In the Media 2021

The Quest to Trap Carbon in Stone—and Beat Climate Change

external pageOn a barren lava plateau in Iceland, a new facility is sucking in air and stashing the carbon dioxide in rock. The next step: Build 10,000 more. ETH Zurich alums, Jan Wurzbacher and Christoph Gebald, and cofounders of ETH Spinoff Climeworks unveil the world’s biggest machine for sucking carbon out of the air. Read more...call_made

Brain-computer interface startups augmenting human body

external pageUnderstanding the nature of “care robots” is critical to furthering development and empowering more people with disabilities. This is the mission of ETH Zurich’s Cybathlon competition, which recently announced its third global, Olympic-style games for October 2024. Read...call_made

Autonomous Two-Wheeled Ascento Pro Robot May Soon Be Used for Inspection, Surveillance, and Delivery

external pageThe autonomous two-wheeled Ascento Pro robot is the latest design from ETH Zurich spin-off Ascento Robotics. It has two wheels that operate even on rough terrain without being jostled. Since it is an autonomous robot, it can navigate by itself with just its camera and LiDAR scanning technology. More...call_made

Quantum Computing for Business Leaders

external pageUnlocking the secrets of nature...a team led by Markus Reiher, a professor of theoretical chemistry at ETH Zurich, calculated the scale of the quantum system needed for the task and introduced a viable approach. The team found that the goal is achievable using a cluster of advanced machines of about 100 logical qubits each. Read...call_made

Quantum Computer Can Now Automatically Correct Errors In Major Breakthrough

external pageFuture quantum computers will have the ability to perform calculations that are unthinkable with even the most powerful existing supercomputer. But before getting there, there are many barriers to overcome. One of them is error-correcting. Researchers at ETH Zurich have shown, for the first time, that it is possible to automatically correct errors in quantum systems and this can be done so quickly and continuously that results of quantum operations can be used in practice. More...call_made

What's the real toll of plastics on the environment?

external pageResearchers at the Institute of Science, Technology and Policy, ETH Zurich analyzed, through painstaking detective work, the climate and health impact of the global plastics supply chain over a 20-year period. Read more...call_made 

Climate change is intensifying extremes, even in the oceans

external pageA study led by ETH Zurich uses models to show for the first time that marine heatwaves, and extremes with high acidity or low oxygen can also occur conjointly—with difficult to foresee consequences for marine life. More...call_made

ETH zurich uses foam 3D printing to produce intricate recyclable formwork in concrete casting

external pageExploring the potential of foam 3D printing in construction the Digital Building Technology unit of ETH Zurich explores how foam 3D printing can be used to produce intricate shapes for functional stay-in-place or temporary and recyclable formwork in concrete casting. The resulting mineral composite elements are capable of saving up to 70% concrete, while they are also lighter, and they feature improved insulation properties. More...call_made

Hopping, rolling, balancing Ascento robot now available in Pro form

external pageCreated by a team of engineering students at Switzerland's ETH Zurich research institute. It features two bendable legs, each one with a hub-motorized wheel on the bottom. It can climb full flights of stairs, drive at up to 12km/h and all this for up to 8h per battery charge - autonomously.call_made

Rapid PCR tests at the touch of a button

external pageETH researchers Michele Gregorini and Philippe Bechtold have developed a PCR testing device that can easily be used outside the lab—and that takes less than 30 minutes to deliver results. Now the two young entrepreneurs are focusing their efforts on getting the device approved for medical use. Read more...call_made

Fate of Sinking Tectonic Plates Has Long Puzzled Scientists – Now They’ve Found an Answer

external pageOur world’s surface is a jumble of jostling tectonic plates, with new ones emerging as others are pulled under. The ongoing cycle keeps our continents in motion and drives life on Earth. But what happens when a plate disappears into the planet’s interior? Taras Gerya, a professor of geophysics at ETH Zurich, states that until now geophysicists had lacked a comprehensive explanation for how tectonic plates bend without breaking. Read more...call_made

