It typically takes 10 to 15 years to develop a vaccine, however, recent progress in the development of vaccines could cut the time to three years, according to Thomas Cueni, who was recently interviewed by RTS. Cueni is the Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA), the global association of research-based pharmaceutical […]
Might sugar be able kill viruses?
Not many positive things are written about sugar these days. A key driver of obesity and type II diabetes, few are likely to associate it with cures. However, researchers at UNIGE, in Geneva, EPFL, in Lausanne, and the University of Manchester recently managed to destroy a wide range of viruses using modified sugar molecules, according […]
Swiss environmental agency sets no date for 5G launch
Earlier this week, Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) announced it had contacted the cantons at the end of January 2020, informing them it had not set a date for switching on 5G networks. However, mobile networks plan to continue installing 5G equipment after rolling out more than 2,000 antenna last year – a […]
No need to switch phones to flight mode on Swiss
Since 1 February 2020, switching devices to flight mode is no longer required on Swiss, according to the newspaper Blick. However, flights through US airspace will still require flight mode because of US regulations. While there are no documented cases of transmitting and receiving personal electronic devices (T-PEDs) compromising flight safety, regulators have applied the […]
The Swiss company that spied on the world
Yesterday, the Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive, announced it was investigating Crypto AG, a company with ties to the CIA and West German intelligence (BND). The Federal Council obtained information on Crypto in November 2019, according to Swiss broadcaster RTS. Parliamentarian Balthasar Glättli has called for a more in-depth investigation and the creation of a parliamentary […]
The Swiss-made plane that went global and starred in Hollywood films
In 1939, Pilatus, a small aircraft maintenance company for the Swiss Air Force was founded in Stans in the canton of Nidwalden. By 1944 it had produced its first aircraft: the Pilatus SB-2 Pelican. However, it wasn’t until 1959 that Pilatus really took off with the launch of the Pilatus Porter PC-6. The PC-6 was […]
Antibiotic resistance – Swiss researchers make a breakthrough
Some life-threatening bacteria are becoming resistant to existing antibiotics. Swiss researchers at the University of Zurich recently discovered a new class of antibiotics that is able to attack a particularly treatment-resistant class of bacteria known as Gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria have an extra outer membrane, which makes them hard to attack. This protective outer layer […]
Minimum Swiss internet speed to triple in 2020
The Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive, has confirmed a decision made by parliament to raise the minimum speed of broadband internet connections in Switzerland. From 1 January 2020, the minimum download speed specified in Switzerland’s universal service agreement with Swisscom will rise from 3 to 10 megabits per second (Mbits/s) and the minimum upload speed will […]
Nobel Prize awarded to two Swiss physicists
This week Swiss physicists Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, who are based at the University of Geneva, were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star in 1995. Exoplanets, or extra solar planets, are planets beyond our solar system. The National Geographic video above explains their discovery […]
The Swiss drone that could generate more electricity than a wind turbine
TwingTec, a company spun out of Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, is developing an alternative to wind turbines for harnessing the power of the wind. Wind speeds increase as you move further from the ground. Wind blows up to eight times faster at a height of 500 metres than it […]
