High human atmospheric nitrogen emissions lead to a reduction of plant diversity.
Every third teenager has suffered from one mental disorder and one physical disease. So, more often than average, depression occurs together with diseases of the digestive system. These findings were reported by researchers from the Universities of Basel and Bochum. Their results based on data from 6,500 teenagers.
Those suffering from depressive symptoms have an increased risk for physical diseases, especially for arthrosis and arthritis.
The infection biologist Petr Broz, Professor at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, has received one of the highly regarded Career Development Awards from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP).
Prof. Michael N. Hall from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel is is one of the laureates of this year’s “Canada Gairdner International Award”. The award recognizes his discovery of the protein kinase TOR (Target of Rapamycin) and its role as a key regulator of cell growth.
Neural stem cells are the source of millions of nerve cells and other supporting cells in the brain. A specific form of cell division ensures that both the stem cell pool is maintained and sufficient mature cells are generated simultaneously. Researchers from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel report that brain stem cells utilize two separate pathways to ensure correct asymmetric cell division.
Basel Zoologists discovered a coral reef fish, the dusky dottyback that flexibly adapts its coloration to mimic other fishes and in doing is able to prey on their juvenile offspring. By changing colors, the dusky dottyback also decreases its risk of being detected by predators.
Tularemia, aserious infectious disease, is caused by a highly contagious bacterium which invades the cells of the immune system and replicates within them. Researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has discovered that so-called guanylate-binding proteins bind to these intracellular pathogens and destroy them, so activating the defense machinery.
No April fool’s joke: On 1 April, the “FameLab” semifinals are taking place in Basel for the first time.