Four-wheeled robot walks upright and other tech news

external pageBBC Click’s LJ Rich looks at the best of the week's technology news stories including: The latest iteration of ETH Zurich’s quadruple-legged robot can lock its legs when it wants to stand up and roll using its real wheels. Watch clip here...call_made

Researchers have overcome a significant hurdle in quantum computing

external pageResearchers at ETH Zurich have succeeded, for the first time, in quickly and continuously correcting errors in digital quantum systems. They have overcome an important hurdle on the road to practical quantum computing, which previous error correction methods were unable to do. Read more...call_made

Quantum Update: AWS, Azure, error correction, more

external pageDan O'Shea writes...ETH Zurich researchers said that they were able to demonstrate a method for detecting and correcting errors quickly and simultaneously. “The researchers achieved this important success using a chip, specially produced in ETH Zurich’s own cleanroom laboratory, which features a total of 17 superconducting qubits." Read...call_made

'Transformer' Robot Can Wheely Get Anywhere

external pageDeveloped by Swiss-Mile, a spin-off of ETH Zürich university, it can reach 14 mph. But it really comes into its own when it reaches obstacles normal vehicles find it impossible to pass when it reaches obstacles normal vehicles find it impossible to pass. Such as stairs or wooden pallets. Watch...call_made

Cheap and rugged optical fibers are revealing earth's hidden motions

external pagePaul Voosen, writes about how researchers are weaving optical fibers into a low-cost network of seismic sensors that can probe Earth’s hidden dynamics. Featuring the research of ETH Zurich's Andreas Fichtner.call_made

Teaching Artificial Intelligence to Navigate Oceans Via Ocean Currents

external pageEngineers at Caltech, Harvard and ETH Zurich are using artificial intelligence (AI) that will enable autonomous drones to navigate the ocean using ocean currents. More..call_made

Surprise Planet Discovered Around Extreme Star Pair

external pageThe European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) has captured an image of a planet orbiting b Centauri, a two-star system that can be seen with the naked eye. This is the hottest and most massive planet-hosting star system found to date, and the planet was spotted orbiting it at 100 times the distance Jupiter orbits the Sun. Some astronomers believed planets could not exist around stars this massive and this hot — until now.Sascha Quanz, professor of exoplanets at ETH Zurich and member of the NCCR PlanetS is part of the international team of researcher. Read more...call_made

A wheeled car, quadruped and humanoid robot: Swiss-Mile Robot from ETH Zurich

external pageA team at Swiss-Mile, a spinoff of ETH Zurich has improved upon its ANYmal robot by giving it wheels—the result is known as the Swiss-Mile Robot. And by giving it wheels, the robot is now classified as a car, a quadruped and a humanoid robot, depending on its activity at any given time. More...call_made

Majority of top chemicals on market deemed environmentally unsustainable by new metric

external pageScientists based in Switzerland have developed a new metric for determining the environmental sustainability of chemical products. Of 492 widely-used chemicals evaluated with the new metric, the majority were judged to be unsustainable.call_made

A New 3-in-1 Robot Has Wheels for Feet and Runs for 90 Minutes

external pageThe latest version of the ANYmal, which features more complex motions such as crawling and standing up, was developed by Swiss public research university ETH Zurich’s spin-off company Swiss-Mile.call_made

Plastic has a far bigger carbon footprint than previously believed

external pageThe problem of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is well-known - but a new study has shown that plastic has a far worse carbon footprint than previously believed. Livia Cabernard, a doctoral student at the Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP) at ETH Zurich, says, "So far, the simplistic assumption has been that the production of plastic requires roughly the same amount of fossil fuel as is contained in the raw materials in plastic — above all petroleum." Read...call_made

Tree-Rich Areas Can Reduce Land Surface Area Temperatures by 12° in Cities: Study

external pageCrucial study to understand the warming trends in the urban landscape...popularly known as the urban heat island effect. The latest study is based on the data derived from over 293 European cities...Conducted by the researchers from the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, the study specifically evaluated possible temperature impacts on land surface areas rather than air temperatures...Planting trees can play a crucial role in reducing high air temperatures, especially during the warm summer months.call_made

