News 2021 https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021.html Toxicity testing on the placenta and embryo https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/150.html Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a cell culture test to detect substances that are directly or indirectly harmful to embryos. Based on an existing test used for developing new drugs and chemicals, the augmented version is designed to help reduce the number of animal experiments.

]]> Wed, 21 Jul 2021 14:00:19 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/150.html 2021-07-21T14:00:19Z Courting Females https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/149.html In the animal kingdom, it’s the ladies who get to pick their partners. So if males want to mate, they have to woo females and outshine their rivals. UZH biologist Stefan Lüpold examines what gives male animals the edge when it comes to sexual selection.

 

]]> Tue, 13 Jul 2021 12:38:56 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/149.html 2021-07-13T12:38:56Z Eating Our Way Through the Pandemic https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/148.html Increased stress, lack of exercise and frequent snacking: The effects of the pandemic are visible on our waistlines. For endocrinologist Philipp Gerber, the weight gain is not just a short-term side effect, but is storing up problems for the future and needs to be taken seriously.

]]> Tue, 13 Jul 2021 12:27:51 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/148.html 2021-07-13T12:27:51Z Optimising nature https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/147.html Today, molecular genetic methods can be used to breed sustainable crops - such as multinutrient rice. Researchers are calling for the risk of new plant varieties to be assessed not on the basis of the breeding method, but on the basis of their characteristics.

]]> Mon, 28 Jun 2021 12:05:10 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/147.html 2021-06-28T12:05:10Z Luring bacteria into a trap https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/146.html Researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Basel have developed a vaccine that protects animals from Salmonella. These bacteria often escape the effects of vaccination by genetically modifying their protective coat. The researchers have succeeded in manipulating this process to lure the bacteria into an evolutionary trap.

]]> Thu, 03 Jun 2021 08:14:02 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/146.html 2021-06-03T08:14:02Z A deep dive into the brain https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/145.html Researchers from ETH Zurich and University of Zurich have developed a new microscopy technique that lights up the brain with high resolution imagery. This allows neuroscientists to study brain functions and ailments more closely and non-​invasively.

]]> Mon, 31 May 2021 09:45:23 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/145.html 2021-05-31T09:45:23Z How tendons become stiffer and stronger https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/144.html Researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich deciphered the cellular mechanisms through which tendons can adapt to mechanical stresses. People who carry a certain variant of a gene that is key to this mechanism show improved jumping performance.

]]> Tue, 25 May 2021 11:03:05 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/144.html 2021-05-25T11:03:05Z The African Wild Dog: An Ambassador for the World’s Largest Terrestrial Conservation Area https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/143.html The world’s largest terrestrial conservation area is located in southern Africa and covers 520,000 square kilometers spanning five countries. A study from the University of Zurich now shows that the endangered African wild dog mostly remains within the boundaries of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) when dispersing, thus highlighting the relevance of such a large-scale conservation initiative for maintaining key wildlife corridors of threatened species.

]]> Fri, 14 May 2021 10:15:48 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/143.html 2021-05-14T10:15:48Z The Achilles heel of the Coronavirus https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/142.html SARS-​CoV-2 is critically dependent on a special mechanism for the production of its proteins. A collaborative team led by a research group at ETH Zurich obtained molecular insights into this process and demonstrated that it can be inhibited by chemical compounds, thereby significantly reducing viral replication in infected cells.

]]> Fri, 14 May 2021 10:06:21 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/142.html 2021-05-14T10:06:21Z A simple exterior – but complex interior https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/141.html ETH Fellow Serina Robinson is devoted to microorganisms. She is particularly interested in the enzymes they use to produce and break down chemical substances. The young scientist is also especially fascinated by as yet uncultivated microbes.

]]> Thu, 06 May 2021 11:40:17 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/141.html 2021-05-06T11:40:17Z Brain Tumors under Attack https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/140.html Is Marian Neidert taking a saw to the branch he’s sitting on? As a neurosurgeon, he operates on brain tumors; as a researcher he’s trying to teach the immune system to fight them itself. But it might be some time before immunotherapies make surgery superfluous

]]> Wed, 07 Apr 2021 08:40:54 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/140.html 2021-04-07T08:40:54Z Planting Underpants https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/139.html Biologist Marcel van der Heijden aims to increase agricultural yields – not just with artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and GM technology, but also fungi and other microorganisms. He's not afraid to resort to less conventional research methods, either.

