wire - news in brief

How can we protect communications against "eavesdropping" if we don't trust the devices used in the process? This is one of the main questions in quantum cryptography research. Researchers at the University of Basel and ETH Zurich have succeeded in laying the theoretical groundwork for a communication protocol that guarantees one hundred percent privacy.

Switzerland is gradually easing the measures imposed to halt the spread of the new coronavirus. However, the fight against Covid-19 is far from over.

In response to a lack of potential coronavirus medications on the market, pharmacists from the University of Basel have begun to produce tablets themselves.

In order to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the University of Basel has reduced its research and operations to a bare minimum.

Sustainable means of mobility are becoming ever more popular. In Switzerland, around 15,000 people have registered with the online platform carvelo2go, which hires out electric cargo bikes.

Sports scientists from the University of Basel found that providing telephone-based coaching over the phone is an effective method for getting people in Switzerland to adopt a physically active lifestyle. Physical activity is a good way to minimize various health risks - regardless of gender, age and fitness level.

Santhera Pharmaceuticals and the University of Basel's Biozentrum announce their collaboration to advance gene therapy research for the treatment of congenital muscular dystrophy.

Animal-assisted therapy can foster social competence in patients with brain injuries and increase their emotional involvement during therapy. These were the findings of a clinical trial conducted by psychologists from the University of Basel and published in the journal Scientific Reports. After a severe traumatic brain injury, patients often exhibit problems in their social behavior.

People are evidently no good at predicting their own happiness or unhappiness: key life events such as marriage, invalidity or the death of a partner affect well-being for less time than those affected think.

Gardens in urban areas can harbor a remarkable diversity of species. This has been found by researchers from the University of Basel in a field study carried out with the support of private garden owners from the Basel region. Furthermore, the research team shows that nature-friendly garden management and design can largely compensate for the negative effects of urbanization on biodiversity.

Today, the European Commission launched its flagship initiative on quantum technologies. Three research groups from the Department of Physics at the University of Basel are involved. The aim of the 1 billion euro research and technology funding program is to develop radically new and powerful quantum technologies by exploiting various quantum effects.

Scientists have demonstrated that the motor cortex is necessary for the execution of corrective movements in response to unexpected changes of sensory input but not when the same movements are executed spontaneously.

Fats are essential for our body. The core components of all fats are fatty acids. Their production is initiated by the enzyme ACC.

The young startup of the University of Basel, Qnami, is the winner of the Venture Kick prize worth 130'000 Swiss Francs.

The way in which the phase-out of nuclear power plants in Germany is currently planned could negatively influence the safety of the facilities.

Complex reaction cascades can be triggered in artificial molecular systems: Swiss scientists have constructed an enzyme than can penetrate a mammalian cell and accelerate the release of a hormone.

A little-explored group of immune cells plays an important role in the regulation of intestinal bacteria. Changing metabolic states of the microbes have an effect on defense cells at different stages of alert or rest, as researchers from the Department of Biomedicine at the University and University Hospital of Basel report in the journal "Mucosal Immunology." It is known that the metabolites of bacteria influence the composition and function of immune cells resident within the gut.

Stable joint cartilage can be produced from adult stem cells originating from bone marrow.

An international team of researchers has discovered a new anti-cancer protein. The protein, called LHPP, prevents the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells in the liver.

With every infection or vaccination, memory cells form that the body uses to remember the pathogen. This has been known for decades - but the structure of this cellular immunologic memory has previously proven impossible to pin down.

The protein complex mTORC2 controls cellular lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Researchers from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel and the ETH Zurich have now succeeded in deciphering the 3D structure of this important protein complex.

Astronomers have examined the distribution and movement of dwarf galaxies in the constellation Centaurus, but their observations do not fit with the standard model of cosmology that assumes the existence of dark matter. The international team of researchers led by the University of Basel reported their findings .

Researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, together with researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Dresden, have set up a novel lab-on-a-chip with accompanying automatic analysis software.

A diagnosis of cancer causes huge psychological stress, but many patients do not receive any psychological support.

Physicists have developed a technique based on optical microscopy that can be used to create images of atoms on the nanoscale.