Green tea shown to increase the defensive capabilities of cells

external pageEmily Henderson interviews ETH Zurich professor Michael Ristow about his latest research into green tea and its effects on oxidative stress.call_made

Microsoft Makes Breakthrough in the Quest to Use DNA as Data Storage

external pageThe world is producing more data than we can store, but a solution could be the very molecule that contains our genetic code...As promising as this all sounds, we are many years away from storing data on DNA. Ignoring the technical complexities, DNA data storage is simply too expensive–a few megabytes would cost thousands of dollars, according to ETH Zurich’s Robert Grass, and the slow write speeds mean you wouldn’t want to use DNA for frequently accessed data. Still, researchers around the world are working to bring us closer to an era where the data we create is stored on the very molecule that contains our genetic information. Read...call_made

ETH Zurich working with robots to evoke Hanging Gardens of Babylon

external pageResearchers from ETH Zurich are building a tall architectural structure that will evoke the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, in a project that involves working collaboratively with robots.call_made

Turning fungi into ‘bricks’ for buildings

external pageA house or building made of mushrooms may sound far-fetched and fragile, but do not underestimate the strength of the mycelium, a hardy component of the fungi. Researchers in Singapore and Switzerland are now studying the use of mycelium as a sustainable building construction material.call_made

A New Aerogel Could Produce 70 Times More Hydrogen Than Rival Methods

external pageIn case you missed it, aerogels are so impressive that they've set Guinness World Records more than a dozen times, including the honorary position of becoming one of the world's lightest solids...Professor Markus Niederberger and his team at ETH Zurich's lab for multifunctional materials sought new and alternative ways to optimize the efficiency of aerogels forged from TiO2 nanoparticles.call_made

Scientists used Mars' ambient noise to map the planet's subsurface layers

external pageUsing data collected by the seismometer installed by NASA's InSight lander. A team of scientists was able to create the first detailed image of what lies right underneath the planet's surface, showing three billion years of its history, by listening to Martian winds. Read more...call_made

NASA Mars lander makes 1st ever map of Red Planet underground by listening to winds

external pageThe sound of wind reveals details of Martian subsurface..."The technique is based on ambient vibration," (Cedric) Schmelzbach (ETH Zurich geophysicist) said. "On Earth, you have the oceans, the winds, that make the ground shake all the time, and the shaking that you measure at a certain point has an imprint of the subsurface."call_made

With the help of artificial intelligence and four collaborative robots, researchers at ETH Zurich are designing and fabricating a 22.5-metre-tall green architectural sculpture.

external pageWith the help of artificial intelligence and four collaborative robots, researchers at ETH Zurich are designing and fabricating a 22.5-metre-tall green architectural sculpture.call_made

Rare Einstein manuscript on theory of relativity auctioned for over $15M in Paris

external pageA rare manuscript by Albert Einstein that changed the course of modern science was just sold for over 13.3 million euros (over $15 million), including fees, beating all predictions. The iconic German physicist co-wrote the manuscript with a lifelong friend, the Swiss engineer Michele Besso, in Zurich from June 1913 into early 1914, according to Christie's...Einstein and Besso met at a concert while both students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, where Einstein studied physics and Besso engineering. More...call_made

How the chemicals industry's pollution slipped under the radar

external pageWhile chemical companies are counting on efficiency improvements and investing in renewable energy to meet their climate goals, many chemical products themselves cannot be decarbonized because they are made of carbon, said Martin Scheringer, an environmental chemist at the public research university ETH Zurich. More...call_made

Why are human neurons different from those of other mammals?

external pageThe team — led by Switzerland-based scientists — found that a restless deep sleep resulted in a visibly reduced learning efficiency. The researchers’ explained that their results hinged on the brain’s synapses and their roles in learning...Nicole Wenderoth, a professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Technology at the ETH Zurich, and co-lead author comments. Read...call_made

