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Archive Media Releases 2024

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  • Exhibition at the Ethnographic Museum

    Tales of Ginseng Cut in Radiant Red Paper

    Ginseng is treasured for the healing powers attributed to it. Its natural presence in the wilderness of Northeast China is rare, and it takes complex knowledge to search out and find it. Numerous tales accordingly entwine around the root and the quest for it. A papercut exhibition in the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich devotes itself to those stories.
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  • Genome editing

    Use of Genetic Scissors Carries Risks

    The CRISPR tool is capable of repairing the genetic defect responsible for the immune disease chronic granulomatous disease. However, researchers at the University of Zurich have now shown that there is a risk of inadvertently introducing other defects.
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  • Medicine

    Unraveling the Link Between Hepatitis and Kidney Damage

    The hepatitis E virus affects the liver. But infected liver cells secrete a viral protein that reacts with antibodies in the blood and may form complexes that can damage the filter structure of the kidneys, as researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich have proven for the first time.
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  • Evolutionary Anthropology

    Similarities in Brain Development Between Marmosets and Humans

    In common marmosets, the brain regions that process social interactions develop very slowly, extending until early adulthood, like in humans. During this time, all group members are involved in raising the infants, which contributes to the species’ strong socio-cognitive skills.
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  • Biodiversity

    Plant Diversity Enhances Soil Carbon Retention

    A new study shows that increasing plant diversity in agriculture can be used to improve the carbon sequestration potential of agricultural soils. As the agricultural sector strives to reduce its carbon footprint, promoting biodiversity in agricultural practices could be the key to more sustainable and climate-friendly food production systems.
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  • Evolutionary Medicine

    Birth: It’s a Tight Squeeze for Chimpanzees, Too

    A new study shows that chimpanzees, like humans, must contend with a confined bony birth canal when giving birth. The “obstetrical dilemma” therefore evolved gradually over the course of primate evolution rather than suddenly in humans as originally argued.
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  • Sustainable development and conservation

    Rapidly Increasing Industrial Activities in the Arctic

    More than 800,000 km2 of the Arctic were affected by human activity in 2013, according to an analysis of satellite-derived data on artificial light at night. On average, 85% of the light-polluted areas are due to industrial activities rather than urban development. This is crucial for sustainable development and nature conservation.
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  • Yearbook Quality of the Media 2024

    SRG is not crowding out private news media

    People who use the Swiss public broadcasting association’s (SRG) news also consume commuter, tabloid and subscription media more frequently than those who do not. Furthermore, the use of SRG news does not detrimentally affect people’s willingness to pay for online news. These are the findings of the Yearbook Quality of the Media 2024 published by the University of Zurich’s Research Center for the Public Sphere and Society (fög).
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  • Microbiology

    AI Helps to Detect Antibiotic Resistance

    In a pilot study, researchers at the University of Zurich have used artificial intelligence to detect antibiotic resistance in bacteria for the first time. This is an important first step toward integrating GPT-4 into clinical diagnostics.
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  • Travel medicine

    Novel App Tracks Travel-Related Illnesses

    About one in three people who travel gets sick, often with gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, a travel app developed by UZH researchers finds. The app could be used in the future to help detect outbreaks of contagious diseases at an early stage.
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  • Plant protection

    Reducing Herbivore Damage Using Biodiversity

    Pesticides aren’t always necessary: researchers at the University of Zurich have conducted a comprehensive field study showing that damage from herbivores can be reduced by using biodiversity within a plant species.
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  • Behavioral economics

    Public Discourse Promotes Socially Responsible Behavior

    Public discourse campaigns often promote social responsibility, but do such discussions also impact our market behavior? Economists at the University of Zurich have published a new study that shows that engaging in public discourse increases socially responsible market behavior – regardless of participants’ social norms and values.
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  • UZH Space Hub

    UZH Bolsters Its Aerospace and Aviation Research at Innovation Park Zurich

    The UZH Space Hub leverages its strong interdisciplinary research and international network to help advance the fields of remote sensing, astrophysics, space life sciences and autonomous drone navigation. By relocating to Innovation Park Zurich, it is enabling researchers to build a unique space ecosystem.
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  • Clinical translation

    Compact “Gene Scissor” Enables Effective Genome Editing

    TnpB is an ancestor of the well-known “gene scissor” CRISPR-Cas, but is much smaller and thus easier to transport into cells. Using protein engineering and AI algorithms, UZH researchers have now enhanced TnpB capabilities to make DNA editing more efficient and versatile, paving the way for treating a genetic defect for high cholesterol in the future.
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  • Experimental economic research

    Aversion to Inequality Drives Support for Redistribution

    As income inequality widens, debates around redistribution policies are heating up. An international research team shows that support for these policies stems not only from individuals’ financial situations but also from an inherent aversion to inequality. This offers valuable insights into predicting public support for future redistribution policies.
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  • Evolutionary biology