]]> Tue, 30 Mar 2021 13:16:17 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/139.html 2021-03-30T13:16:17Z How bacteria sleep through antibiotic attacks https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/138.html 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 reveals the changes bacteria undergo to reach this "persister" state. Annelies Zinkernagel, an infectiologist at UZH, is main author of the publication in the scientific journal PNAS.

]]> Fri, 12 Feb 2021 07:27:07 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/138.html 2021-02-12T07:27:07Z Unusual mutation causes defective sperm in boars https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/136.html ETH researchers have found a gene mutation that causes the sperm of boars to immobilize. Their discovery will help pig breeders to exclude animals with this genetic defect from breeding in future.

]]> Tue, 02 Feb 2021 12:25:01 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/136.html 2021-02-02T12:25:01Z Synchronization of Brain Hemispheres Changes What We Hear https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/137.html Most of the time, our brain receives different input from each of our ears, but we nevertheless perceive speech as unified sounds. This process takes place through synchronization of the areas of the brain involved with the help of gamma waves, neurolinguists at the University of Zurich have now discovered. Their findings may lead to new treatment approaches for tinnitus.

]]> Wed, 10 Feb 2021 08:13:05 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/137.html 2021-02-10T08:13:05Z We are less sceptical of genetic engineering than assumed https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/154.html We often hear that Swiss consumers want their agriculture to be free from genetic engineering. But consumer acceptance of genetically modified crops is likely to be higher than the media leads us to believe, Angela Bearth says.

]]> Mon, 20 Sep 2021 08:21:39 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/154.html 2021-09-20T08:21:39Z Humans and Chimps https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/153.html Human communication is much more complex than all other forms of animal communication. And yet, monkeys and meerkats are also able to use language. Research into animal languages can help us understand how human language evolved.

]]> Tue, 07 Sep 2021 14:55:18 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/153.html 2021-09-07T14:55:18Z Computer algorithms are currently revolutionising biology https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/151.html Artificial intelligence can help predict the three-​dimensional structure of proteins. Beat Christen describes how such algorithms should soon help to develop tailored artificial proteins.

]]> Wed, 18 Aug 2021 11:49:23 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/151.html 2021-08-18T11:49:23Z Mechanism for DNA Invasion of Adenoviral Covid-19 Vaccines Discovered https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/161.html Adenoviruses have a linchpin protein that stabilizes their DNA until it reaches the infected cell’s nucleus. The protein then detaches from the viral genome, and the virus uncoats. Only then are the genes released into the nucleus, which is necessary for the production of new viruses. This process, discovered by researchers at the University of Zurich, is a key for effective functioning of various Covid-19 vaccines.

]]> Wed, 22 Dec 2021 15:32:23 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/161.html 2021-12-22T15:32:23Z Saving infants' lives with iron https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/159.html  | 

ETH pharmaceutical sciences graduate Nicole Stoffel has shown that iron deficiency reduces vaccine efficacy. Her research is now helping to improve the health of children in developing countries – yet becoming a researcher was not originally part of her plans.

]]> Tue, 14 Dec 2021 16:20:59 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/159.html 2021-12-14T16:20:59Z Rapid PCR tests at the touch of a button https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/158.html ETH researchers Michele Gregorini and Philippe Bechtold have developed a PCR testing device that can easily be used outside the lab – and that takes less than 30 minutes to deliver results. Now the two young entrepreneurs are focusing their efforts on getting the device approved for medical use.

]]> Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:26:40 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/158.html 2021-12-13T15:26:40Z When Resistant Germs Travel https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/157.html Resistance to antibiotics is increasing and can be found all over – in humans, animals, plants and the environment. To stop the spread of antibiotic resistance, we need to understand how it is transmitted and how we can prevent this from happening.

]]> Thu, 25 Nov 2021 11:47:53 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/157.html 2021-11-25T11:47:53Z When Stress Makes You Sick https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/156.html Chronic stress can decrease the quality of our lives, and have long-term negative effects on our health that may be irreversible. The new «Hochschulmedizin Zürich (HMZ)» flagship project STRESS aims to explore the causes of stress and highlight possible treatments.

]]> Wed, 17 Nov 2021 10:14:44 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/156.html 2021-11-17T10:14:44Z Healthy People, Healthy Animals https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/155.html Bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and pathogens that spread from animals to humans are posing major problems for medicine. To combat them, researchers from various fields need to work hand in hand. This approach has become known as One Health.

]]> Thu, 28 Oct 2021 09:49:22 GMT https://www.lifescience-zurichevents.uzh.ch/en/news_archive/news_2021/155.html 2021-10-28T09:49:22Z