August 2022

The Public Wants Scientists to Be More Involved in Policy Debates

external pageThe public actually may be eager to hear from scientists who advocate policies that fall within their realm of expertise, according to a study published in 202...at ETH Zurich.call_made

Ice-Covered Volcanoes Offer Secret Eruption Warning

...Standard seismic tools provide only a rough picture of what's happening beneath Iceland's ice-covered volcanoes. external pageETH Zurich seismologist Andreas Fichtner and his colleagues recently showed how the same ice sheets that hide these volcanoes can amplify otherwise undetectable seismic signals.call_made

Network assembly through cell division: How nerve cells in the brain connect during development

external page"It's clear that the instructions for wiring the brain must be genetically encoded—otherwise, people's brains would not all develop a similar structure," says Stan Kerstjens.call_made

Also reported in...

Mirage, 26 August 2022, external pageNetwork assembly through cell divisioncall_made

UBS : Strategic partnership - ETH and UBS launch partnership to promote innovation and entrepreneurship

external pageETH Zurich and UBS are launching a strategic partnership. Over a period of 10 years, UBS will invest up to CHF 20 million in two joint initiatives to promote entrepreneurship and innovation, and raise interest in STEM subjects.call_made

Also reported in...

Get to text, 25 August 2022, external pageUBS and ETH: New partnership and 40 million donationcall_made

Apple zero day vulnerability on the market for €8 million

ETH Zurich researcher from the Center for Security Studies, Max Smeets comments, external page"Many European countries won't buy zero day exploits, but there are a select number of countries that will buy them," Dr Smeets added. "This includes the US government, which has a huge budget, and the UK government and we know typically they are bought by the intelligence agencies like the CIA or the NSA, although as we see more countries establish military cyber commands they may be interested too."call_made

Robotic Animals That Prove Technology Has Made Huge Leaps

external pageDogs famously went to space before humans ever could, and now dog-shaped robots might be heading there, too. With any luck, ETH Zurich and ZHAW's SpaceBok will be hopping on the moon, Mars, or asteroids sometime in the relatively near future.call_made

Heat: Spain is becoming a desert country – Panorama

external pageSpaniards are feeling the effects of climate change too drastically this year, which could give the capital Madrid a desert climate similar to that in Marrakech by 2050, as researchers predict in a study by ETH Zurich.call_made

Spectacular James Webb Telescope images of Jupiter...

external pageInvolved in the James Webb mission is Adrian Glauser from ETH Zurich, who built an important infrared measuring device for the telescope with a team. Thanks to these infrared measurements, it is possible for the first time to look into much more distant galaxies than before...Because ETH Zurich has developed such an important measuring device, it will also be able to use the James Webb telescope for its own investigations.call_made

Gene discovery could fight cassava disease, increase food security

external page“Understanding the genetic resources for resistance to geminiviruses is therefore important to secure yields for cassava farmers,” says Wilhelm Gruissem, one of the researchers that made the discovery documented in Nature Communications in July.call_made

Before and after: These glaciers lost an area the size of Manhattan every 10 years since 1931

external pageThe analysis, conducted by scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, resulted in a striking visual contrast between Switzerland's glaciers today and what they looked like nearly a century ago.call_made

Also reported in...

Smithsonian Magazine, 25 August 2022, external pageSwiss Glaciers Shrank to Half Their Size Since 1931call_made

Independent, 23 August, 2022, external pageThe Swiss Alps have lost half their glaciers in 80 yearscall_made

Newsweek, 24 August 2022, external pageSwiss Glaciers Lost Half Their Volume Over 85 Years, Study Showscall_made

New York Metropolitan Magazine, 23 August 2022, external pageIn pictures: Swiss glaciers have shrunk by half in 85 years – and the melt is speeding upcall_made

Sydney Morning Herald, 21 August 2022, external page‘Off the charts’: Glaciers in Europe experience extreme meltcall_made

POLITICO (article behind a paywall), 23 August 2022, external pageAlready shrunk by half, Swiss glaciers melting faster — studycall_made

France24, 22 August 2022, external pageSwiss glaciers shrink in half since 1931: studycall_made