    Colorful Traits in Primates Ease Tensions Between Groups

    Primate ornamentation plays a crucial role in communication not only within social groups but also between them, according to a new study. The traits may help reduce intergroup aggression by enabling quick assessments of potential rivals.
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  • Exhibition at the Ethnographic Museum

    Exhibiting Looted Artifacts from Benin: A Space for Nigerian Voices

    Why are objects from the Kingdom of Benin held in the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich? What do they mean to different stakeholder groups? And how should institutions deal with them? The exhibition "Benin Dues" answers these questions.
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  • Astrophysics

    Using Small Black Holes To Detect Big Black Holes

    An international team of astrophysicists with participation of the University of Zurich proposes a novel method to detect pairs of the biggest black holes found at the centers of galaxies by analyzing gravitational waves generated by binaries of nearby small stellar black holes.
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  • Psychology

    Political Campaigns Can Induce Stress in Minorities

    How did the 2021 national marriage equality referendum campaign in Switzerland affect the well-being of the LGBTIQ+ community? A team led by researchers at UZH has shown that LGBTIQ+ individuals and their cisgender heterosexual allies exhibited more stress hormones during the controversial campaign.
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  • One Health

    Influenza viruses can use two entry points

    Most influenza viruses enter human or animal cells through specific pathways on the cells’ surface. UZH researchers have now discovered that certain human flu viruses and avian flu viruses can also use a second entry pathway to infect cells.
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  • Tumor biology

    Key Driver for Epithelial Cancer Development Identified

    A distinct signaling pathway called TNF-α drives the transformation of epithelial cells into aggressive tumor cells. During cancer progression, cells activate their own TNF-α program and become invasive - they spread into other organs.
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  • Sociology

    Teacher bias

    A study involving over 14,000 ninth graders in Germany has uncovered significant grading biases associated with students’ gender, body size, ethnicity and parental socioeconomic status.
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  • Financing Climate Risks

    Crucial Gaps in Climate Risk Assessment Methods

    Researchers from the Universities of Zurich, Vienna and Utrecht have uncovered significant flaws in current climate risk assessment techniques that could lead to a severe underestimation of climate-related financial losses for businesses and investors.
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  • Cancer medicine

    Novel Blood Test Helps Improve Cancer Treatments

    UZH and USZ researchers have further developed a new blood test to analyze liquid biopsies of DNA fragments in the blood. The new method is fast and practical, without putting much of a strain on patients – and might help to treat cancer patients more individually in the future.
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  • Stem cell biology

    The Mechanism Behind Melanoma Resistance to Treatment

    In many cases of malignant melanoma, the effect of targeted treatment is lost over time. A research team from UZH and USZ has now discovered that a factor secreted by tumor cells is responsible for the resistance.
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  • Permanent professorship

    UZH to Create Chair of Allergology and Asthma in Davos

    The Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF) in Davos is to be significantly strengthened with the creation of a Chair of Allergology and Asthma. An agreement on this was announced on 21 June 2024 by representatives of the Graubünden government and the UZH.
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  • Psychology

    Gender Equality Linked to Men Eating More Meat

    In wealthier countries with greater gender equality, men are more likely to eat meat more frequently than women, a new study reveals. The findings could inform strategies for promoting plant-based and cultured meat as viable alternatives to traditional meat consumption.
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  • Speech Sciences

    Human Brains Can Tell Deepfake Voices from Real Ones

    Do our brains process natural voices and deepfake voices differently? Research conducted at the University of Zurich indicates that this is the case. In a new study, researchers have identified two brain regions that respond differently to natural and deepfake voices.
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  • Brain research

    First Week after Birth Is Critical for Development of Senses

    UZH researchers have found that the maturation of the senses for smell and touch is closely linked in mice and that this strong interaction takes place within a narrow developmental time window. The findings underline the importance of environmental stimuli for brain assembly in early life and the interdependent development of the senses.
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  • Sociology

    Peers Crucial in Shaping Boys’ Confidence in Math Skills

    A study from the University of Zurich has analyzed the social mechanisms that contribute to the gender gap in math confidence. While peer comparisons seem to play a crucial role for boys, girls’ subjective evaluations are more likely to be based on objective performance.
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  • Computer vision and machine learning

    Bio-Inspired Cameras and AI Help Drivers Detect Pedestrians and Obstacles Faster

    Artificial intelligence (AI) combined with a novel bio-inspired camera achieves 100 times faster detection of pedestrians and obstacles than current automotive cameras. The new system can significantly improve the safety of automotive systems and self-driving cars, as UZH researchers show.
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  • Evolutionary Anthropology

    Cultural Networks of Central African Hunter-Gatherers Have Ancient Origin

    Extensive social networks between hunter-gatherers groups in the Congo Basin existed long before agriculture arrived in the region. This continent-wide interexchange preserved a cultural diversity that evolved thousands of years ago, as UZH researchers show based on musical instruments, vocabulary and genetic data.
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  • Evolutionary Biology

