News

Environmental epidemiologist Marloes Eeftens – a member of the Swiss Young Academy – has proved for the first time that pollen allergies have a greater impact on health than was previously assumed. In this portrait, she explains what drives her and why pollen should become a public health issue.

Five years after it was established, the Swiss Young Academy has published its first public Annual Report.

The Swiss Animal Welfare Act permits the use of animals for certain scientific purposes; at the same time, however, it requires that the dignity of animals be respected and their welfare protected. The revised ethical guidelines for animal experiments are designed to clarify the margin of discretion left by the legislation and to encourage researchers to reflect on the handling of animals in their experiments.

Wie können Hochschulen partizipative und transdisziplinäre Räume entwickeln, um gemeinsames Lernen und die Ko-Kreation von Wissen für eine Nachhaltige Entwicklung zu ermöglichen?

td-net und die UZH bieten ein praxisnahes Spezialisierungsmodul zu Methoden ko-kreativer Projektarbeit an. Dieses kann entweder als Teil des gesamten CAS oder als Einzelmodul gebucht werden.

Switzerland is changing its organ donation system by adopting an extended presumed consent model. The new legislation requires revisions to the SAMS guidelines. The Academy is taking this opportunity to comprehensively revise the 2017 guidelines. The subcommittee responsible has examined the new medical developments and updated and expanded the guidelines accordingly. The three-month public consultation period begins today. Feedback can be submitted until 19 September 2025.

Assisted suicide is a controversial topic, raising numerous medical-ethical questions. The SAMS has long been concerned with this subject. In the guidelines on «Management of dying and death», a separate chapter is dedicated to assisted suicide. The SAMS provides a sound medical-ethical framework for physicians who have to make complex case-by-case decisions on assisted suicide. A new topic page delves deeper into this complex issue and answers frequently asked questions (FAQ).

In its meeting on June 10, the Senate elected additional individual and honorary members from various disciplines and institutions. For the first time, there is a clear majority of women: eight of the nine newly elected members are women.