Fate of sinking tectonic plates is revealed: Pieces of Earth’s crust bend as they enter the mantle, becoming segmented ‘like a slinky snake’, study finds

external pageFor the largest part, the motion of Earth's plates is driven by the weight of cold, dense ocean crust sinking into the mantle — dragging the rest of the plate behind it. Logically, subducting slabs must remain intact as they descend into the mantle, else they would be unable to keep pulling along the attached crust. However, geophysical evidence has indicated that the plates are destroyed instead. Read more...call_made

Blacksmith - DDR4 memory protections are broken wide open by new Rowhammer technique

external pageDan Goodin reports, "Researchers build "fuzzer" that supercharges potentially serious bitflipping exploits."call_made

2000-Watt Smart Cities Association, ACTUAL And Peace Innovation Institute Partner To Work With Cities Worldwide And Accelerate Their Transition To Decarbonization

external pageThe 2000-Watt Smart Cities Association, building on ETH Zurich's 2000-Watt Society and its certification in Switzerland of 40 sites, presents a framework for 2000-Watt Smart Cities around the world. Read more...call_made

These ingenious floors use 70% less concrete and 90% less steel

external pageA decade in the making, the new floors could mean a notable reduction in carbon emissions created by rapid urban development...By rethinking the design and structural requirements of building floors, a team of architects and engineers at ETH Zurich have developed a floor slab that requires only 30% of the concrete and 10% of the reinforcing steel of a typical floor. More...call_made  

These tiny robots inspired by starfish larva move courtesy of ultrasound

external pageHow can roboticists get microrobots to move without batteries and other technologies on board. Magnets are a fairly common suggestion, but a team at ETH Zurich is exploring an altogether different solution: ultrasound. Read more from Brian Heater, TechCrunch...call_made

Melt: Expedition to the Gorner Glacier

external pageGlaciers across the globe have lost over nine trillion tonnes of ice in half a century. How will glaciers look over the coming decades? Interview with Daniel Farinotti, Glaciologist at ETH Zurich...Watch the documentarycall_made

Water filter that uses milk protein to catch arsenic achieves positive results in Peru

external pageField studies in Peru have shown that membranes made using milk proteins can remove enough arsenic from tap water to bring it within recommended safety limits for drinking. Not only that, the technology is cheap and has minimal energy requirements. ETH Zurich professor Raffaele Mezzenga and Sreenath Bolisetty developd the filtration system. Read...call_made

The Closest Alien World to Our Solar System Might Have Oceans Like Earth and it's only 4 light-years away

external pageThe nearest star system to Earth, which likely hosts at least one rocky planet in its habitable zone, might have "an equivalent water-storage capacity" to Earth, according to a recent study lead by ETH Zurich researchers in the Exoplanets Habitability Group...call_made

ETH Zurich engineers 3D print robotic cat with a ‘personality’ of its own

external pagePaul Hanaphy writes, "Researchers at ETH Zurich have used 3D printing to build an autonomous cat-like robot that’s capable of imitating the movements of real-life felines." Read...call_made

Green tea catechins promote oxidative stress

external pageGreen tea is seen as healthy and promotes a longer life, supposedly due to its high level of antioxidants. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now cast doubt on previous assumptions about how these ingredients work...call_made  

Sturm&Drang • Osservatorio Fondazione Prada

external pageCurated by Luigi Alberto Cippini (Global Armature), Fredi Fischli, and Niels Olsen (gta exhibitions, Department of Architecture of ETH Zurich), the exhibition "Sturm & Drang" explores the applications, experiences and environments related to Computer-generated imagery ( CGI) with the aim of unraveling the complexity of computer modeling and analyzing current image production and their impact on our daily perception. Article in Italian...call_made

Warming Oceans Lead to Massive Global Planktons Migration, Disrupting Food Web Balance

external pageFabio Benedetti, ETH Zurich, expects that as global temperatures rise, it changes the distribution of marine plankton - essential helpers in sustaining life on earth. Read more...call_made

Plankton Is Undergoing a Global Migration, With Dire Consequences For The Food Web

external pageIf Earth's temperature rises by a significant enough margin, we could see a major restructuring of the plankton species living in our oceans. More...call_made

Why look at reality when you can edit what you see in real time?

