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Why rare plants are rare
Rare plant species suffer more from disease than commoner species. The fact that rare species are more susceptible to attack by micro-organisms living in the soil, such as fungi and bacteria, may in fact be one of the reasons they are rare. Biologists have been trying to work out why some species are rare, while others are common, since Darwin's time and a new study from researchers at the University of Bern provides a possible answer.

Comet "Chury’s" late birth
Comets which consist of two parts, like Chury, can form after a catastrophic collision of larger bodies. Such collisions may have taken place in a later phase of our solar system, which suggests that Chury can be much younger than previously assumed. This is shown through computer simulations by an international research group with the participation of the University of Bern.

Sacrificing ground floors can save lives
Disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes and dam failures are rare but can have devastating consequences on a country. A thesis at EPFL has shown that appropriate construction methods can substantially reduce the impact of such catastrophic events. Davide Wüthrich, a PhD student at EPFL, has just finished his thesis on methods for reducing the damage caused when a wave hits a building.

Rotavirus transmission influenced by temperature, water movement
ANN ARBOR-Climate in the tropics has a larger influence on transmission of the sometime deadly rotavirus than previously shown, University of Michigan researchers have found. Using sophisticated modeling, U-M School of Public Health researchers showed communities that draw water from large, slow-moving or stagnant sources in cooler seasons have more transmission of the virus than those that access free-flowing water.

Controlling skyrmions with lasers
EPFL scientists have produced controllable stable skyrmions using laser pulses, taking a step towards significantly more energy-efficient memory devices. The work is published in Physical Review Letters. A skyrmion is a collection of electron spins that look like a vortex in certain magnetic materials.

One Atom to Rule Them All: A New Class of Quantum Matter Observed
Scientists have observed a new class of quantum matter at the very smallest scales in one of the coldest environments ever made. This discovery could pave the way for new technologies including innovations in superconductivity and other cutting-edge fields. The researchers examined the behavior of matter on the atomic and subatomic scales - known as "quantum matter" - where a large number of particles interact with each other.

A near-universal way to measure enzyme inhibition
Researchers at McGill University have invented a new technique for measuring how quickly drugs interact with their molecular targets. The discovery provides scientists with a new way to investigate the effectiveness of drug candidates that might otherwise have been overlooked. The new method centres on the principle of enzyme inhibition.

Acetylcholine Wakes Silent Neural Network by Targeting Nicotine Receptors - News - Carnegie Mellon University
Neuroscientists at Carnegie Mellon University have, for the first time, used acetylcholine to functionally rewire a dense matrix of neurons in the brain's cerebral cortex. Using optogenetics, they found that the chemical released by nerve cells to send signals to other cells, also known as a neurotransmitter, can turn on the normally silent network by binding to the same receptors targeted by nicotine.

Super-resolution microscopy in both space and time
In a breakthrough for biological imaging, EPFL scientists have developed the first microscope platform that can perform super-resolution spatial and temporal imaging, capturing unprecedented views inside living cells. The landmark paper is published. Super-resolution microscopy is a technique that can "see" beyond the diffraction of light, providing unprecedented views of cells and their interior structures and organelles.

Halting the spread of cholera through a neighborhood response
Using data gathered during a cholera outbreak in Chad, EPFL researchers have found that a response strategy that targets the neighborhood close to reported cases can more effectively contain the outbreak than a large-scale campaign that targets a wider district or an entire city. The World Health Organization aims to eradicate cholera by 2030.

More nurse practitioners serve less healthy, lower-income areas
ANN ARBOR-The rural physician shortage is well-established, and there's the notion that doctors don't necessarily establish their practices where need for health care is greatest-in poor and unhealthy communities. The issue becomes more interesting when you account for health care's changing provider landscape-specifically, the growing number of physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

Black Hole Blasts May Transform "Mini-Neptunes" into Rocky Worlds
A team of astrophysicists and planetary scientists has predicted that Neptune-like planets located near the center of the Milky Way galaxy have been transformed into rocky planets by outbursts generated by the nearby supermassive black hole. These findings combine computer simulations with data from recent exoplanet findings, and X-ray and ultraviolet observations of stars and black holes.

Multi laboratory studies improve reproducibility of animal research
Pre-clinical animal research is typically based on single laboratory studies conducted under highly standardized conditions, a practice that is universally encouraged in animal science courses and textbooks. In a new study in PLOS Biology, researchers from the Universities of Bern and Edinburgh demonstrate that such insistence on uniformity risks producing results that are only valid under very specific conditions.

Evidence on the advantages and acceptability of antidepressants
An international study co-led by the University of Bern offers important insights from a synthesis of 522 clinical studies. The results show differences in efficacy of the 21 most commonly used antidepressants worldwide. Major depressive disorder is one of the most common, burdensome, and costly psychiatric disorders worldwide in adults.

New Interaction Mechanism of Proteins Discovered
Proteins are among the most important biomolecules and are the key mediators of molecular communication between and within cells. For two proteins to be able to bind, specific regions of their three-dimensional structure have to exactly match one another - like a key that fits into a lock. The structure of proteins is extremely important for their functioning and for triggering the required response in cells.

New weakness discovered in the sleeping sickness pathogen
Trypanosomes are single-celled parasites that cause diseases such as human African sleeping sickness and Nagana in animals. But they are also used in basic research as a model system to study fundamental biological questions. Researchers of the University of Bern have now investigated how trypanosomes equally distribute their ‘power plant' to the daughter cells during cell division.

National study to shed light on aging
McGill medical professor Christina Wolfson is one of the principal investigators for the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, a long-term research project involving 50,000 participants from across the country (Photo: Owen Egan) by Brenda Branswell Source: McGill News Magazine Imagine getting a phone call asking if you'd like to take part in a study..

Taking blood without a needle
EPFL-based startup Loop Medical is working on a needleless device to take pain-free blood samples at home.

A therapeutic approach inspired by nature
T3 Pharmaceuticals AG - a startup from the University of Basel - genetically modifies bacteria and wants to use this to develop new cancer therapies.

Dispersal of Fish Eggs by Water Birds - Just a Myth?
How do fish end up in isolated bodies of water when they can't swim there themselves' For centuries, researchers have assumed that water birds transfer fish eggs into these waters - however, a systematic literature review by researchers at the University of Basel has shown that there is no evidence of this to date.