UNI NOVA – Research Magazine of the University of Basel

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  Dossier

  A shrinking feeling.

  Text: Andreas Grote / With rising sea levels, island and coastal states are losing ever more of their maritime zones. Pacific islands are therefore demanding new rules on drawing boundaries at sea.

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  Dossier

  This far and no further!

  Interview: Noëmi Kern / In everyday life, we set boundaries with our fellow human beings to a greater or lesser extent. Developmental psychologist Alexander Grob explains how this can strengthen our own identity.

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  Dossier

  Noise, foul air and compromises.

  Text: Angelika Jacobs / How much continuous noise can we stand without falling ill? How clean does the air we breathe need to be? Limit values for noise and airborne pollution are intended to protect the population – but are also an area of conflict.

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  Dossier

  No life without boundaries.

  Texts: Yvonne Vahlensieck; Graphic art: Marina Bräm / Biological membranes were a key prerequisite for the first living beings. Then, cooperation across boundaries paved the way for more complex forms of life.

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  Dossier

  New horizons.

  Text und Fotos: Christine Möller / In the world of tiny structures, the boundaries between disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and materials science break down. We look at five examples where researchers meet — and extend — the boundaries of the nanoworld.

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  Opinion

  What challenges does the energy transition bring, Mr. Weigt?

  Text: Hannes Weigt / Renewable energies are intended to replace fossil fuels. Many questions, however, remain unanswered. Some thoughts from experts in economics and in environmental sciences.

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  Opinion

  What challenges does the energy transition bring, Ms. Delzeit?

  Text: Ruth Delzeit / Renewable energies are intended to replace fossil fuels. Many questions, however, remain unanswered. Some thoughts from experts in economics and in environmental sciences.

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  In pictures

  Field research on top of the world.

  Text: Angelika Jacobs / The Arctic is warming at an above-average rate as a result of climate change. Which plant species are still found there today, and where? In the summer of 2023, a small research team set out on the sailing ship Nanuk to answer this question.

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  Portrait

  Voyager through the history of Africa.

  Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher / Africa's written history contains many a blank page. At the University of Basel, historian Julia Tischler studies the continent's history of colonization and missionary engagement in the 19th and 20th centuries.