Uni Bern Magazin: Thema Matter and the universe

Exoplanets, neutrinos, instruments

Matter and the Universe

Contributions to space missions such as CHEOPS or Juice, leading models of planet formation, search for space debris or novel experimental approaches to detecting elementary particles – the University of Bern gets to the bottom of the really big questions. ESA, NASA and CERN are just three of many partners.

Current

Universe

Artificial intelligence drives the discovery of new exoplanets

Researchers from the University of Bern have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model
capable of predicting the architecture of planetary systems and subsequently inferring the presence of yet-to-be-discovered planets.

To the media release

Universe

Influence of the sun's tidal forces on Mercury's cliffs

A new study by researchers of the University of Bern shows that the hilly surface of Mercury could be influenced not only by the cooling and contraction of the planet, but also by the tidal forces of the Sun.

To the media release

Plant Science

Climate warming disrupts interaction between plants and microbes

A study involving the University of Bern shows that soil microorganisms are shifting their seasonal rhythm more than plants in response to climate warming. This could disrupt essential ecosystem processes.

To the media release

Universe

Venus more tectonically alive than we thought

A study by the University of Bern and NASA shows that the interior of Venus is not tectonically "dead" as originally assumed. Many of the huge ring-shaped structures on Venus indicate tectonic processes beneath the surface.

To the media release

Space research

Making science tangible with art

How do you make the tectonic development of the planet Mercury tangible with a piece of paper? For planetary scientist Liliane Burkhard, the answer is clear: with the means of art.

Bernese participation in NASA mission

To the media release

The University of Bern is part of NASA's IMAP mission to explore the boundaries of the heliosphere. IMAP aims to gain revolutionary insights into solar wind, space weather, and interstellar space.

People

Craftsmanship and research

From the idea to the prototype together

Polymechanics, high-energy physicists, electronics engineers, and many others are needed when a diverse team at the Laboratory for High Energy Physics (LHEP) is looking for new solutions.

Scientist portrait

What can be done to combat gender stereotypes in research?

Chemical ecologist Christelle Robert researches how plant substances influence organisms that come into contact with them. In the video, she talks about the challenges of gender stereotypes in science.

People

Lateral entry into space research

Nora Hänni researches space and is fascinated by interdisciplinary cooperation – reconciling her work and family life is just as important to her.

People

Between mysteries and measuring instruments

Salome Gruchola researches the mysteries of space from the laboratory in Bern – and would like to see more women in physics.

Scientist portrait

«As a woman, you are in a male-dominated field»

Biologist Eva Ringler researches the behavior of amphibians and reptiles. In the video, she talks about the hurdles that make it difficult for women to develop their careers.

Weitere Artikel

In focus

Crash! Bang! And Break Things!

How does the world develop? Constantly or in leaps and bounds? It is one of the oldest scientific controversies, and it is far from settled. At the moment, catastrophic thinking seems to be gaining momentum again.

Jo Ann Egger

The student who controls a space telescope

"It's really cool to have a space telescope observe what I tell it to observe!" So says doctoral student Jo Ann Egger, the youngest and first student member of the CHEOPS science team. How did she get there?

Astronomy

The sun in view

Lucia Kleint researches powerful solar storms that can cause major problems on Earth. In a video interview, the active researcher explains why the University of Bern is the perfect place for her research.

First electron neutrino measurement

New opportunity to explore the universe

A team including researchers from the Laboratory for High Energy Physics at the University of Bern has successfully measured the interaction rates of neutrinos at unprecedented energies using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN.

The CHEOPS space mission

“What should I definitely not do?”

For more than five years, the Bern-based CHEOPS telescope has been providing highly precise data from space. At the beginning of 2025, Christopher Broeg took over the leadership of the mission from Willy Benz. Now the two have met for a conversation for uniAKTUELL.

Astronomy

What do astronauts eat in space?

Places at the University of Bern

Behavioural research at the farm

The Hasligut is located in the middle of Bremgarten Forest, directly by the Aare and surrounded by greenery. From a distance, the 17th century buildings look like a farm – but behind the historic walls lies a modern animal research station.

Physics

His son’s smile and the call from NASA

Space scientist Andreas Riedo wants to find signs of life on Saturn’s icy moons. It is entirely probably that he won’t be able to achieve this ambitious goal himself within his professional career. And that’s why his research work always includes the promotion of early career researchers.

Jupiter moon Europa

NASA mission with Bernese participation

On October 14, 2024, NASA's Europa Clipper mission began its journey to Jupiter's moon Europa. The aim is to investigate if the icy moon currently has habitable conditions. Four researchers from Bern are part of the mission's scientific teams.

Geology

Diamonds show formation of a supercontinent

The Earth's land masses repeatedly form giant supercontinents as a result of plate tectonics. Geologist Suzette Timmerman from the University of Bern uses diamonds to investigate the history of the mantle beneath supercontinent Gondwana.

Video

Visitor from outer space

'Oumuamua is the first interstellar object ever observed in our solar system. In a video interview, Niels Ligterink from the University of Bern presents new research findings on why 'Oumuamua accelerated as it passed by the sun.

Lunar missions

Robot Team to Explore the Moon

Swiss researchers are equipping legged robots with scientific instruments to search for minerals and resources on the Moon. One major strength of these robots is their ability to work as a team: even if one robot fails, the mission continues.

Astronomy

How to build a space probe

Administration, design, mechanics, electronics, software development, science and project management: for the construction of space instruments, as with complex puzzles, a wide variety of components must be compiled into a whole. How does this work?

"Neurons have the ability to look into the future"

Mihai A. Petrovici is investigating the brain's remarkably efficient learning mechanisms at the Department of Physiology. In this interview, he talks about the fascination and progress of modern brain research, but also about the consequences of Switzerland's withdrawal from European research programs.

Research with the $10 billion space telescope

Yann Alibert and Matthew Hooton are eagerly awaiting the planned launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on December 22, 2021. In this interview, the two astrophysicists from the University of Bern tell how they managed to get observation time with JWST and what this has to do with CHEOPS.