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Scientists have discovered that changes in temperature cause marked and organ-specific effects in all tissues. Human beings, like most organisms, are constantly exposed to alternating colder or warmer temperatures. These environmental variations cause striking metabolic effects and require constant adaptations.

A team from the University of Geneva shows that cells that make up our tissues increase in volume when tissues bend. A key discovery for the culture of in vitro organs. "Sheet" of curved cells in the form of a tube: the cells initially organized flat were forced to curl. (c) Aurélien Roux How do our cells organize themselves to give their final shape to our organs? The answer lies in morphogenesis, the set of mechanisms that regulate their distribution in space during embryonic development.

Scientists reveal a surprising mechanism in the formation of copper deposits, an essential metal for the energy transition. Copper is one of the most widely used metals on the planet today due to its electrical and thermal conduction properties. The greatest natural resources of this metal are the so-called "porphyry" deposits that come from magmas deep in the Earth.

By developing a tool to visualize the membrane association and activation status of normal and oncogenic proteins, scientists at the University of Geneva have established the basis for innovative drug discovery. Peripheral membrane proteins have the particularity of temporarily binding to cell membranes, a necessary step for them to be able to fulfil their biological function.

The list of diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection is growing and now includes the retina. This is what suggest a prospective study by the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the University of Geneva. The list of diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection is growing and now includes the retina. This is what suggest a prospective study by the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the University of Geneva , in collaboration with the Adolphe de Rothschild Memorial Clinical Research Center for Ophthalmology.

A team from the UNIGE has succeeded in visualizing crystal nucleation - the stage that precedes crystallization - that was invisible until now. At the interface between chemistry and physics, the process of crystallization is omnipresent in nature and industry. It is the basis for the formation of snowflakes but also of certain active ingredients used in pharmacology.

A team of biologists led by UNIGE has discovered, for breast cancer, a factor that explains the spread of metastases to the bones. 3D image showing the invasion of breast cancer cells (green) expressing ZEB1 into mouse bone tissue (red). (c) Didier Picard When cancer cells break away from a primary tumor and migrate to other organs, this is called 'metastatic cancer'.

UNIGE Scientists show that endocrine stem cells in the pancreas disappear after birth, and detail the genetic identity of the different types of pancreatic hormone-producing cells. Pedro Herrera's team reports new discoveries in the knowledge of the mechanisms of pancreatic cell formation, as well as in the gene expression profile defining the identity of the different types of endocrine cells of the pancreas.

By comparing the infectious viral load caused by ancestral SARS-CoV-2 as well as by the Delta and Omicron variants, scientists from the University of Geneva and HUG highlight the benefits of vaccination. To conduct the research, the UNIGE and HUG team was able to reanalyze samples from previous waves of the disease.

UNIGE and UQ researchers propose novel solution to drastically reduce world's largest waste stream and help avoid a sand sustainability crisis; by making ore-sand. After water, sand is the most exploited natural resource on the planet. However, its extraction from seas, rivers, beaches and quarries has an impact on the environment and surrounding communities.

A team led by UNIGE and EPFL has made a counterintuitive discovery in mice: epileptic seizures are more violent when the energy-producing pathway in their neurons is blocked. Epilepsy, one of the most common neurological disorders, is characterized by the spontaneous repetition of seizures caused by the hyperactivity of a group of neurons in the brain.

A team from the University of Geneva has succeeded in storing a quantum bit for 20 milliseconds. A duration that had never before been achieved by a solid-state quantum memory. Computers, smartphones, GPS: quantum physics has enabled many technological advances. It is now opening up new fields of research in cryptography (the art of coding messages) with the aim of developing ultra-secure ecommunications networks.

A team from the University of Geneva has identified a gene whose overexpression prevents the development of Parkinson's disease in the fruit fly and the mouse. Biologists have created mutants of the Fer2 homolog in mouse dopamine neurons. (c) Adobe Stock Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the destruction of a specific population of neurons: the dopaminergic neurons.

Researchers at the University of Geneva show that the experience of impending cell death within a primary  tumour can lead to the development of «pro-metastatic» cells. Metastatic cells form in a primary tumour and then break away from it, migrate to other organs, attach to them and form new tumours.

Researchers created a model to disentangle how proteins are unevenly distributed in cells, a process at the very basis of the development of living beings. Each of our cells contains about 40 million proteins that together perform all the tasks the cell needs to survive. For a smooth action, the right proteins must be concentrated in specific amounts, at a specific time and at a specific location.

Scientists at the University of Geneva demonstrate how a defect in communication between brain areas is linked to the onset of psychotic disorders. Deficits in the maturation of the gamma response to auditory stimulation in childhood and adolescence are predictive of the risk of developing psychotic disorders.

A European consortium coordinated by UNIGE shows how a mutation in the APOE protein changes the lipid transport in the brain and could promote the arise of Alzheimer's disease. Neurons in the brain coexist with and rely on many other cell types to function properly. Astrocytes, which take their name from their star shape, ensure the survival of neurons by feeding and detoxifying them with the help of a multifunctional protein, APOE.

A Swiss-French team that includes scientists has discovered how to trigger apoptosis in leukaemia cells by disrupting their energy maintenance mechanism. Acute myeloid leukaemia, which affects blood and bone marrow cells, is a particularly dangerous form of cancer. More than half of patients under the age of 60 die.

A team from the UNIGE and Empa demonstrate that a mix of photovoltaic and wind power is optimal for reducing the carbon footprint of Swiss electricity consumption . How can we reduce the carbon footprint of electricity consumption in Switzerland? The country relies on electricity imports from fossil fuel power plants, which are major emitters of greenhouse gases.

Thanks to the ESPRESSO spectrograph developed at the University of Geneva, an international team has discovered an ultralight exoplanet in orbit around Proxima Centauri, our closest neighbour. An international team including researchers from the University of Geneva has detected a third candidate planet around our closest neighbor, the star Proxima Centauri.