Extreme dry conditions contributed to the decline of the ancient South Arabian kingdom of Himyar. Researchers from the University of Basel have reported these findings in the journal Science. Combined with political unrest and war, the droughts left behind a region in disarray, thereby creating the conditions on the Arabian peninsula that made possible the spread of the newly emerging religion of Islam.
In social media, people share snippets of their lives with others. For researchers, these platforms are a treasure trove. In her blog post, ethnologist Lesley Nicole Braun explains what insights into distant realities of life she and her master's students Anna Vollmer Mateus and Xiao Meng have gained from TikTok videos and conversations with their creators.
Identical light particles (photons) are important for many technologies that are based on quantum physics. A team of researchers from Basel and Bochum has now produced identical photons with different quantum dots – an important step towards applications such as tap-proof communications and the quantum internet.
Intestinal flora plays an important role in health – including mental health. Researchers from the University of Basel and the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK) have shown that probiotics can support the effect of antidepressants and help to alleviate depression.
Candida albicans is a yeast that colonizes the mucosal surfaces of most healthy humans. Under certain conditions, it can switch to a harmful form and cause infection. Researchers have now identified components of mucus that keep the pathogen from turning destructive, thus laying the foundation for a new class of drugs.
How does a language originate? How does it develop? And how are languages related to each other? The linguist Dr. Michiel de Vaan examines these questions and shares his knowledge and enthusiasm as Lecturer for Historical-Comparative Linguistics at the University of Basel.
The University of Basel’s Faculty of Business and Economics will offer a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance starting in spring 2023. The part-time degree course for professionals, organized together with the TIAS School for Business and Society in the Netherlands, will teach modern finance over the course of 15 months.
Global warming has a particularly pronounced impact on the Alpine region. Like the Arctic, this European mountain range is becoming greener. Writing in the journal Science, researchers from the University of Lausanne and the University of Basel have now used satellite data to show that vegetation above the tree line has increased in nearly 80% of the Alps. Snow cover is also decreasing, albeit so far only slightly.
The University Council has appointed Professor Niklaus Labhardt as professor of clinical epidemiology. In addition, two individuals were promoted to full professors and two professorships were approved at the Faculty of Medicine.