external pageRecent research from ETH Zurich and the University of Duisburg-Essen, along with the AI team at Porsche present an AI demo that points to the future of mixed reality. Read more...call_made

This Google Maps for nature shows the global potential for restoring forests

external pageRestor lets you see everything from how much carbon is stored in soil to rainfall to what species might be able to grow in a post-climate world. Read more...call_made

How to better identify dangerous volcanoes

external pageThe more water is dissolved in the magma, the greater the risk that a volcano will explode. A new study now shows that this simple rule is only partially true. Paradoxically, high water content significantly reduces the risk of explosion. Read more...call_made

These virtual obstacle courses help real robots learn to walk

external pageSpecialized chips, simulations teach a four-legged robot to navigate stairs and blocks.call_made

These Virtual Obstacle Courses Help Real Robots Learn to Walk

external pageResearchers used specialized chips and simulation software to teach a four-legged robot to navigate stairs and blocks.call_made

ETH Zurich finalizes ultra-thin curved concrete roof

external pageAfter introducing their ultra-thin, curved concrete roof prototype in 2017, and successfully completing it in 2020, researchers at ETH zurich have now unveiled their finalized innovative roofing in the new empa and eawag NEST research building located in duebendorf, switzerland. boasting an intricate, doubly-curved concrete roof, lightweight funicular floors, and self-learning building technology, the new structure illustrates nearly a decade of the team’s formative research in architecture and sustainable technologies.call_made

HiLo NEST Research Building Takes Shape in Switzerland

external pageThe innovative HiLo unit illustrates nearly a decade of formative ETH Zurich research in architecture and sustainable technologies, and features an intricate, doubly curved concrete roof, lightweight funicular floors, and self-learning building technology.call_made

Barry Callebaut: Partnering with ETH Zurich and Ashesi University in Ghana to support engineers in sub-Saharan Africa

external pageBarry Callebaut, in collaboration with other swiss companies like ABB, Nestle, Holcim and Bühler is pleased to partner with Ashesi University Ghana and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), to launch a 3-year Masters program called 'ETH Masters in Africa - Engineering for Development'.call_made  

Dozens of Robots Competed to Race Through Underground Caves

external pageTeam CERBERUS - an international collaboration that includes ETH Zurich, University of Nevada, Reno, and UC Berkeley - took home the $2 million prize offered for winning the competition.call_made  

Solar Fuels Pioneer Synhelion Acquires Smart Mirror Expert Heliokon

external pageThe Swiss solar fuel pioneer (and ETH Zurich Spinoff) Synhelion SA has acquired German company Heliokon GmbH, an expert in concentrated solar power (CSP) technology. The acquisition will bring together the two companies’ complementary technologies, allowing Synhelion to offer a complete system for the production of solar fuels.call_made

Live talk with Zaha Hadid Architects, ETH Zurich and Holcim on their 3D-printed concrete bridge Striatus

external pageDezeen teamed up with Holcim to host a live talk about Striatus, a 3D-printed concrete footbridge that the building material company built in Venice with Zaha Hadid Architects and Block Research Group at ETH Zurich.call_made

Climate crisis: do we need millions of machines sucking CO2 from the air?

external pageFrom turning CO2 into rock to capturing the breath of office workers, a growing number of companies think the answer is yes.call_made

Students who 'productively fail' may learn more, finds study

external pageResearchers at ETH Zurich have shown the positive effects of productive failure on learning outcomes.call_made

NASA’s InSight Finds Three Big Marsquakes, Thanks to Solar-Panel Dusting

external pageClearing just enough dust from one solar panel to keep its seismometer on through the summer, allowed scientists to study the three biggest quakes they’ve seen on Mars. On Sept. 18, NASA’s InSight lander celebrated its 1,000th Martian day, or sol, by measuring one of the biggest, longest-lasting marsquakes the mission has ever detected. The temblor is estimated to be about a magnitude 4.2 and shook for nearly an hour-and-a-half.call_made

