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Archive Mathematics and Natural Sciences 2022

56 article
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Article list Mathematics and Natural Sciences

  • New UZH Magazin

    Climate Change, Wars and Insatiable Data Dredgers

    The challenges facing the global community today are complex and manifold: climate crisis, war, poverty, inequality, digitalization, a new political world order. The new issue of the UZH Magazin analyzes some of the problems and points to possible solutions.
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  • Environmental Virology

    Acids against viruses

    A new study by various Swiss universities shows that aerosols in indoor air can vary in acidity. This acidity determines how long viruses remain infectious in the air – with profound implications for virus transmission and strategies to contain it.
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  • Vulnerable Prehistoric Giants

    The remains of glyptodonts, a group of extinct giant armadillos, indicate that humans spread to South America earlier than previously assumed. Found in northwestern Venezuela, the fractured skulls could represent evidence of hunting by humans, says UZH paleontologist Marcelo Sánchez. Skilled human hunters are also likely to have contributed to pushing the large, heavily armored animals over the brink.
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  • Biodiversity

    A Unique Academic Program

    The University of Zurich is introducing a new degree program on biodiversity in the 2023 Fall Semester. Students can complete the study program, the only one of its kind in German-speaking countries, at Bachelor’s and Master’s level.
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  • The Art of Learning

    In the Jungle of Neurons

    A big part of learning involves our memory. Neuroscientists are looking closely at what goes on in our brains when we learn, and are slowly unraveling the mysteries of this incredible ability of ours.
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  • Climate Research

    Vegetation Regulates Energy Exchange in the Arctic

    Global warming is changing the Arctic by causing permafrost thaw, glacier melt, droughts, fires and changes in vegetation. Different plant communities in the tundra play a key role in the energy exchange between land and the atmosphere but are not taken into account in climate models.
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  • Paleobiology

    Vocal Communication Originated over 400 Million Years Ago

    Acoustic communication is not only widespread in land vertebrates like birds and mammals, but also in reptiles, amphibians and fishes. According to researchers at the University of Zurich, the evolutionary origin of vocal communication dates back more than 400 million years.
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  • Space Research

    A Factory in Outer Space

    It’s possible to produce things in orbit that wouldn’t be possible on Earth, says Oliver Ullrich. We sat down with the biochemist and space physician to learn more about weightless cells, the UZH Space Hub, and humans as an interplanetary species.
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  • Portrait

    Physics and War

    The young Ukrainian scientist Iaroslava Bezshyiko is set on discovering new elementary particles. This excitement about the mysteries of mass and matter runs in the family: thanks to a Scholars at Risk grant, her mother is now researching at UZH, too.
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  • Evolutionary Biology

    Threatened Aldabra Giant Tortoise Genome Decoded

    They can live for more than 100 years and weigh up to 250 kilograms – Aldabra giant tortoises. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now decoded the genome of Aldabrachelys gigantea, one of only two remaining giant tortoise species worldwide. The findings will help to ensure the long-term survival of the threatened species.
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  • Parabolic Flights

    New Flight Platform Increases Flexibility in Research

    The 6th Swiss Parabolic Flight Campaign, run by the UZH Space Hub and the Swiss Sky Lab Foundation, takes place at the Air Base Dübendorf from 3 to 14 October. It is the first time a campaign is featuring a Cessna Citation II research aircraft, operated by the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR). The airplane will carry four research projects into weightlessness.
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  • New UZH Magazin

    The Art of Learning

    Learning is itself a skill that must be learned. The best ways to do this and the requirements for success are current topics of research at UZH. The new UZH Magazin examines how our ability to learn changes over the course of our lives, how good teaching works, and what goes on in our brains when we learn. The current issue is published jointly by the University of Zurich and UZH Alumni.
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  • Climate change

    Longer, hotter and more frequent heat waves in Swiss cities

    Hot days followed by sweltering nights without any temperature relief in between might become a new norm towards the end of the 21st century. Researchers from the University of Zurich have analyzed the frequency, intensity and length of such extreme events for five Swiss cities. Lugano and Geneva would be most affected.
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  • UZH Diploma

    Doctor Einstein

    One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Zurich played an important role in the renowned scientist’s career – he was a student here, and in 1905 submitted his dissertation to the University of Zurich. Einstein’s doctoral certificate has now returned to the university and is on permanent display. The new display case containing the diploma was unveiled yesterday.
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  • Exhibition

