UNI NOVA – Research Magazine of the University of Basel

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  Research

  Is there such a thing as a good or bad metabolism?

  Text: Matthias Betz / Some people seem to be able to eat whatever they like and still stay slim. Others just have to look at a hearty meal and they gain weight. What’s behind this? And can specific preparations actually “speed up” our metabolism?

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  In conversation

  “Almost 40% of nursing staff leave the profession.”

  Interview: Christian Heuss / Staff shortages and poor working conditions in the healthcare sector are the subject of constant discussion. Nursing scientist Michael Simon explains where the system needs improvements, why academization is not a problem, and how nursing robots could help.

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  Dossier

  Sounds after sunset.

  Text: Noëmi Kern / In pre-industrial times, music was played not only in the hours of daylight; in the middle of the night, people even took up their instruments to play. How sleep habits have influenced music.

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  Dossier

  Dazzling darkness.

  Text: Barbara Spycher / Whether we’re sleeping, partying or getting up to mischief, night defies the rules of day and creates space for the unexpected.

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  Dossier

  The sun vitamin.

  Text: Ori Schipper / Most of the Swiss population have seasonally low levels of vitamin D. Researchers at the University of Basel studied drops, tablets and capsules to work out the best way of raising those levels.

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  Dossier

  Out of sync.

  Interview: Yvonne Vahlensieck / Without natural transitions between day and night, our body’s internal clock becomes confused. Corrado Garbazza explains how this can affect our health and why daylight is sometimes the best medicine.

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  Dossier

  Between worlds.

  Text: Céline Emch / Dreams open up a world in which the lines are blurred between day and night, light and darkness, reality and fantasy. This has inspired authors ever since antiquity.

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  Dossier

  In dreams, there are no rules.

  Interview: Noëmi Kern / Sleep researcher Christine Blume explains what researchers know about dreaming and what remains to be clarified.

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  Dossier

  Much too bright and far too gloomy.

  Text: Béatrice Koch / People with bipolar disorder go from manic highs to periods of depression. Those who learn to recognize the warning signs, however, have a good chance of living a stable life.