August

Many aspects of decarbonising buildings are connected to the sun. But how can new methods and building components such as façades be tested under controlled climate conditions? Dr. Arno Schlüter, ETH Prof. and Director of the new Zero Carbon Building Systems (ZCBS) Lab, had the idea to emulate qualities of the sun.

Paying in cash has advantages: The transaction is private, and we know that our money has reached the recipient. Karl Wüst, Kari Kostiainen, and Srdjan Capkun have developed a digital equivalent managed by the central bank. The digital currency offers privacy and can be trusted.

Drug design is time-consuming and expensive. Identifying a promising starting molecule – a ligand – is key in the design process. A new characterisation method based on NMR spectroscopy probes the interaction of the ligand with its intended target quickly and reliably.