    Albert Einstein

    The doctoral certificate of Nobel laureate Albert Einstein has returned to the University of Zurich thanks to a donation and is now on display in the entrance hall of UZH’s main building. The famous physicist obtained his doctorate from the University of Zurich in 1906.
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  • Eating Plants

    Weeding, Mulching, Sowing, Reaping

    Students garden on the Irchel Campus, and a literary scholar gets involved in a farming cooperative: the act of growing one's own vegetables contributes to food security, brings people together, makes them healthier and promotes sustainability.
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  • Evolutionary Biology

    Frogs Use Brains or Camouflage to Evade Predators

    How do frogs protect themselves from predators? Some species rely on cognitive predator evasion, using their large brains and strong hind legs. For species exposed to high predation pressure, effective camouflage to avoid being detected in the first place may be preferable.
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  • Paläontology

    New 3D Model Shows: Megalodon Could Eat Prey the Size of Entire Killer Whales

    International researchers in collaboration with UZH used an exceptionally preserved fossil to create a 3D computer model of the full body of a megadolon. Their results suggest that the megalodon could fully consume prey the size of today’s killer whales.
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  • Research Policy

    Seeds for All

    Important patents for gene-edited seeds are held by universities. While this presents an opportunity for farmers in developing countries, we are unlikely to see speedy deregulation of this new technology anytime soon.
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  • Climate Change

    Extreme Heat and Drought Require More Systematic Risk Assessment

    Simultaneous extreme heat and drought have consequences in a variety of areas – for example the economy, health and food production. In addition, due to complex socio-economic connections, such extreme events can cause knock-on effects.
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  • Plant Biology

    Global Spread of Powdery Mildew through Migration and Trade

    The worldwide distribution of one of the most important cereal pathogens is the result of human activity. Researchers at the University of Zurich have traced the history and spread of wheat powdery mildew along wheat trade routes and found that mixing of genetic ancestries of related powdery mildew species played a central role in the evolution and adaptation of the pathogen.
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  • Anthropology

    Communication Makes Hunting Easier for Chimpanzees

    Chimpanzees use communication to coordinate their cooperative behavior – such as during hunting. When chimpanzees produce a specific vocalization, known as the “hunting bark”, they recruit more group members to the hunt and capture their prey more effectively.
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  • Biochemistry

    Individual Cells Are Smarter Than Thought

    Humans make decisions based on various sensory information which is integrated into a holistic percept by the brain. But how do single cells make decisions? Much more autonomously than previously thought, as researchers from the University of Zurich have now shown. Cells base their decisions not only on outside signals like growth factors, but also on information they receive from inside the cell. This can even lead to treatment-resistant cancer cells.
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  • Sustainable Food

    Wonderful World of Wheat

    Green genetic engineering will help secure our food supply, believes plant biologist Beat Keller. One possible approach involves genetically modifying wheat to make it more resistant to powdery mildew.
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  • Sustainable Food

    More Broccoli, Less Steak

    If we want to avoid destroying our planet, we need to transform our eating habits – and this starts in our kitchens. We have to find a balance of healthy and sustainable food, with less meat and more veg.
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  • World Biodiversity Forum

    Reversing the Trend

    At the World Biodiversity Forum in Davos this week, the focus is on how to slow down species loss and protect ecosystems. The UZH-organized conference aims to inspire action by bringing together researchers and practitioners.
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  • SNF Grants

    Sebastian Jessberger and Nicola Serra Awarded SNSF Advanced Grants

    The Swiss National Science Foundation is supporting two University of Zurich projects with CHF 2.5 million each. Sebastian Jessberger is investigating the aging process in the brain, while Nicola Serra is on the trail of a sensational development in particle physics.
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  • Green Genetic Engineering

    In the Beginning Was the Popcorn

    Genetically modified crops could contribute to making agriculture more sustainable and productive, says Ueli Grossniklaus. This new green genetic engineering has so far met with skepticism – but the challenges of climate change and the global grain crisis may change people’s views.
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  • UZH Magazin

    eating plants

    Researchers at UZH are exploring sustainable agriculture and the future of food, from transforming our eating habits and growing our own greens to breeding crops with new techniques, distributing seeds more fairly and farming with biodiversity in mind. The latest UZH Magazin explores how we can eat and produce food in a way that benefits both our own health and the health of our planet.
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  • Celebrations at the Brain Research Institute

