifacts of the material world play out there. A voyage into a possible future of social media shows what this might look like.

• 
  Opinion

  What does neutrality mean for Switzerland, Georg Kreis?

  Text: Georg Kreis / From participation in international alliances to its stance on the war in Ukraine – Swiss neutrality is in a constant state of renegotiation within Switzerland. A historian and a political scientist reflect on how the role of Switzerland in the international community has developed over time and how it is defined today.

• 
  Opinion

  What does neutrality mean for Switzerland, Laurent Goetschel?

  Text: Laurent Goetschel / From participation in international alliances to its stance on the war in Ukraine – Swiss neutrality is in a constant state of renegotiation within Switzerland. A historian and a political scientist reflect on how the role of Switzerland in the international community has developed over time and how it is defined today.

• 
  In pictures

  A forest without rain.

  Text: Angelika Jacobs / In woodland in Hölstein (Canton of Basel-Landschaft), Ansgar Kahmen’s team studies how trees cope with climate change. A visit to the forest lab.

• 
  Portrait

  The pioneer.

  Text: Yvonne Vahlensieck / Curiosity is the driving force in Maria Hondele's life. In her research, the biochemist is exploring new frontiers in the field of cell biology.