The Swiss Connection

SWI swissinfo.ch

Swiss stories for the world

  • 17 minutes 37 seconds
    Unveiling Ancient Life: Microorganisms in Melting Glaciers in Swiss Alps

    Send us a text

    This episode takes listeners to the Rhone glacier in the Alps, which is rapidly melting and releasing ancient microorganisms. These microorganisms, which have been trapped in the ice for thousands of years, are now being studied by scientists from the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape (WSL).

    Journalists Céline Stegmüller and Luigi Jorio join the researchers on the glacier to observe their methods of collecting and analyzing these microorganisms. The team, led by Beat Frey, uses custom-made equipment to filter meltwater and capture bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The goal is to understand the diversity and potential applications of these microorganisms, which could include producing antibiotics or degrading plastics.

    Read more about this story or other science stories from Switzerland please visit www.swissinfo.ch/science.

    Journalists: Luigi Jorio & Céline Stegmüller
    Host: Jo Fahy
    Audio editor: Michele Andina
    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang 

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    10 December 2024, 1:00 pm
  • 18 minutes 23 seconds
    Climate solution for the future: How to keep cities cool during heatwaves

    Send us a text

    Cities tend to get hotter than the countryside when a heatwave hits. What can be done about these urban heat traps? How can hot summers be made more tolerable for city dwellers? SWI swissinfo.ch asked an expert at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich.

    If you are interested in reading about this story or other science stories from Switzerland please visit www.swissinfo.ch/science.

    Jounalist: Luigi Jorio
    Host: Jo Fahy
    Audio editor/video journalist: Michele Andina
    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    3 December 2024, 1:00 pm
  • 14 minutes 51 seconds
    Turning concrete into a carbon sink: an innovative Swiss approach to decarbonizing the construction industry

    Send us a text

    This episode explores a groundbreaking Swiss innovation that could revolutionise the construction industry. Join us as we delve into Neustark's pioneering method of turning concrete waste into a carbon sink, permanently removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Discover how this technology not only helps decarbonise the concrete industry but also increases the strength of concrete. We'll discuss the science behind the mineralisation process, the impact of Neustark's 22 operational plants in Switzerland and Germany, and their ambitious plans to scale up globally. Tune in to find out how Swiss ingenuity is paving the way for a more sustainable future in construction.

    The video version of this episode and other science stories from Switzerland is available at www.swissinfo.ch/science.

    Jounalist: Simon Bradley
    Host: Jo Fahy
    Audio editor/video journalist: Michele Andina
    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    26 November 2024, 1:00 pm
  • 15 minutes 13 seconds
    Young Swiss scientists boost rocket research

    Send us a text

    Swiss students are propelling the future of space travel with innovative reusable rocket technology, putting Switzerland on the map in the global space race. SWI swissinfo.ch took a closer look at their projects in northern and western Switzerland.

    Visit SWI swissinfo.ch for more on these exciting rocket projects and a video on this story. Please come to SWI swissinfo.ch for more of our science stories from Switzerland.

    Jounalist: Christian Raaflaub
    Host: Jo Fahy
    Audio editor/video journalist: Michele Andina
    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    19 November 2024, 1:00 pm
  • 14 minutes 21 seconds
    Why Swiss scientists want to find ice on comets

    Send us a text

    Using a new type of instrument, two astrophysicists from the University of Bern hope to get a little closer to unravelling the mystery of the solar system's origins. They believe the key to this lies in the ice that can occur in a dust layer on comets.

    Please visit SWI swissinfo.ch for more information about this research and a video about ice on comets. Please come to SWI swissinfo.ch for more of our science stories from Switzerland.

    Jounalist: Christian Raaflaub
    Host: Jo Fahy
    Audio editor/video journalist: Michele Andina
    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    12 November 2024, 1:00 am
  • 18 minutes 22 seconds
    Herwig Schopper, Former CERN head has served science and peace for 100 years

    Send us a text

    Swissinfo talks to Herwig Schopper, former CERN director, the grandfather of the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, who helped promote peace through a Middle Eastern science hub and has his qualms about the Nobel Prize. If Herwig Schopper has learned anything during his 100 years on Earth, it’s that breakthroughs only happen when we work together.

