New silicone plaster promotes wound healing

Even the smallest wound is potentially serious, so something as simple as a finger plaster and a little disinfectant can make the difference when it comes to preventing a nasty infection. But a dressing can do more than just keep out germs. That’s the idea behind work of the Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, where Prof. Dimos Poulikakos and his team of engineers and biologists are developing a new plaster that not only protects a wound from infection, it can also accelerate healing through the use of specially contoured silicone that promotes cell migration... Continue Reading New silicone plaster promotes wound healing

Dementiaville

Be seeing you.

The Independent looks at a new Alzheimer's clinic in Switzerland that's a bit different from most retirement homes:

The newly approved €20m (£17m) housing project is to be built next to the Swiss village of Wiedlisbach near Bern and will provide sheltered accommodation and care for 150 elderly dementia patients in 23 purpose-built 1950s-style houses. The homes will be deliberately designed to recreate the atmosphere of times past. 

The scheme's promoters said there will be no closed doors and residents will be free to move about. To reinforce an atmosphere of normality, the carers will dress as gardeners, hairdressers and shop assistants. The only catch is that Wiedlisbach's inhabitants will not be allowed to leave the village.

And all they want is information... Information... Information...

Swiss Army Knife Giant

We looked at this monster back in 2006. Now, let's see it in action. No laser, unfortunately.

Meanwhile, back at the lab

Swiss scientists create "cyborg" yeast.

When asked why they did it, they got a bit sulky and started mumbling that they were just "cocking about".

Swiss spaghetti harvest

Predbots

Scientists at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne, Switzerland develop predatory robots.

Sarah Connor says nothing; just rolls her eyes heavenward.

Victorinox chef's knife

Every now and then Progress takes a quantum leap forward in easing the burden of suffering humanity. This is one of those times: a decent chef's knife for $27.00.

I wish they'd come up with this back in my day. It would saved me a few quid.

Swiss Air Unveils New First Class Seats

Great if you can afford it. Unimaginably depressing if you're stuck back in steerage coach.

At Least the Vogons Deliver

Okay, so the Large Hadron Collider was fired up and the Earth wasn't sucked into a black hole.

Fine. Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a massive hangover and I have to take my somewhat dented Lamborghini back to the dealer, return a great deal of stuff to the shops, make a lot of apologies to various editors, and get in touch with my solicitor about when my case comes up for trial.

Bloody CERN.

Nesting Cuckoos

Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.

Harry Lime

I think it wrong to sit on a man. Soon, I shall think it wrong to sit on a horse. Eventually (I suppose) I shall think it wrong to sit on a chair.

G K Chesterton

Ah, Switzerland! Where plants have "dignity", there are dog licences–for the owners, where the rights and proper care of every pet from goldfish to rhinoceros is enshrined in laws written by politicians who are never anything save altruistic, and soon to be an alpine wasteland because the regulations for raising, keeping or in any way interacting with any flora or fauna makes it simpler to just exterminate the whole bloody lot of them and be done with it.

RinSpeed sQuba

Rinspeed of Switzerland have come up with a zero-emissions that is also amphibious AND can go underwater.

This is truly ambitious, but I hope they're aware that the plucky Brits are giving them some stiff competition.

RoboChef: Breakfast Edition

It put the cheese and ham in with the eggs before whisking it. IN with the eggs BEFORE whisking.

Clearly the Swiss are far behind us in omelette technology.

Cultural Suicide Part XIII

The Swiss government has a bit in its new constitution about the "dignity of plants" that makes PETA look like a barbeque rib restaurant chain.

Stand by for picking flowers to be declared a crime against... I honestly have no idea.

Major Boothroyd, Call Your Service

The Swiss have come up with a concept car that is capable of operating underwater (sadly, it's open cockpit).

Once again, MI6 was there thirty years before.