The Swiss Connection

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NATURAL SCIENCES

Discover science and innovation in Switzerland with the Swiss Connection Podcast! From the tiniest particles to the vastness of space, satisfy your scientific curiosity and join our journalists while they talk to researchers working on projects ranging from rocket building and AI to medicine and climate solutions. This podcast is produced by SWI swissinfo.ch, a multilingual public service media company in Switzerland.

16/12/2025

Special announcement: Season wrap for longevity, please try out Lost Cells

Send us a text Lost cells on Apple, Spotify and any where you listen to your podcasts. SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

4 min
02/12/2025

Rethinking Aging: Science, Society, And The Stories We Tell

Send us a text Want a longer life that still feels like yours? We sit down with psychologist Christina Röcke of the University of Zurich’s Healthy Longevity Center to unpack what actually fuels healthy aging—and what’s just marketing noise. From blue-zone myths to AI-driven biohacking, we trace why the longevity boom exploded and where the evidence really points: consistent movement, quality relationships, realistic stress strategies, and communities that make healthy choices simple. Join Swissinfo for a debate on this topic or read more of our science stories, by visiting our website swisinfo.ch. You can help other people to find our podcast by leaving us a five-star review. Journalist: Jessica Davis Plüss 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 min
25/11/2025

How Michael Hall’s TOR Discovery Reframed Longevity Science

Send us a text We trace how a soil-derived drug led to the discovery of mTOR, why growth control sits at the core of aging biology, and where evidence ends for humans. Michael Hall’s quiet breakthroughs explain fasting, autophagy, and rapamycin without the hype. To read more about this topic and for more science stories, visit our website swisinfo.ch. You can help other people to find our podcast by leaving us a five-star review. Journalist: Jessica Davis Plüss 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.

18 min
18/11/2025

Big Pharma steps up race for AI-discovered drugs

Send us a text What if the most valuable drug candidates aren’t found but designed on demand? We follow a chemist’s journey from a pencil-and-paper notebook to generative algorithms that propose novel, IP-free molecules tailored to specific targets, and we open the door to how Swiss pharma is rebuilding discovery around AI. To read more about this topic and for more science stories, visit our website swisinfo.ch. You can help other people to find our podcast by leaving us a five-star review. Journalist: Jessica Davis Plüss 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.

16 min
11/11/2025

Women’s Health Meets Drug Design and Medical Research

Send us a text We trace how sex and gender shape drug development, from male-heavy mouse studies to the split results in Lecanemab’s Alzheimer’s trial. Experts explain why regulators should keep approvals moving while demanding smarter design, better reporting, and post-approval answers. For more science stories, visit our website swisinfo.ch, and you can help other people to find our podcast by leaving us a five-star review. Journalist: Jessica Davis Plüss 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.

18 min
04/11/2025

Cracking the Alzheimer’s Code

Send us a text Alzheimer’s disease is more than age-related memory loss—it’s a serious brain disorder. In this episode of the Swiss Connection Science podcast, Swissinfo healthcare reporter Jessica Davis Pluess explores the science, hope, and controversy surrounding new Alzheimer’s drugs like Leqembi and Kisunla. With billions invested and global regulatory decisions diverging, what do these treatments mean for patients and healthcare systems? Visit SWI swissinfo.ch for more on this topic and a video on this story. Please come to SWI swissinfo.ch for more of our science stories from Switzerland. Journalist: Jessica Davis Plüss 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.

21 min
28/10/2025

Swiss Longevity clinics: modern-day snake oil or the key to healthy ageing?

Send us a text The search for the elixir of life has been going on since time immemorial – and Switzerland has played a key role. Although scientists have yet to come up with a winning formula, the Alpine nation has a booming market for treatments, pills and gadgets that claim to slow ageing and help us live healthier, longer lives. Visit SWI swissinfo.ch for more on this topic and a video on this story. Please come to SWI swissinfo.ch for more of our science stories from Switzerland. Jounalist: Jessica Davis Plüss 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.

22 min
21/08/2025

Listen again: Herwig Schopper, Former CERN head has served science and peace for 100 years

Send us a text We’ve received the sad news that former CERN director and experimental physicist Herwig Schopper has passed away at the age of 101. He was considered the grandfather of the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, helped promote peace through a Middle Eastern science hub, and voiced his concerns about the Nobel Prize. In 2024, just before his 100th birthday, we had the chance to visit him at his home on Lake Geneva. We spoke with him about some of the highlights of his career and his personal thoughts on research and its potential to contribute to peacebuilding. SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

17 min

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Discover science and innovation in Switzerland with the Swiss Connection Podcast! From the tiniest particles to the vastness of space, satisfy your scientific curiosity and join our journalists while they talk to researchers working on projects ranging from rocket building and AI to medicine and climate solutions. This podcast is produced by SWI swissinfo.ch, a multilingual public service media company in Switzerland.