Jane Goodall pledges one trillion trees by 2030 in Africa's Sahel

external page"Trees for Jane has pledged to plant one trillion trees by 2030 to battle global climate change...Last year a Swiss study by ETH Zurich estimated that 1.2 trillion trees would be enough to counter for the decade's worth of carbon emissions."call_made

3D Printing Tunneling Machine Takes Second in Elon Musk Competition

external pageSwissloop Tunneling, developed an innovative tunneling robot that can bore through solid rock while simultaneously fabricating a supportive 3D printed tunnel lining on site.call_made

Swiss Hyperloop Team Achieves Top Position at Not-a-Boring Competition

external pageSponsored by global logistics leader Gebrüder Weiss, Swissloop Tunneling - a team of more than 40 students the majority of which from ETH Zurich - was awarded the highest honors from The Boring Company for Innovation.call_made

Addressing the issue of using hacked data in research efforts

external pageETH Zurich researchers, Marcello Ienca and Effy Vayena discuss the ethics of researchers using hacked data in their research efforts. Their peace was recently published in Nature Machine Intelligence.call_made

Fully synthetic proteins make tailored medicines

external page"...Natural proteins often have fantastic biological activity but limitations in terms of, for example, toxicity. They can be made better and safer by using synthetic chemistry," says ETH Zurich's Jeffrey Bode. Read more...call_made

World's largest plant capturing carbon from air starts in Iceland

external pageSwiss start-up Climeworks AG, which specialises in capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air, has partnered with Icelandic carbon storage firm Carbfix to develop a plant that sucks out up to 4,000 tons of CO2 per year - equivalent to the annual emissions of about 790 cars. More on Reuters...call_made

Scientists Built a New Kind of Invisibility Cloak, But It's Not For Your Eyes

external pageETH Zurich cientists have developed a technique for 'cloaking' the impact that objects have on acoustic fields, so sound waves don't appear to hit or reflect back from them. In effect, these objects can be made invisible as far as acoustics are concerned. More...call_made

Solar ‘Superflares’ Rocked Earth Less Than 10,000 Years Ago—and Could Strike Again

external pageAlthough our sun is considered a quiet star, it is now thought to have repeatedly pelted our planet with enormous eruptions in the not too distant past. Could another occur in the near future? Jonathan O'Callaghan reports here...call_made

Could fiber optic cables predict Iceland’s next volcanic eruption?

external pageMihai Andrei writes: Back in the day, fiber optic cables just mainly carried internet connection. That may soon change. Read more...call_made

High-performance batteries for transporting mobility into the future

external pageHigh-performance batteries are key to the comprehensive roll-out of e-mobility. ETH Pioneer Fellow Paul Baade is looking into how to manufacture them more cost-effectively.call_made  

Wood you believe it! Scientists develop state-of-the-art wooden floor that captures enough energy to power a light bulb just by walking on it

external pageThe scientists' prototype 'nanogenerator' generates electricity just from footfall. It is made up of layers of wood sandwiched between two layers of electrodes. The creation from Swiss experts relies on the triboelectric effect to power a bulb - the kind that causes a balloon to become charged when rubbed it against the hair.call_madecall_made

A carbon-neutral response to rising electricity demand

external pageSwitzerland has set itself the goal of ending its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. With this net zero target, the country hopes to play its part in limiting global warming to less than 1.5°C. Full story on TechXplore...call_made

Computer algorithms could help in development of artificial proteins

external pageArtificial intelligence can help predict the three-​dimensional structure of proteins. Such algorithms could soon help to develop tailored artificial proteins. Full story on Science Business...call_made

How mapping ecosystems can help restore them

external pageSwiss-based Crowther Lab is trying to address biodiversity loss and climate change by using machine learning and artificial intelligence to map ecosystems. Watch video...call_made

'Hours on a footnote’: Scientists felt joy, frustration in making U.N. climate report

external pageFor many of the scientists, the effort came with a personal cost. "You put a lot of yourself in it," said ETH Zurich climate scientist Sonia Seneviratne. Read full story...call_made

