Directors, trustees, Executive Board members: members of Switzerland’s Federal Parliament often have other duties in addition to their political office and occupation. Researchers in political science at the University of Basel have investigated how these alliances affect political developments.
Global warming is leading to longer growing seasons worldwide, with many plants growing earlier in spring and continuing longer in autumn thanks to warmer temperatures—so the general opinion. Now, however, plant ecologists at the University of Basel have been able to show that this is not the case for the most common type of alpine grassland in the European Alps, where an earlier start leads to earlier aging and leaves the grassland brown for months.
The introduction of the general right to vote for women in Switzerland contributed significantly to their emancipation. Researchers at the University of Basel have now retrospectively statistically evaluated and quantified the effects on employment, education and the family model.
When people have the choice between two products, a third option can influence their decision by shifting their focus. Researchers from the University of Basel have shown, however, that whether one object is preferred over another depends on which visual features are being used to form an opinion.
In the macro world, friction doesn’t depend on the speed at which two surfaces move past one another, but researchers from Basel and Tel Aviv have now observed precisely this effect in special graphene structures on a platinum surface.
Christmas is a time for donating. As the end of the year approaches, donation requests from various aid organizations tumble in almost daily. Which ones can be trusted and are most deserving? Researchers from the University of Basel were able to show that quality seals can help non-profit organizations to better serve their intended purpose.
The University Council has appointed Professor Murielle Delley as Assistant Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and granted four promotions in the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Science.
A medication used to treat MS also has a beneficial effect on the composition of the intestinal flora, according to researchers from the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel. Conversely, the gut flora also plays a role in which side effects occur during treatment with the medication.
Previous research on social media has mainly focused on how often people use it. Researchers from the University of Basel and the University of Koblenz-Landau have developed a new construct for measuring why people spend so much time on these platforms – and what content they post.
