It was not until 2001, however, that Manfred Milinski and Claus Wedekind of the University of Bern wondered whether there was a correlation between the perfume a woman preferred and her own natural scent.

ECONOMIST: Perfume science

Developed by the Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research at the University of Bern in Switzerland and Swiss software company, Texetera, the Jungfrau Climate Guide is an interactive guide to glaciers and climate change.

CNN: iPhone app helps track climate change

Current methods for detecting disease in livestock are slow and open to abuse, because they rely upon farmers or vets reporting sick animals, says Marcus Doherr of the Institute of Animal Neurology at the University of Bern in Switzerland.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR