Researchers at the University of Basel have discovered a molecular mechanism that plays a central role in intact long-term memory. This mechanism is also involved in physiological memory loss in old age.
For the first time, a study demonstrated that loud night-time noise from airplanes can trigger a cardiovascular death within two hours. Researchers from the University of Basel, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and partners compared mortality data with acute night-time noise exposure around Zurich airport between 2000 and 2015. The results of the study have been published in the European Heart Journal.
Iron-deficiency anaemia is a major concern in low income countries, especially for women. A study conducted in Tanzania has now demonstrated the advantage of iron infusion therapy over the usual treatment with iron tablets. This was reported by an international research team in the journal "The Lancet Global Health".
A Basel-led international research team has discovered a connection between the intestinal flora and sites of inflammation in the central nervous system in multiple sclerosis. A specific class of immune cell plays a central role in this newly identified gut-brain axis. The discovery could pave the way for new treatments for MS that target the intestinal flora.
Lake Tanganyika in Africa is a true hotspot of organismal diversity. Approximately 240 species of cichlid fishes have evolved in this lake in less than 10 million years. A research team from the University of Basel has investigated this phenomenon of “explosive speciation” and provides new insights into the origins of biological diversity, as they report in the journal “Nature”.
The results of a survey conducted by the University of Basel showed that the pandemic’s first wave put a great deal of psychological strain on many people in Switzerland. Now, the second wave of Covid-19 has arrived just as the nights are drawing in again. A second survey conducted as part of the Swiss Corona Stress Study seeks to determine the effects that the rise in infection rates and restrictions on day-to-day living are having on people’s mental well-being.
Bacteria are considered to be true experts in survival. Their rapid adaptive response to changing environmental conditions is based, among other things, on two competing signaling molecules. As the “Yin and Yang” of metabolic control they decide on the lifestyle of bacteria, as reported by researchers from the University of Basel. The new findings also play a role in the context of bacterial infections.
Researchers from Basel and Spain have identified a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant that has spread widely across Europe in recent months, according to an un-peer-reviewed preprint released this week. While there is no evidence of this variant being more dangerous, its spread may give insights into the efficacy of travel policies adopted by European countries during the summer.
Researchers at the University of Basel have developed a precisely controllable system for mimicking biochemical reaction cascades in cells. Using microfluidic technology, they produce miniature polymeric reaction containers equipped with the desired properties.