Ancient masonry gets a 21st-century update in this futuristic new bridge

external pageThe future and the past collide in Venice, Italy. A collaboration with ETH Zurich Professor and Architect, Philippe Block. More on Fast Company...call_made

ETH Zurich spinoff, Planted raises another $21M to expand its growing plant-based meat empire (and add schnitzel)

external pageSwiss alternative protein company Planted has raised its second round of the year, a CHF 19 million (about $21 million at present) “pre-B” fundraise that will help it continue its growth and debut new products. More on TechCrunch...call_made

Deadly Heat Wave ‘Would Have Been Virtually Impossible’ Without Climate Change

external page“Climate change is making extremely rare events such as this one (Canadian heat wave) become more frequent. We are entering uncharted territory,” says Sonia Seneviratne who contributed to the climate study. Read more on Forbes...call_made

Custom robot by Gramazio Kohler at ETH Zurich builds undulating rotunda with 30,000 soft clay bricks for SE MusicLab in Bern, Switzerland.

external pageMore at Designboom...call_made

This zero-energy device collects water from the air

external pageResearchers have developed a condenser for countries where water is in short supply. Theirs is the first zero-energy solution for harvesting water from the atmosphere throughout the 24-hour daily cycle. Read...call_made

There are thousands more toxic chemicals in plastic than we thought

external pageYou know that phthalates and flame retardants are toxic. But a new study finds that a quarter of all chemicals in plastics could be equally harmful to you. Read full article...call_made

How Do You Make a Robot Walk on Mars? It’s a Steep Challenge

external pageMeet SpaceBok, a little, four-legged machine that’s taking the first steps toward walking on the Red Planet’s brutal terrain. Full story on Wired...call_made

How a Proud Father Changed the World of Communication Forever

external pageThe story of tech entrepreneur and then new dad, Philippe Kahn took the first cell phone picture ever. Read...call_made

Nobel winner Queloz to head new research centre in Zurich

external pageSwiss Nobel Laureate Didier Queloz is moving to the top-ranked Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich to help establish a new centre looking at the origins of life. Read more...call_made

Week in Tech: A 3D-Printed Concrete Bridge with Zaha Hadid Architects

external pageWorking with Block Research Group at ETH Zurich, Incremental3D, and Holcim, Zaha Hadid Architects' computation and design group has developed the world's first 3D-printed concrete arched bridge. (Venice Biennale)...call_made

Nanotechnology Breakthrough: A Material-Keyboard Made of Graphene

external pageResearchers at ETH Zurich have succeeded in turning specially prepared graphene flakes either into insulators or into superconductors by applying an electric voltage. Full story via SciTech Daily...call_made

One Full Year of Seismic Data Collected by Mars Insight Includes 500 Quakes

external pageETH Zurich scientists collected a full year of data on Marsquakes thanks to its contributions to the NASA InSight mission. More on Marsquakes...call_made

Glaciers Are Retreating At A Faster Pace Globally

external pageGlobally the retreat of glaciers have accelerated, according to a latest study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature...An international research team led by ETH Zurich and the University of Toulouse has authored a comprehensive study on global glacier retreat. Read...call_made

Satellites show world’s glaciers melting faster than ever

external pageSeth Borenstein reports, "glaciers are melting faster, losing 31% more snow and ice per year than they did 15 years earlier, according to three-dimensional satellite measurements of all the world’s mountain glaciers." Scientists blame human-caused climate change. Full story via AP...call_made

World Of Forbes: Entrepreneurial Capitalism Across Our 35 International Editions

external pageLukas Langenegger’s startup, Hemotune, which grew out of public research university ETH Zurich, seeks an effective antidote for sepsis. The body’s extreme response to infection—as seen in many Covid-19 patients—kills 11 million people each year. Read more...call_made

external pageGerman language article...call_made

Scientists Create Wood That Generates Useful Amounts Of Electricity

external pageScientists at ETH Zurich in Switzerland have found a way to make wood produce small but useful amounts of electricity when compressed, potentially making it possible one day to power homes and buildings with footsteps. Read more from Contributer, Scott Carpenter...call_made