    Please read here this interview and the full biography of Herwig Schopper,  and please come to Swissinfo.ch  for more of our science stories from Switzerland.


    Jounalist: Zeno Zoccatelli
    Host: Jo Fahy
    Audio editor/video journalist: Michele Andina
    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    5 November 2024, 1:00 pm
  • 24 minutes 29 seconds
    Switzerland and Silicon Valley: EP6 Sherry Wong ‘Living in a society where capital is strong and the welfare state is weak‘

    Send us a text

    For artist and researcher Şerife (Sherry) Wong the popular image of visionary geniuses who change the world from their garages is an illusion. “We are idealising the myth of the inventor, the American dream of the man who, from nothing, becomes super rich and changes the world for the better, but...for whom?” asks Wong, who studies the social implications of emerging technologies. She is also an affiliate research scientist at the University of California, Berkeley.

    You can find more written content about this story on SWI swissinfo.ch: 

    in English 

    in Italian (original) 

    in German 


    Journalist: Sara Ibrahim

    Host: Jo Fahy 

    Audio editor / Video journalist: Michele Andina 

    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    20 August 2024, 2:00 pm
  • 19 minutes 50 seconds
    Switzerland and Silicon Valley: EP5 Fred Turner ‘The dream of tech companies serving humanity has turned into a nightmare‘

    Send us a text

    In this episode, we talk to Stanford University professor Fred Turner, who’s been studying the impact of new media technologies on American culture for decades. Turner is also among those most vocal in denouncing the injustices faced by people living and working in Silicon Valley.

    You can find more written content about this story on SWI swissinfo.ch: 

    in English 

    in Italian (original) 

    in German 


    Journalist: Sara Ibrahim

    Host: Jo Fahy 

    Audio editor / Video journalist: Michele Andina 

    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    13 August 2024, 3:00 pm
  • 20 minutes 32 seconds
    Switzerland and Silicon Valley: EP4 Pamela Munster ‘From cancer doctor to cancer patient and back again’

    Send us a text

    Pamela Munster, a world-renowned oncologist, has been working in San Francisco for 15 years.  In this episode, she recounts her battle against breast cancer. 

    You can find more written and video content about this story on SWI swissinfo.ch: 

    in English 

    in French (original) 

    in German 

    Journalist: Marc-André Miserez 

    Host: Jo Fahy 

    Audio editor/Video: Michele Andina 

    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang 

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    6 August 2024, 11:00 am
  • 14 minutes 25 seconds
    What Switzerland can learn from Silicon Valley: EP3 Connected through Innovation

    Send us a text

    In this episode, SWI swissinfo.ch sat down with Claude Zellweger, Google's in-house design guru. We discussed the role of designers in tech innovation, AI, and the future of education. He also shared his thoughts on the challenges facing the tech industry and how we can overcome them by putting people first. 

    You can find more written and video content about this story on SWI swissinfo.ch: 

    in English 

    in French (original) 

    in German 

    Journalist: Marc-André Miserez 


    Journalist: Marc-André Miserez 

    Host: Jo Fahy 

    Audio editor/Video: Michele Andina 

    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang 

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland. It publishes independent news and information in 10 languages about Switzerland for a global audience. 

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland. It publishes independent news and information in 10 languages about Switzerland for a global audience.

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    30 July 2024, 12:00 pm
  • 15 minutes 46 seconds
    What Switzerland can learn from Silicon Valley: EP2 Swiss start-ups in California

    Send us a text

    More than 150 Swiss start-ups have received a boost from California entrepreneurship, and three of them are already worth $1 billion. This is a source of pride for Swissnex in San Francisco and its CEO, Emilia Pasquier. Hear what she has to say about Swiss innovation in this episode.  

    You can find more written and video content about this story on SWI swissinfo.ch: 

    in English 

    in French (original) 

    in German 

    Journalist: Marc-André Miserez 

    Host: Jo Fahy 

    Audio editor/Video: Michele Andina 

    Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang 

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland. It publishes independent news and information in 10 languages about Switzerland for a global audience. 

    SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern Switzerland.

    23 July 2024, 1:00 pm
  • More Episodes? Get the App
© MoonFM 2024. All rights reserved.