    This week marks 60 years since the founding of the UZH Brain Research Institute. The institute has contributed to great leaps in our understanding of neuroscience, but the brain still holds many secrets.
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  • Biodiversity

    Diverse Forests Outyield Monocultures

    Multispecies tree plantations are more productive than monocultures, according to a new study carried out in China. UZH environmental scientist Bernhard Schmid was involved in the research.
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  • Biodiversity

    Drought-Exposure History Improves Recovery of Grassland Communities from Subsequent Drought

    When a plant community is exposed to drought, the different species undergo evolutionary changes. An international study with UZH participation now shows that this leads to improved resilience to future drought stress over time.
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  • Research Funding

    Boost for One Health and Quantitative Legal Research

    With its new funding instrument, TRANSFORM, UZH is laying the groundwork for innovation across the whole university. The Institute of One Health Research and the Center for Legal Data Science are set to receive seed funding of around CHF 2.7 million in total over the next four years.
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  • What Connects Us

    Nothing Without Each Other

    Humans and apes are social creatures. We need each other. We depend on each other. It's what binds us together. But that doesn't mean we always get along.
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  • Biodiversity

    Satellite Monitoring of Biodiversity Moves Within Reach

    Global biodiversity assessments require the collection of data on changes in plant biodiversity on an ongoing basis. Researchers from the universities of Zurich and Montréal have now shown that plant communities can be reliably monitored using imaging spectroscopy, which in the future will be possible via satellite. This paves the way for near real-time global biodiversity monitoring.
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  • Anthropology

    Watch dolphins line up to self-medicate skin ailments at coral “clinics”

    If a human comes down with a rash, they might go to the doctor and come away with some ointment to put on it. Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins get skin conditions, too, but they come about their medication by queuing up nose-to-tail to rub themselves against corals. In the journal iScience on 19 May, researchers show that these corals have medicinal properties, suggesting that the dolphins are using the marine invertebrates to medicate skin conditions.
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  • Neuroinformatics

    Component for brain-inspired computing

    A new material enables creating electronic circuits that emulate the human brain. They are supposed to increase the efficiency of machine learning.
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  • Palaeontolgy

    Previously Unknown Dolphin Species Was Present in Switzerland

    Twenty million years ago, the Swiss Plateau region, or “Mittelland”, was an ocean in which dolphins swam. Researchers at the University of Zurich’s Paleontological Institute have now discovered two previously unknown species related to modern sperm whales and oceanic dolphins, which they identified based on ear bones.
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  • UZH Space Hub

    Robot Dog on the Way to the Moon

    The robotic explorer GLIMPSE, created at UZH and ETH Zurich, has made it into the final round of a competition for prospecting resources in space. The long-term goal is for the robot to explore the south polar region of the moon.
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  • Evolution

    Complex Human Childbirth and Cognitive Abilities a Result of Walking Upright

    Childbirth in humans is much more complex and painful than in great apes. It was long believed that this was a result of humans’ larger brains and the narrow dimensions of the mother’s pelvis. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now used 3D simulations to show that childbirth was also a highly complex process in early hominins species that gave birth to relatively small-brained newborns – with important implications for their cognitive development.
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  • Deep Learning

    Automated analysis of animal behaviour

    Researchers have developed a new method that uses artificial intelligence to analyze animal behavior. This opens the door to longer-​term in-​depth studies in the field of behavioral science – while also helping to improve animal welfare. The method is already being tested at Zurich Zoo.
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  • Space Research

    Universities Space Research Association Elects UZH as a Member University Elects University of Zurich as a Member University

    The University of Zurich (UZH), a renowned university in Switzerland, has joined the ranks of Universities Space Research Association (USRA). Elected by USRA’s current university members, UZH was formally inaugurated into the Association on March 25, 2022, bringing the membership of the Association to a total of 115 universities.
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  • Evolutionary Biology

    A Single Gene Controls Species Diversity in an Ecosystem

    To test if a single gene could affect an entire ecosystem, a research team of the University of Zurich conducted a lab experiment with a plant and its associated ecosystem of insects. They found that plants with a mutation at a specific gene foster ecosystems with more insect species. The discovery of such a “keystone gene” could change current biodiversity conservation strategies.
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  • Exhibition