Two Strange Planets: Unsolved Magnetic Mystery on Uranus and Neptune

external pageUranus and Neptune both have a completely skewed magnetic field, perhaps due to the planets’ special inner structures. But new experiments by ETH Zurich researchers now show that the mystery remains unsolved.call_made

NASA's InSight Detects Two Sizable Quakes on Mars

external pageNASA’s InSight lander has detected two strong, clear quakes originating in a location of Mars called Cerberus Fossae – the same place where two strong quakes were seen earlier in the mission. More...call_made

Out of my mind: Advances in brain tech spur calls for 'neuro-rights'

external pageAs scientists learn more about how to manipulate the brain, ethicists say data could one day be collected, sold and exploited.call_made

Geothermal energy could save the planet. But watch for earthquakes

external pageAn underground lab in Switzerland is trying to unlock the potential of deep geothermal energycall_made.

Add Dry Riverbeds and Overflowing Banks to the List of Things Made Worse by Climate Change

external pageEric Roston reports that "heat-related changes to the planet’s water cycle, including rainfall, snowfall, and snowmelt, are causing rivers to swell in some places and shrink in others." Full story via Bloomberg Green...call_made

Scientists are building a digital twin of the Earth to fight climate change

external pageETH Zurich climate scientists and computer scientists contribute to the "Destination Earth" initiative, which will start in mid-​2021 and is expected to run for up to ten years. During this period, a highly accurate digital model of the Earth is to be created, a digital twin of the Earth, to map climate development and extreme events as accurately as possible in space and time.call_made

Swiss maker of meat alternatives Planted will expand and diversify with $18M Series A

external pageETH Spinoff, Planted, a startup pursuing a unique method of creating a vegetarian chicken alternative, has raised an $18 million (CHF 17 million) Series A to expand its product offerings and international footprint.call_made

Computer Simulations Suggest Martian Moons Were Separated at Birth More Than a Billion Years Ago

external pageThe Red Planet’s two tiny moons—Phobos and Deimos—could have formed after an ancient collision, according to new research. It’s an intriguing possibility, but not everyone is convinced by the evidence.call_made

Planet Earth its quietest in decades as lockdowns reduce seismic noise

external page"Earth had its quietest period in decades during 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced human activity and its impact on the planet’s crust, according to scientists working on a global study." Full story via Reuters...call_made

Has science solved one of history’s greatest adventure mysteries?

external pageRobin George Andrews reports on "The bizarre deaths of hikers at Russia's Dyatlov Pass have inspired countless conspiracy theories, but the answer may lie in an elegant computer model based on surprising sources." Full story via National Geographiccall_made

Scientists can hack your nerves so artificial limbs feel lighter

external pageScientists studying artificial limbs at ETH Zurich have figured out an incredible method to alter a human’s perception of weightcall_made.

Microcaps Closes CHF 5 Million Seed Financing Round Co-led by Helvetica Capital and Zürcher Kantonalbank

external pageMicrocaps has developed a proprietary method to manufacture microcapsules in identical sizes that are used in pharmaceuticals, nutrition, cosmetics and other branches of industry.call_made

ETH spin-off LatticeFlow raises $2.8M to help build trustworthy AI systems

external pageLatticeFlow is to build tools that help AI teams build and deploy AI models that are safe, reliable and trustworthy.call_made

ANYbotics raises $23 million in Series A funding

external pageETH Zurich spinoff ANYbotics, a maker of four-legged robots, has raised CHF20 million ($23 million) in its Series A financing round led by Swisscom Ventures. The startup says the funding will serve to accelerate the commercialization of its autonomous robots for industrial inspection applications. More...call_made

Intel Is Inventing Faster, Smarter Drones With ‘Biological’ Brains And 1000X Faster Cameras

external pageIntel is taking the technology into drone racing with ETH Zurich, a university in Switzerland. But drone racing isn’t the goal. That’s merely a testing and proving ground. The goals ultimately are as varied as the purposes we need drones for: deliveries, inspections, monitoring, or even in some cases doing actual work like painting physical infrastructure like bridges or spraying crops. Read more...call_made