UNI NOVA – Research Magazine of the University of Basel
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Research
Using stem cells to combat cerebral palsy.
Text: Irène Dietschi / Cerebral palsy is a physical disability caused by brain damage in early infancy. Raphael Guzman explores the potential of using stem cells to treat this paralysis of the brain in his laboratory at the Department of Biomedicine. In the future, the neurosurgeon hopes to be able to help affected children shortly after birth.
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Research
How snowflakes are formed.
Text: Yvonne Vahlensieck / Cold temperatures alone are not enough: for snowflakes to form, biological particles are often needed to act as ice nuclei. It is precisely these particles that Basel-based environmental scientists are researching on the Jungfraujoch glacier saddle and in the most northern part of Norway.
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Research
Second-language support for children: the sooner, the better.
Text: Samuel Schlaefli / The sooner children from immigrant backgrounds can benefit from care outside the family, the more quickly they will learn to speak German, which in turn means they will be less disadvantaged once they enter school. These are the findings of a long-term study conducted by Basel developmental psychologists.
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In pictures
The weed from the east.
Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher / Genetische Analysen helfen, die Ausbreitung von Neophyten zu verstehen.
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Opinion
Is there such a thing as politically correct language?
Text: Deborah Mühlebach / Political language criticism teaches us about the effects words actually have – and invites us to open up to other people through language.
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Portrait
The international law expert and sea piracy.
Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher / When it comes to piracy and crime at sea, Anna Petrig, recently appointed Professor of International Law at the University of Basel, is very knowledgeable: the Swiss lawyer is regarded throughout the world as a sought-after expert in this subject. She also spends her free time on the water.
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Column
A Thousand Miles up the Nile: a momentous journey.
Text: Sabine Huebner / My book: Sabine Huebner, professor of ancient history, recommends: “A Thousand Miles up the Nile” by the British travel writer Amelia Edwards.
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Alumni
“My degree was training for life.”
Interview: Bettina Huber / Theo Stich, alumnus of the University of Basel, is a freelance writer/producer, and owner of the company Lumenfilm. He takes an individual approach to filmmaking: he looks for new subjects or explores an existing topic from an original perspective.
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Alumni
New program funds visits within Switzerland and abroad.
Text: Roman Baumann Lorant / PRO IURE, the alumni association for Basel law students, has created a program that regularly pays for current students to visit legal institutions in Switzerland and abroad. One such group recently travelled to Great Britain on a visit to Oxford and London.