Zurich

This Month in Zurich (March):

Shopping: Lele PyP is a new stylish brand of women's shoes and accessories. Its first flagship store recently opened in Zürich with seasonal collections. Look out for the exclusive models that come as limited editions (42 Stadelhoferstrasse, tel: 044 253 100, lelepyp.com).

Sightseeing: Giardina Zürich is a garden and lifestyle show held on 17-21 March. Stroll around the many exhibits and your green fingers will soon be itching for spring to really kick in. The show also features an interior design shop (Messe Zürich, giardina.ch).

Key areas: A lakeside stroll from Bellevue will bring you to the serene Zurichhorn park. Enjoy stunning views of the Alps and one of the most beautiful Chinese gardens outside of China.

Day trips: The pretty town of Rapperswil is home to an imposing medieval castle and the longest wooden bridge in Switzerland, plus the famous Knie's Children's Zoo. Get there in 45 minutes by train from Zurich Main Station.

Zurich News & Gossip

DNA Dating Websites

In recent years, dating websites have changed the way many of us look for love. In the UK alone, nearly five million people now seek out their soulmate online. Not surprisingly, many businesses have developed to take advantage of this and a wealth of matchmaking companies now vie for the huge profits to be made from a busy society that has little time to find love.

Efficient as the web may be, though, online dating lacks a certain romance - that "magical", chemical attraction that occurs when you first meet someone in person. That is, until now. Some smart dating sites have figured out a way to incorporate chemistry into the formulaic world of online dating profiles and this new development is set to revolutionise the industry.

Two companies based in Switzerland are introducing tests that can match the chemical compatibility of potential suitors while online. Bern-based company Basisnote has created a home-testing kit called Chemistry-Check in partnership with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETHZ) and the University of Lausanne and has just launched the CHF1.5m (€1m) technology with Swiss dating website swissfriends.ch. Its development comes from research that has shown that instant attraction originates in the unromantic-sounding immune system compatibility process. The kit tests proteins in the saliva that determine smell. We use scent to establish who has a complementary immune system to our own - any genetic differences could mean that children born out of the relationship will have a stronger ability to fight disease - proving that opposites really do attract.

"Chemistry-Check is a test which measures certain molecules in your saliva, which determine your chemistry type," explains Dominic Senn, one of the three founders of Basisnote. "You enter the result onto your profile on the dating website and then you can use it to match with other people to see whether or not the biological chemistry is right. It's an odour profile.

"There are also psychological and visual factors, and shared values that are all part of being attracted to someone, but smell is proven to play an important role in mate choice," says Dominic. Because people can't smell each other over the internet (thank goodness, we hear you say), their brains can't instantly detect each others' chemical makeup. "This way people can perhaps avoid disappointment after spending months online before meeting someone only to find there isn't any chemistry."

The second test, which uses DNA samples to match potential partners through genetic profiling, is being launched by Zürich-based company Gene Partner (www.genepartner.com), run by Croatian geneticist Dr Tamara Brown. For years, she has researched the chemical pattern in the initial "spark" that can happen when two people attracted to one another first meet. She also believes that scent, or more specifically a section of DNA called the human leukocyte antigen (HLA), is essential when choosing a lover. Tamara is convinced that she has found the elusive attraction formula, and has turned it into an accessible computer programme.

The Gene Partner test involves taking a saliva swab that is sent off for HLA analysis. Then, the customer gets a Gene Partner identity number, which he or she can use for matchmaking either on Gene Partner's web platforms or an affiliated dating website.

However strong the science may be, though, posting a number on a dating website still doesn't seem a very romantic way to meet the love of your life. "It's where society is today. It's a consequence of technology that we can reach people in such a way," comments Tamara, who met her husband via online dating. "People often comment that they would rather leave it to luck to find love, but after 20 unsuccessful dates, they soon start to want something more reliable.

I really think chemistry matching will become a standard for the dating industry," says Tamara. "Critics have said we kill romance, but with online chemistry matching, you will still get the romance, just faster because you won't have had the 10 bad dates beforehand. It's just a better screening process."

Gene Partner seen an increasing amount of dating websites approaching it because of the competitive advantage chemistry profiling can offer. The company has formed two new partnerships, with www.sense2love.com and Matchmaker Pro, which brings together recent innovations in website dating with more traditional matchmaking companies.

Tamara also has an exciting new research project on the go, investigating the chemical formula involved in the attraction between gay men. With 48% of gay men looking for love online, she realises that being able to define this genetic pattern could open another new market for Gene Partner's groundbreaking screening tool.

Despite all the facts, figures and scientific jargon, Tamara still feels that when it comes to love, there will always be plenty of factors you can't predict, and there will always be a little bit of mystery surrounding the allure between two people. "Biological compatibility is a major player in attraction, and a valuable screening tool for online daters, but I'd like to think there is also something else in 'love at first sight', something that we might never be able to define."

Zurich Trivia

• March: Thirsty? Zurich has some 1,200 free drinking fountains, making it one of the world's most fontainous cities.

• February: St Peter's Church in Zurich is the oldest in the city, dating back to 857, and boasts Europe's largest church clock face (8.7m diameter).

• January: Zurich is not Switzerland's capital city - Bern is the Swiss capital, while Zurich is Switzerland's largest city.

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