Callous-unemotional traits are linked to differences in brain structure in boys, but not girls. This reports a European research team led by the University of Basel and University of Basel Psychiatric Hospital in a study on brain development in 189 adolescents.

Just like an acrobatic duo, some proteins lend each other stability. Researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel have discovered that the protein 'Trigger factor' recognizes a partner by instable, flexible domains, to then together form a stable protein duo. The study has been published in the current issue of 'Nature Communications'.

Nine research projects involving Basel-based researchers in the field of personalized health are to receive funding from the Swiss government: support will be given to researchers from the University

Around a third of all employees find their work stressful. Interventions for stress and burnout are available, but often not accessible for many employees. A self-help book based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has the potential to reduce burnout, stress and symptoms of depression - without any therapist contact.

Extracellular polysaccharides play a central role in the survival capabilities of caries-causing bacteria in dental plaque, report researchers from the University of Basel's Preventative Dentistry and Oral Microbiology Clinic and Department of Biomedical Engineering in the journal Plos One. Cariogenic bacteria live in biofilm and attack dental enamel by converting sugar and starch into acids that dissolve out calcium from the enamel.

People differ in their willingness to take risks. An individual's propensity for risk taking can also vary across domains. However, there is new evidence showing that there is also a general factor of individual risk preference, which remains stable over time - akin to the general Intelligence Quotient (IQ).

Although bacteria have no sensory organs in the classical sense, they are still masters in perceiving their environment. A research group at the University of Basel's Biozentrum has now discovered that bacteria not only respond to chemical signals, but also possess a sense of touch. In their recent publication in "Science", the researchers demonstrate how bacteria recognize surfaces and respond to this mechanical stimulus within seconds.

A clearly defined subpopulation of neurons in the brainstem is essential to execute locomotion at high speeds. Interestingly, these high-speed neurons are intermingled with others that can elicit immediate stopping. How defined groups of brainstem neurons can regulate important aspects of full motor programs, reports a study by researchers of the Biozentrum at the University of Basel and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI).

The endogenous infection marker procalcitonin can help to guide the use of antibiotics when treating infections.

For some medical complaints, open-label placebos work just as well as deceptive ones. As psychologists from the University of Basel and Harvard Medical School report in the journal Pain, the accompanying rationale plays an important role when administering a placebo. The successful treatment of certain physical and psychological complaints can be explained to a significant extent by the placebo effect.

Researchers at the University of Basel succeeded in developing capsules capable of producing the bio-molecule glucose-6-phosphate that plays an important role in metabolic processes. The researchers were able to produce the metabolite in conditions very similar to the biochemical reaction inside natural cells.

Although the clinical efficacy of antidepressants in children and adolescents is proven, it is frequently accompanied by side effects. In addition, the influence of the placebo effect on the efficacy of antidepressants is unclear. A meta-analysis of data from over 6,500 patients has now shown that, although antidepressants are more effective than placebos, the difference is minor and varies according to the type of mental disorder.

For the first time, physicists have successfully imaged spiral magnetic ordering in a multiferroic material. These materials are considered highly promising candidates for future data storage media. The researchers were able to prove their findings using unique quantum sensors that were developed at Basel University and that can analyze electromagnetic fields on the nanometer scale.

Scientists from the University of Basel's Department of Physics and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute have succeeded in dramatically improving the quality of individual photons generated by a quantum system. The scientists have successfully put a 10-year-old theoretical prediction into practice. With their paper, published recently in Physical Review X, they have taken an important step towards future applications in quantum information technology.

Physicists from the University of Basel have developed a memory that can store photons. These quantum particles travel at the speed of light and are thus suitable for high-speed data transfer.

Nuclear pore complexes are tiny channels where the exchange of substances between the cell nucleus and the cytoplasm takes place. Scientists at the University of Basel report on startling new research that might overturn established models of nuclear transport regulation. Their study published in the Journal of Cell Biology reveals how shuttling proteins known as importins control the function of nuclear pores - as opposed to the view that nuclear pores control the shuttling of importins.

Children more often sleep poorly if their mothers suffer from insomnia symptoms. This report researchers from the University of Basel and the University of Warwick in the journal Sleep Medicine based on a study with nearly 200 school-aged children and their parents. Sleep plays an essential role for adults' and children's well-being.