Science & Tech

A section of the LHC - multi-billion-franc technology ©CERN

CERN to shut down accelerator within two years

by Malcolm Curtis

March 10, 2010 | 17:30

The Geneva-based physics research centre CERN says its Large Hadron Collider project is back on track, even while acknowledging that it will be closed for up to a year for maintenance and design improvements in the next 18 to 24 months. A spokesman for the facility tells Swisster the temporary closure was planned early in 2009 and is needed to ready the LHC for particle collisions at record-setting energy levels.

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Culture
	Vaud venue joins in to save Polaroid photo collection
	March 9, 2010 \| 09:56	by Michèle Laird

“Polaroid in peril” is an exhibition to alert public opinion to the possible dismantling of a major Polaroid photo art collection, part of which is housed at the Lausanne Elysée museum. It coincides...Full story

Lifestyle
	Science meets art in works of rising expat star
	March 4, 2010 \| 08:41	by Michèle Laird

Lausanne resident Lalie Schewadron is the rising digital art star whose show in Switzerland will shortly be followed by one in America. Cultivating the frontiers between art and science, she uses sophisticated...Full story

Science & Tech
	NGOs slam Swiss nuclear waste storage proposals
	March 1, 2010 \| 11:07	by Giles Broom

Federal agencies approve six sites for nuclear storage after nearly two years studying geological factors and safety issues. But environmental groups say the assessments are inadequate and the government’s...Full story

Science & Tech
	Swisscom weathers wireless data surge, say experts
	February 25, 2010 \| 16:49	by Giles Broom

Industry leaders urge telecoms operators to pull back usage to prevent network collapses as the volume of data traffic increases across mobile wireless networks. Switzerland is not immune to the problem...Full story

Science & Tech
	WMO Games research advances weather prediction
	February 25, 2010 \| 12:17	by Marcus Berry

At the winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, an international team of scientists assembled by the Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization conducts research to improve the prediction of winter weather....Full story

Science & Tech
	Green trend hogs the limelight at Geneva car show
	February 25, 2010 \| 09:48	by Marcus Berry

More than 60 green vehicles developed to use energies other than petroleum are on view at the 80th Geneva International Motor Show (March 4-14). The event’s “Green Pavilion” also provides an opportunity...Full story

Sarah Marquis to walk alone from Siberia to Australia
Sarah Marquis, whose singular exploit of walking in complete autonomy for 17 months in Australia seven years ago drew world-wide attention, is off again. The charismatic Swiss adventurer is planning a...

Full storyFebruary 19, 2010 | 08:54by Michèle Laird

EPFL unveils Rolex Learning Center with no walls
By creating the Rolex Learning Center as a seamless undulating space with no partitions and hardly any walls, the EPFL (Swiss federal institute of technology in Lausanne) wraps form around function. The...

Full storyFebruary 17, 2010 | 10:02by Michèle Laird

EPFL develops collective defense against software bugs
A team at the Lausanne federal institute of technology (EPFL) develops a new system for dealing with bugs in computer software. The latest version of Dimmunix enables entire networks of computers to collectively...

Full storyFebruary 16, 2010 | 11:29by Marcus Berry

Man survives 17-hour burial as avalanche peril persists
A series of avalanches sweep Alpine slopes in Europe this weekend killing seven people. In Switzerland, 11 people are buried but manage to free themselves or are located. One skier, aged 21, survives under...

Full storyFebruary 8, 2010 | 11:18by Marcus Berry

Infections can cause cancer, warns campaign
One in every five cancers is caused by infection. To alert public opinion to this little-known fact, a massive campaign by the International Union against Cancer (UICC) on the theme of prevention updates...

Full storyFebruary 5, 2010 | 09:48by Michèle Laird

Mintaka Foundation gains cash for anti-HIV trial
A research group attached to the University of Geneva receives 4.5 million francs from the UK’s Wellcome Trust to pursue a safety trial for a ‘microbicide’ that promises to protect women and children...

Full storyFebruary 4, 2010 | 17:32by Malcolm Curtis

DuPont unveils new Geneva solar technology lab
With use of solar power expected to grow by leaps and bounds over the coming years, multinational DuPont opens a research and development centre in Geneva that aims to make the technology more efficient....

Full storyFebruary 2, 2010 | 15:40by Malcolm Curtis

Drop in water vapour curbs global warming, says study
Scientists find that a 10 percent drop in water vapour in the Earth’s atmosphere has a considerable impact on global warming. However, they're not sure why it occurs or when it may shift in the opposite...

Full storyFebruary 2, 2010 | 10:43by Marcus Berry

Bee replaces bear as Swiss animal of the year
Swiss conservation organization, Pro Natura adopts the “long-horned” bee as the country's Animal of the Year 2010. The conservation group believes the wild bee is a good choice for the title because...

Full storyJanuary 28, 2010 | 10:04by Susan Vogel-Misicka

Switzerland falls behind Iceland in green index
Swiss bragging rights for the greenest place in the world are no longer valid after the 2010 Environment Performance Index ranks Iceland in top place, just ahead of Switzerland. The comparison of 163 countries,...

Full storyJanuary 27, 2010 | 16:49by Malcolm Curtis

New biofuels plant may fail sustainability test, says NGO
Approval for a new processing plant in the canton of Aargau sparks debate over the use of biofuels. Tough government regulations mean Swiss company Green Bio Fuel may not receive government tax breaks...

Full storyJanuary 21, 2010 | 12:07by Giles Broom

René Bannwart, Corum watch founder, dies aged 95
René Bannwart, founder of Swiss watch manufacturing company Corum, dies at the age of 95. Recognised for his creativity and design, the Zurich-born entrepreneur cut his teeth at Patek Philippe and Omega...

Full storyJanuary 21, 2010 | 10:21by Marcus Berry

EPFL plans new scientific conference centre
The Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL) announces ambitious plans to build a 190-million-franc scientific conference centre and student housing complex on the northwest part of its campus,...

Full storyJanuary 19, 2010 | 11:25by Malcolm Curtis