    Limited Adaptability Makes Freshwater Bacteria Vulnerable to Climate Change

    Freshwater bacteria with small genomes frequently undergo prolonged periods of adaptive stagnation. Based on genomic analyses of samples from European lakes, UZH researchers uncovered the surprising evolutionary strategies. Understanding these evolutionary dynamics is key to safeguarding ecosystem services.
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  • Dies academicus

    Honorary Doctorates for Four Women and Three Men

    As the University of Zurich celebrates its 191st anniversary this weekend, honorary doctorates are awarded to legal scholar Michal Gal, behavioral economist Iris Bohnet, veterinarian Polly Taylor, particle physicist Beate Heinemann, historian Oded Lipschits, economist Douglas Bernheim and sci-fi author Kim Stanley Robinson.
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  • Musicology

    UZH Acquires Important Richard Wagner Manuscript

    The University of Zurich has made a spectacular acquisition of an important manuscript by Richard Wagner (1812 to 1883). In Eine Mitteilung an meine Freunde (“A Message to My Friends”), the composer takes autobiographical and artistic stock and looks to the future. The manuscript, which was written in Zurich, will now undergo further scholarly analysis at UZH.
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  • Business Administration

    CEOs’ Human Concern Translates into Higher Stock Price

    CEOs’ expressions of empathy correlate with positive stock performance, a study led by the University of Zurich shows. The researchers analyzed data from conference calls between CEOs and financial analysts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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  • Psychology

    Culture-Specific Trauma Responses in Switzerland

    According to a new study, the culture-specific sequelae of trauma found in Switzerland align with the norms of a competitive and individualistic society. Post-traumatic coping strategies in Switzerland tend to involve closer connections to nature.
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  • Cancer medicine

    An Immunotherapy to Overcome Resistant Leukemia

    Researchers at UZH and USZ have discovered why a specific mutation makes the cancer cells of an aggressive type of blood cancer resistant to CAR T-cell therapy. They also show that a concomitant pharmacotherapy or genetically improved CAR T-cells makes the immune therapy effective again.
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  • Paleontology

    Ancient Giant Dolphin Discovered in the Amazon

    Measuring between 3 to 3.5 meters, 16 million years old: Paleontologists from the University of Zurich have announced the discovery of a new species of freshwater dolphin in the Peruvian Amazon region. Surprisingly, its closest living relatives can be found in the river dolphins of South Asia.
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  • University museums / exhibitions

    UZH Opens New Natural History Museum with Four Dinosaurs

    The new Natural History Museum of the University of Zurich brings together zoology, paleontology, anthropology and botany under the same roof. The museum opens with four new dinosaur skeletons and various other additions that shine a light on how evolution and biodiversity have shaped life on our planet.
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  • Behavioral economics

    Combination of Group Competition and Repeated Interactions Promotes Cooperation

    How did cooperative behavior prevail in human evolution? Researchers from the Universities of Zurich, Lausanne and Konstanz have challenged two prevailing explanations – repeated interactions on the one hand or group competition on the other. Instead, both mechanisms synergistically contribute to fostering cooperation effectively.
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  • Biomedicine

    Cracking the Code of Neurodegeneration

    Scientists at UZH have developed an innovative neural cell culture model, shedding light on the intricate mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration. Their research revealed a promising therapeutic target in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
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  • Plant science

    Asexual Propagation of Crop Plants Gets Closer

    When the female gametes in plants become fertilized, a signal from the sperm activates cell division, leading to the formation of new plant seeds. This activation can also be deliberately triggered without fertilization, which opens up new avenues for the asexual propagation of crop plants.
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  • Psychiatric diseases

    Stress Influences Brain and Psyche Via Immune System

    Under chronic stress, a particular enzyme found in cells of the immune system enters the brain. In mice, it causes them to withdraw and avoid social contact. This new connection between body and mind in stress-related mental illness could lead to new treatments for depression.
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  • Virology

    Alexandra Trkola Awarded US$3 Million Grant

    The renowned virologist from the University of Zurich receives the major award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for vaccine studies in well-studied groups of people living with HIV in Switzerland and South Africa.
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  • Brain research

    Firing Nerve Fibers in the Brain Are Supplied with Energy on Demand

    Specialized cells in the brain respond to the electrical signals of active nerve fibers and provide them with energy on demand. If this process is disabled in mice, the nerve fibers are severely damaged as the animals age – resembling the defects of neurodegenerative diseases.
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  • Sociology

    Young People from Poorer Families Make Fewer Friends

    A new study has found that children growing up in low-income families have fewer opportunities to make friends and to socially integrate at school. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University of Stockholm examined data from over 200 school classes in Sweden and reached this conclusion.
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  • Medicine

    Complement System Causes Cell Damage in Long Covid

    Long Covid patients suffer from chronic symptoms such as fatigue or shortness of breath. This is to some extent due to a part of our immune system, the complement system. UZH researchers identified a pattern in the blood proteins for better diagnoses and more targeted treatments.
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  • Evolutionary medicine

    Early Primates Likely Lived in Pairs

    Primate social organization is more flexible than previously assumed. According to a new study led by UZH, the first primates probably lived in pairs, while only around 15 percent of individuals were solitary.
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