UNI NOVA – Research Magazine of the University of Basel

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  Research

  Hidden network.

  Text: Noëmi Kern / Unlike in the natural sciences, much of the data in the humanities is only available in analog formats. Digital humanities is changing this and in doing so, opening up new fields of study.

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  Research

  Sustainable solvents — do they exist?

  Text: Santina Russo / Many of the solvents used in industry are toxic and require elaborate disposal procedures. Researchers from Basel, Bern and Zurich are laying the groundwork for replacing these harmful liquids with safe new substances.

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  Alumni

  Sports therapy that makes sense.

  Recorded by: Davina Benkert / Sandro Galli studied sports science in Basel. Today, he runs a company that provides personal training based on scientific evidence.

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  Alumni

  Supporting an urban oasis.

  Interview: Eva Rösch / Martin Kolb studied at the University of Basel and the University of Münster. Even as a student, he valued the peace and quiet of the Botanical Garden in Basel. Donating to the construction of a new tropical greenhouse was therefore very important to him.

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  On the essence of life.

  Text: Chiara Saffirio / My book: As a kind of contrast to her research, Chiara Saffirio likes to read books that focus on people and their relationships. She is particularly fond of "A Late Divorce" by Abraham B. Yehoshua.

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  In conversation

  "Many zoonoses are being forgotten in the wake of corona."

  Interview: Irène Dietschi / Since the end of the 20th century, a growing number of pathogens are spreading from animals to humans. Jakob Zinsstag studies these zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses, and explores how a new understanding of medicine can help fight them.

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  In pictures

  Seeing, fast and slow.

  Text: Angelika Jacobs / Signals from the peripheral fields of vision have a much longer path to the optic nerve than those from the center of the retina. How is it that we do not perceive a delay between our central and peripheral fields of vision?

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  Dossier

  The world on a screen.

  Text: Noëmi Kern / A selfie with your best friend, a photo in front of the Eiffel Tower … We use our smartphones to showcase what we experience and share on social media. This affects how we perceive and present ourselves and the world around us.

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  Dossier

  Data leeches.

  Text: Andreas Grote / When we are active online, we leave behind a data trail. There is a lack of transparency on which data social media companies collect. Cybersecurity expert Isabel Wagner explains the mechanisms and highlights areas where we should exercise caution.