    Fossil Treasures of the Alpstein

    A new special exhibition at the University of Zurich’s Zoological and Paleontological Museum showcases sublime fossils found in the Alpstein massif in eastern Switzerland, taking visitors on a journey through time to the marine wildlife of the Cretaceous and Eocene more than 100 million years ago. The exhibition, conceived by the Natural History Museum in St.Gallen, is based on a book by UZH paleontologist Christian Klug and Peter Kürsteiner.
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  • Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich

    Fighting Cancer with Bacteria

    Some bacteria in the gut reduce the effectiveness of cancer treatments, while others increase it. The Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich is exploring these remarkable abilities in a new flagship project.
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  • Ecology

    Bright Nights

    Our nights are losing their darkness. Artificial light is making them brighter and brighter. Light pollution is affecting people and wildlife – but there are strategies to limit it.
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  • Anthropology

    Popular Male Dolphins Produce More Offspring

    The reproductive success of male dolphins is not determined by strength or age, but via social bonds with other males. The better integrated males are in their social network, the more offspring they produce, a new study by an international team of researchers led by the University of Zurich has shown using long-term behavioral and genetic data.
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  • Awards

    Three UZH Researchers Awarded ERC Consolidator Grants

    Three researchers at the University of Zurich have been awarded much coveted ERC Consolidator Grants by the EU. Funding in the amount of 6 million euros over five years will not be provided by EU, but instead covered by the federal government as promised.
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  • Neuroscience

    Astrocyte Networks in the Mouse Brain Control Spatial Learning and Memory

    Astrocytes form large networks of interconnected cells in the central nervous system. When these cell-to-cell couplings are disrupted in the brain of adult mice, the animals are no longer able to store spatial information. The astrocytes network is thus essential for spatial learning and memory formation, as neuroscientists of the University of Zurich now show.
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  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

    window of opportunity

    The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that we need to act faster to bring climate risks to an acceptable level, say Christian Huggel and Veruska Muccione. We spoke in depth with the two UZH scientists, who served as main authors of the IPCC’s report on the consequences of climate change.
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  • Quiz solution

    Schnabeltiere und Androiden

    Love, courage, fear – mythical creatures have always been imaginary incarnations of things that deeply move people, says Heinz-Ulrich Reyer about his new book, which inspired us to write a quiz. You will find the winner and the quiz solution in the closing below the interview with the author. He explains the significance of unicorns, dragons and the like for our cultural and scientific history – and why they continue to capture our imaginations to this day.
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  • Neuroscience

    Illuminating Real-Time Brain Dynamics of Neuropeptides with a Fluorescent Biosensor

    Neuropeptides play fundamental roles in modulating cellular and circuit functions within the brain. One such signaling molecule – orexin – regulates arousal and wakefulness, and its failure can lead to constant daytime sleepiness (narcolepsy). University of Zurich researchers have now developed a fluorescent orexin biosensor to observe this molecule "live" in the living mouse brain.
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  • Quiz

    Of Unicorns and Dragons

    Mythical creatures have been a part of human lore since the dawn of time. They live in our stories, our legends and our imagination. UZH zoologist Heinz-Ulrich Reyer has now published a book that explores these legendary creatures. But how much do our readers know about creatures of myth and legend? Test your knowledge in our quiz, and with some luck you can win a copy of Reyer’s book Rendezvous der Fabelwesen!
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  • Climate Change

    Arctic Winter Warming Causes Cold Damage in the Subtropics of East Asia

    Due to climate change, Arctic winters are getting warmer. An international study by UZH researchers shows that Arctic warming causes temperature anomalies and cold damage thousands of kilometers away in East Asia. This in turn leads to reduced vegetation growth, later blossoming, smaller harvests and reduced CO2 absorption by the forests in the region.
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  • Anthropology

    Cracking Chimpanzee Culture

    Chimpanzees don’t automatically know what to do when they come across nuts and stones. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now used field experiments to show that chimpanzees thus do not simply invent nut cracking with tools, but need to learn such complex cultural behaviors from others.
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  • Successful innovation

    “We have created a stable active ingredient”

    Molecular Partners, a spin-off from the University of Zurich, has developed a drug against Covid-19 and is applying for approval, together with Novartis, in Switzerland and the US. Phase 2 clinical trials have already demonstrated efficacy in Covid patients. Andreas Plückthun of the UZH Department of Biochemistry was involved from the start.
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