Actualités sur Organisations

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Wastewater provides new insight into Covid-19 dynamics

Bern (ots) - An interdisciplinary team funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation shows that the R number of coronavirus can be estimated quickly and cost-effectively from wastewater. Since the start of the coronavirus (Sars-Cov-2) pandemic, many public health measures have been decided based on its dynamic of spread, more precisely, on the reproductive number of the virus, known as the R number. This value indicates ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Shadows can damage solar panels

Bern (ots) - Shadows not only reduce the performance of photovoltaic modules integrated into buildings - they may also shorten their lifespan. "Over the next 30 years, Switzerland will need at least 20 times more solar panels to ensure its future energy supply as envisaged in the Energy Strategy 2050", according to Alessandro Virtuani, a physicist at EPFL. The majority of these panels will have to be installed on buildings, as Switzerland, like some other countries, does not ...

Anapaya Systems AG

Anapaya partners with Extreme Networks to deliver the first SCiON-enabled switches for the Swiss Finance Industry

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Innovative research into new vaccines

Bern (ots) - Projects taking part in the National Research Programme "Covid-19" (NRP 78) of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) are pursuing highly promising approaches in a drive to develop new vaccines. Three research groups have adopted interesting approaches to the highly topical issue of vaccines. The team led by Steve Pascolo is investigating ways of improving functionality and stability of mRNA vaccines, ...

CSI Christian Solidarity International

CSI calls on U.S. Secretary of State to engage with victims of atrocities on Nigeria visit

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Heterosexual norms impact same-sex couples

Bern (ots) - Society stigmatises homosexuals. Individuals who internalise this stigma are more critical of their partners when under stress, according to a study funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Couples handle stressful episodes better when partners support and listen to each other. Homosexual couples are no exception. But in contrast to other couples, homosexuals also face the enduring stigma of ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

The ethical dilemma of forensic therapy

Bern (ots) - Therapy and reporting to the judiciary - psychiatric professionals in prison have a conflict of loyalties. How do they deal with it? The treatment of people for whom a therapeutic measure has been ordered by the court creates a conflict of loyalties for medical professionals. A study(*) supported by the SNSF reveals how they deal with this in practice. Approximately one thousand people in Switzerland are ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Women's session in parliament: SNSF supports motion

Bern (ots) - At the women's session, taking place this week in Bern, research funding will be a topic of debate. A motion proposes to link third-party research funding to gender equality standards. Women are still significantly underrepresented in research: the share of women professors is currently 24 per cent; in research projects funded by the SNSF, women hold a 39 per cent share, spread across different career stages. ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

SNSF opposes initiative to ban animal and human experimentation

Bern, 14.10.2021 (ots) - The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) strives consistently and continuously to improve the quality of research. A ban on animal and human experiments would massively restrict the opportunity to gain knowledge and adversely affect Switzerland as a research hub. On 13 February 2022, the Swiss electorate will vote on the initiative to ban animal and human experiments. Acceptance of the ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Detecting microplastics in the environment

Bern (ots) - Geochemist Denise Mitrano has found a way to track how micro- and nanoplastic particles spread through the environment. For this work, she is receiving this year's Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize from the Swiss National Science Foundation. Man-made plastic pollutes the environment. When broken down into micro- and nanoparticles, it poses an increasing problem not only for the oceans and their inhabitants, but also ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Cancerous tumours: how likely are they to metastasise?

Bern (ots) - A very aggressive type of cancer has provided a team of researchers supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation with an answer to the question of which tumour cells are at risk of spreading. Cancer treatment is sometimes complicated by the heterogeneity of the cells that form the tumour mass. The problem is how to identify the few cells that are capable of triggering metastases. Thanks to work carried ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Clinical research: patients and the public have their say

Bern (ots) - The Swiss National Science Foundation has been funding clinical studies on under-researched topics in medicine since 2016. In a first, it successfully involved representatives of patients and the public in evaluating applications. The aim of the SNSF's Investigator Initiated Clinical Trials (IICT) programme is to answer medical questions that are important to society but not a priority for industry. This ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

The complex organisation of an ant colony

Bern (ots) - A study on predatory ants, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, explains how small differences between individuals can change the collective organisation of the colony. The colonies of social insects are complex systems that are entirely self-organised. Scientists who looked at the demographic, genetic and morphological structure of ant colonies were able to show how this self-organisation ...

