Christian R. Ulbrich is using a monitor to observe the progress of digital transformation in different countries. In the first version, he compares four European states. His conclusion? Faster is not necessarily better. And Switzerland’s decentralized course is a smart strategy.
Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and partners have discovered a new parasitic worm species named Trichuris incognita in Côte d’Ivoire. The discovery is now formally recognized through the official handover of preserved specimens to the Natural History Museum in Basel, in accordance with international scientific naming protocols.
Populism is a political reality in many European countries – both on the right and on the left. A study now shows that coalition governments that include populist parties are often unstable. But it isn’t the radicalism of the party that counts, rather it’s the political style.
Not too much and not too little: the dosage of drugs must be optimally adjusted for general anesthesia. This is no easy task, especially for pediatric patients. A pilot study now shows that breath analysis can help anesthesia personnel administer the optimal dose of a common anesthetic. And that's not all: breath analysis can also be used to determine how the body reacts to the anesthesia.
Neurons deep in the brain not only help to initiate movement—they also actively suppress it, and with astonishing precision. This is the conclusion of a new study by researchers at the University of Basel and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), published in the journal Nature. The findings are especially relevant for better understanding neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.
Taste, pain, or response to stress — nearly all essential functions in the human body are regulated by molecular switches called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Researchers at the University of Basel have uncovered the fundamental mechanism how such a GPCR works. Using a method similar to the earth satellite GPS, they could track the motions of a GPCR and observe it in action. Their findings, recently published in “Science”, provide guidance for designing drugs.
The body defends itself against pathogens by depriving them of vital iron. However, this strategy doesn’t always succeed against Salmonella. Researchers at the University of Basel have discovered that these bacteria specifically target iron-rich regions within immune cells to replicate. Their findings on how pathogens evade the immune defense are important for fighting infections.
In order for trees to grow, they need to control their water balance meticulously. A study by the University of Basel shows how trees react to drought – and revises previous perceptions.
Bacteria have a simple yet potent mechanism that controls their sensitivity to environmental stimuli. A new study by researchers at the University of Basel reveals that the responsiveness of cells is directly linked to their growth rate: the slower cells grow, the more sensitively they respond to their environment. This increased sensitivity can give the cells a crucial survival advantage.
