The online magazine of the University of Bern

Lessons from the “Wooden Age” of Pre-Modernism

Environmental history

The limited resources available to generate energy and seasonal fluctuations were defining issues even before the Industrial Revolution and required forward thinking. The term sustainability also appears in this context for the first time.

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Sustain-
ability

All articles about sustainability

Thomas Stocker is given emeritus status

“Climate research in Bern is a brand”

Thomas Stocker is one of the figureheads of the University of Bern and a climate researcher of international renown. Among other things, he had a leading position on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Now, he is being given emeritus status. In this interview, he takes a look back at his career, tells us about an offer he once received from Cambridge and talks about orchids and racing bikes.

Mining in Madagascar

Side effects of ecological compensation

Researchers from the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern have studied the impact of mining in Madagascar and concluded that the effects of the largest mine are much greater than previously thought.

Promoting innovation

Higher crop yields thanks to data science

Climate change and a growing world population are putting increasing pressure on grain production. With his work, Fabian Guignard aims to help make wheat cultivation more efficient by recommending personalised varieties.

Land management

Soils are in danger worldwide

CDE Spotlight

Intercultural knowledge

All articles about intercultural knowledge

Dialect research

Changing Swiss dialects

Swiss dialects are changing constantly and differ from one region to the next. Adrian Leemann and his team at the Center for the Study of Language and Society of the University of Bern have performed the first-ever large-scale analysis of the evolution of the Swiss language.

Women’s health

“There is a great lack of basic knowledge about female bodies”

Women are disadvantaged in all areas of the Swiss healthcare system. This is the conclusion of a study by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies (ICFG) at the University of Bern. An interview with two of the co-authors, Christine Bigler and Tina Büchler.

History of Architecture

Historic window glass – culturally and ecologically valuable

Flat glass in historical buildings is an example of cultural heritage and often scores highly from an ecological point of view, but often ends up in the disposal yard. The new publication Glass in Architecture examines glass and its multifaceted value for the man-made structures around us.

Gender equality

Can artificial intelligence be unbiased?

On 7 March, a symposium on biases was held at the University of Bern. Gülser Corat, former Director for Gender Equality at UNESCO, argued that the current design of artificial intelligence often promotes bias and explained how that could change.

Health and medicine

All articles about health and medicine

Animal testing

Talking about animal experiments

During the National Information Day on Experimental Animals last weekend, researchers from the University of Bern presented their work involving animals experiments to the public in the city of Bern.

Biology

The outsider who became a powerhouse

Who knows what a mitochondrium does? Everyone (thanks to the many memes on the Internet)! But hardly anyone knows what a crazy history these cell components have. An attempted portrait.

Pathology

Bernese Innovation for the Pathology of the Future

Alessandro Lugli and Miryam Blassnigg from the Institute of Pathology at the University of Bern have developed a medical cockpit, called the Pathojet, which is the first of its kind in the world. In an interview, they explain the advantages the device offers for their field and their patients.

Virus research

The University of Bern on the front lines of HIV research

The Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) has been making important contributions to research on the prevention and treatment of HIV infection since 2007. The University of Bern and the University of Cape Town are assigned to the severely affected southern Africa as part of the international research consortium, "International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS" (IeDEA). The research was recently awarded a highly competitive grant and approved for another five years.

Matter and universe

All articles on matter and universe

First electron neutrino measurement

New opportunity to explore the universe

A team including researchers from the Laboratory for High Energy Physics at the University of Bern has successfully measured the interaction rates of neutrinos at unprecedented energies using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN.

Space research

New partnership with NASA

A new network of Swiss research institutions teams up with NASA to accelerate the exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

A question for Christoph Mordasini

Will there soon be solar power plants in space?

Solar power plants in space will one day collect solar energy and send it back to Earth. But can that really work?

Participation in ESA mission

Comet research with Bernese instruments

The University of Bern is contributing two instruments to the European Space Agency's (ESA) Comet Interceptor Mission, which is due to set off for a comet in 2029. Martin Rubin explains the importance of this mission for understanding our origins.

University and studies

All articles about university and studies

Welcome message from the new Rector

«Shaping the University’s future together»

In her welcome message, the new Rector Virginia Richter expresses her pleasure at assuming the leadership of the University of Bern in order to shape its future together with the employees. She emphasizes the importance of trust, dialogue, exchange and shared values.

Farewell interview

“You don’t implement any projects on your own as Rector”

Rector Christian Leumann is leaving the University of Bern at the end of the week to become Head of the Interim Management Board of the Insel Group. He has prudently led the University of Bern over the past eight years, been responsible for various developments such as “Medizin 100 plus” and strengthened international collaboration.

Dentistry

From niche to world leader: 100 years Dentistry in Bern

Founded amidst resistance in 1921, the School of Dental Medicine of the University of Bern (ZMK) is today among the most renowned centers of their kind in the world. Hendrik Meyer-Lückel, Executive Director of the ZMK, tells what makes Bernese dentistry unique.

Membrane research

When art conveys science

Researchers from the University of Bern, with students from the School of Visual Arts Bern and Biel, have created a nature trail called "Vitaport" which is open to the public and is about transport routes in the body. As a way of communicating science, art and design have a lot of potential, think scientist Valentina Rossetti and designer Juliane Wolski.

FOKUS

People need energy

In focus

Can we achieve the energy transition?

Infographic

How much energy is needed...?

Our world needs energy. But just how much? A brief overview from the crawling snail to the launching rocket. Some figures are rough estimates and not universally valid.

Bernese pioneering projects

Climate protection in the Oberland

Tourism and milk production are the two mainstays of the Jungfrau region. But climate change puts both sectors at risk. Together with the Wyss Academy for Nature, the Canton of Bern and the University of Bern, the 28 municipalities of the East Oberland region are looking for strategies for more climate protection.

Politics and administration

All articles about politics and administration

Economics

“Switzerland doesn’t need a big bank”

Economics cannot predict bank crashes or crises, says Professor of Economics Aymo Brunetti. But their insights would help us to mitigate the adverse effects of financial crises and fight inflation.

Digitalization

Artificial intelligence as a legal entity?

Artificial intelligence increasingly serves as a decision-making aid. But who bears responsibility for its decisions and subsequent actions? Christoph Ammon from the Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology at the Uni of Bern investigates this.

Geography

The new guest workers are digital and multi-local

Since the pandemic, many of us have found it totally normal to set up the office at the kitchen table on a daily basis. It is also popular to travel to the mountains for two or three days in order to work on issues in peace. It is still unclear how advantageous the new guest workers are for the mountain regions.

World Trade Institute

Farmers in Ukraine need confidence to produce for Africa

Improving global food security is one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine shows how trade insecurity can destroy food security. The Word Trade Institute (WTI) at the University of Bern has been monitoring Ukraine’s grain exports, which are so important for Africa, since February. Now it is formulating demands.

Politics and economy

Hunger – the everyday tragedy in abundance

Every day, around 25,000 people die from the direct and indirect consequences of hunger. And yet hunger would be the biggest solvable problem for mankind. There is no shortage of food, knowledge or financial resources. The only thing lacking is political will.
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