FDI World Dental Federation

FDI World Dental Federation Sustainability in Dentistry initiative unites eco-conscious dental industry partners around a common aim

Geneva (ots) - FDI World Dental Federation (FDI) today launched a new initiative, with commitments from four founding industry partners – Colgate, Dentsply-Sirona, GSK Consumer Healthcare, and TePe – to lead the charge on sustainability in dentistry. Over the next two years FDI will work collaboratively with its ...

CSI Christian Solidarity International

Expert Panel: Sanctions are Causing Syrians to Starve / Christian Solidarity International Renews Call for End to Collective Punishment of Syrian Civilians

Zurich (ots) - "People are already starving in Syria," warned Professor Joshua Landis at an event hosted by the Quincy Institute, a Washington DC-based think tank, on Wednesday. "Medical equipment is not getting into the country. Prices have gone up. This is a siege. It is war by other means. And people are going to ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Intriguing scientific insights

Bern (ots) - The winners of the 2021 SNSF Scientific Image Competition offer a fresh look at cutting-edge research, from COVID-19 to the study of volcanoes, from churches to alpine geography. The public have also chosen their favourites among the images submitted over the last five years. The works singled out by the jury of the 2021 SNSF Scientific Image Competition show both the variety of top-flight research being conducted in Switzerland and its aesthetic aspects, from ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

937 million Swiss francs for 3300 new research projects

Bern (ots) - In 2020, researchers submitted 8200 grant applications to the SNSF. 3300 of them were selected for funding in a competitive process. At short notice, the SNSF funded 73 projects on COVID-19. Thousands of SNSF-funded teams explore nature, technology and society. This generates knowledge that is a key driver of progress. In 2020, the SNSF invested 937 million francs in 3300 new projects, selected from 8200 ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Dormice may have hibernated as early as 34 million years ago

Bern (ots) - In analysing rodent fossils, scientists funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation have come up with a novel hypothesis: hibernation was a survival strategy 34 million years ago. Until very recently, the ability to hibernate was thought to have appeared during the Quaternary ice age 2.6 million years ago. Now, a study funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) suggests that the process may ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Novel antibiotic deceives bacteria through mimicry

Bern (ots) - Most antibiotics need to penetrate their target bacteria. But Darobactin, a newly discovered compound, is much too large to do so. Nonetheless, it kills many antibiotic-resistant pathogens - by exploiting a tiny weak spot on their surface. Basel researchers have now revealed the amazing mechanism at play and thereby opened the door to developing completely new medicines. An increasing number of bacterial ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Veal calf fattening: it can work with less antibiotics

Bern (ots) - By adopting a few simple measures, farmers can drastically reduce the use of antibiotics and improve the well-being of their animals without economic disadvantages. This was confirmed in a field trial- the first of its kind in Switzerland - carried out by researchers of the University of Bern based on the specially developed "outdoor veal calf" method. Large amounts of antibiotics are used in the veal ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

The Swiss National Science Foundation and Innosuisse to step up cooperation

Bern (ots) - The implementation of research results is of central importance for the economy and society. The SNSF and Innosuisse have signed an agreement to further strengthen the interaction between science and innovation. Through this agreement, the SNSF and Innosuisse are reiterating their shared understanding of the fact that the innovation chain - from basic ...

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

Choose your favourite scientific image!

Bern (ots) - The Swiss National Science Foundation is inviting the public to choose their favourite scientific image or video until 31 March 2021. Microscopic observations, unusual environments, researchers at work... More than 2000 images have been submitted to the SNSF Scientific Image Competition since its launch in 2017. To celebrate the fifth edition, the SNSF is inviting the public to share their vision of science ...

European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

Launch of ESMO Virtual Plenaries Brings Rapid Access to Ground-Breaking Cancer Research

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse

How bacteria sleep through antibiotic attacks

Bern (ots) - Bacteria can survive antibiotic treatment even without antibiotic resistance by slowing down their metabolism and going into a type of deep sleep. A research team funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation reveals the changes bacteria undergo to reach this "persister" state. Resistant bacteria evade the effects of antibiotics by becoming less susceptible, for example by breaking the drugs down. But some ...