A study by scientists at EPFL in Lausanne Switzerland shows social status is a major risk factor for developing chronic stress. In addition, the team discovered a certain kind of identifiable brain activity associated with high risk, something which might make it possible to identify those at risk. Stress is one factor often associated with mental disorders, however […]
Switzerland scores well in exercise obesity study
Researchers at Stanford University gathered smartphone data on 68 million days of physical activity from 717,527 individuals around the world. Accelerometry features automatically detected and counted their steps. The study, focused on 46 countries and designed to gain insight into exercise levels and their relationship to obesity, combined daily step information with obesity metrics. An average Swiss […]
Swiss supercomputer now world’s third most powerful
A supercomputer ranking published on 19 June 2017, places Switzerland’s 19.6 petaflop1 Piz Daint supercomputer third in the world after Sunway TaihuLight and Tianhe 2, two Chinese supercomputers. Piz Daint’s recent upgrades allowed it to climb five positions up the ranking. With a performance of 93 petaflops1, China’s TaihuLight is by far the most powerful number-cruncher […]
Geneva hospital breaks european record for most robot operations
This week, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) announced it had carried out the largest number of robotic surgical procedures in Europe, passing the milestone of 2,500. The exact total is 2,514, which include visceral (1,185), urological (1,053) and gynaecological (276) operations. The team has observed numerous benefits from robotic surgery, such as smaller incisions and scars, […]
Beer protects gut wall, suggests Swiss research
Le Matin. Researchers at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) think they have discovered the protective power of hops. A molecule in hops appears to strengthen a membrane formed from cells of the intestinal wall. This wall forms a barrier between what is ingested and what is absorbed and can prevent the absorption […]
Why Facebook needs to be replaced
Michael Casey, one of the speakers at yesterday’s TEDx in Lausanne, thinks the world needs something better than Facebook. Casey, a former Wall Street Journal journalist and cryptocurrency expert based in New York, thinks the social media giant now has so much impact on our lives it needs to become a public good, not something […]
Geneva is marching for science. Here’s why it matters.
On Saturday 22 April 2017, Geneva marches for science, one of hundreds of marches taking place around the world. But why would anyone march for science? Thank you science! There is a children’s book that encourages kids to say thank you for houses, the clean water that flows from the taps, cars, telephones, planes, radios, electricity and […]
Magic mat to check shoes at Geneva airport
Tribune de Genève You arrive very late at the airport. You run to the security check area lucky enough to find there is no queue. Unfortunately the time it takes to remove your shoes, have them scanned, and put them on again, is enough to make you miss your flight. Or, the person in front […]
Get ready for a spectacular night sky light show
20 Minutes. Every year the prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift–Tuttle puts on a light show. The show’s climax occurs at the end of this week at around 1:30 am on Friday morning, when 200 to 300 lights will cross the sky within an hour. The name, Perseides, comes from a term found […]
Researchers in Geneva make cancer breakthrough
A team of scientists at the University of Geneva and the University Hospital of Geneva (HUG) have managed to slow down the progress of a cancer known as lymphoma. Lymphoma, which affects white blood cells known as lymphocytes, typically spreads through the body into the lymph nodes and other parts of the body. The Geneva-based […]
