UNI NOVA – Research Magazine of the University of Basel

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  Dossier

  Under the radar.

  Text: Isabel Wagner* / The dark web has an image problem, but the main thing it offers is secure communication – something we should all be advocating. A case for the defense.

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  Dossier

  Second sight.

  Text: Angelika Jacobs / Currently there is no medical treatment that can restore vision. Researchers at Basel University plan to change that.

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  Opinion

  Should medication still be used after the expiry date, Anis Arioua?

  Text: Anis Arioua, Medical Ethicist / Rising healthcare costs and bottlenecks in the supply of certain medicines are leading to discussions of whether expired drugs can — and should — continue to be used. Answers from a medical ethics perspective.

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  Opinion

  Should medication still be used after the expiry date, Emre Çörek?

  Text: Emre Çörek, Toxicologist / Rising healthcare costs and bottlenecks in the supply of certain medicines are leading to discussions of whether expired drugs can — and should — continue to be used. Answers from a regulatory perspective.

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  In pictures

  Mysterious microplastics.

  Text: Angelika Jacobs / Could the Rhine contain more microplastics than previously assumed? The research group "Man-Society-Environment" aims to shed light on this issue.

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  Portrait

  A tenacious researcher.

  Text: Irène Dietschi / Mirjam Christ-Crain is setting new standards. Her motto? “Never give up.” The endocrinologist is even making advances in fields beyond her own – and always for the benefit of patients.

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  Research

  Plant’s favorite bacteria to promote crop yield.

  Text: Santina Russo / To optimize their growth, plants shape the bacterial community on and around their roots. Finding out how they do so is key to develop new microbiological products for greater sustainability in agriculture.

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  Research

  A necessary burden.

  Text: Noëmi Kern / Sometimes, the word “ballast” has a negative connotation of “burden”. Yet, ballast was a crucial resource in global seafaring.

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  Research

  Molecules in full gallop.

  Text: Yvonne Vahlensieck / An interdisciplinary team of scientists investigates how exactly individual biomolecules move around. One of the tricks the researchers use involves tiny pores that only allow one molecule to slip through at a time.