EuroNews, 25 August 2022, external pageIn pictures: Swiss glaciers have shrunk by half in 85 years - and the melt is speeding upcall_made

Yahoo! News, 23 August 2022, external pageThe Swiss Alps have lost half their glaciers in 80 yearscall_made

Science Daily, 22 August 2022, external pageA historical perspective on glacial retreatcall_made

N World, 22 August 2022, external pageSwiss glaciers in retreat as scientists say volume has halved in 90 yearscall_made

News Click, 23 August 2022, external pageHalf of Swiss Glaciers Shrunk in Less Than a Centurycall_made

TechPost and Science, 23 August 2022, external pageA historical perspective on glacial retreatcall_made

Radio France International, 23 August 2022, external pageStudy shows Swiss glaciers have shrunk by half since 1930scall_made

Emerging Risks, 23 August 2022, external pageMelting glaciers deliver further evidence of climate crisiscall_made

Associated Press, 22 August 2022, external pageStudy: Already shrunk by half, Swiss glaciers melting fastercall_made

A quantum pump without the crank

external pagePhysicists at ETH Zurich demonstrate how atoms can be pumped through a synthetic crystal without having to apply external periodic driving. These experiments combine several key aspects of quantum many-​body physics in unexpected ways, thus paving a novel path to understanding and creating exotic states of quantum matter.call_made

Also reported in...

Phys.org, 22 August 2022, external pageA quantum pump without a crankcall_made

Ask by Geeks, 24 August 2022, external pageA quantum pump without the crankcall_made

ScienceDaily, 26 August 2022, external pageQuantum heat pump: A new measuring tool for physicistscall_made

Next Big Future, 31 August 2022, external pageQuantum Heat Pump Made From Particles of Lightcall_made

SpaceDaily, 30 August 2022, external pageA quantum pump without the crankcall_made

UK News Today, 28 August 2022, external pageQuantum heat pump: A new measuring tool for physicistscall_made

Sequencing a cell without killing it

external pageScientists including groups from Julia Vorholt and Dr Orane Guillaume Gentil, ETH Zurich and EPFL use fluidic force microscopy to keep cells alive during RNA extraction for further study while also being minimally invasive.call_made

Synhelion produces First Solar Syngas in Wood’s Industrial-Scale Reforming Reactor

ETH Zurich Spinoff, external pageSynhelion has become the first company in the world to succeed in producing syngas on an industrial scale using only solar heat as an energy source.call_made

Also reported in...

Fuel and Lubes, 22 August 2022, external pageSynhelion produces syngas on industrial scale using solar heatcall_made

Could the Global Energy Crisis Close Switzerland’s Ski Resorts?

external pageCurrently, one-quarter of the Swiss energy need is met through electricity. Marius Schwarz, an energy scientist at ETH Zurich, believes the future is in moving this share to one-third. He is adamant that trying to cut electricity in the Swiss Alps is the wrong angle. He suggests to rather incentivize more electricity production in the Alps as their location lends itself to more efficient renewable energy production than in low-lying areas.call_made

Video Friday: Dark-Side Spot

external pageETH Zurich's ANYmal makes the IEEE weekly selection of awesome robot videos.call_made

Research and policy for the food-delivery revolution

external pageEva-Marie Meemken, ETH Zurich led a study on food-delivery that suggests implications for nutrition, environment, and work may be considerablecall_made.

Glaciers in Europe are experiencing the most severe melting on record

external page“I would say it is off the charts compared to anything we’ve ever measured before,” Mylène Jacquemart, a glaciologist at ETH Zurich, said in an email. “We are currently seeing conditions that, even in a pretty bad year, we would only expect at the very end of the season. When we calculate the final mass balance at the end of September, I expect that it will be the worst year on record by a large margin.”call_made

Also reported in...

Globe World News Echo, 17 August 2022, external pageResearchers are concerned about the rapid melting of the Rhone Glaciercall_made

All News Press, 16 August 2022, external pageConsequences of the climate crisis: A glacier like a cemeterycall_made

Why traceability is not all good news for palm oil  

external pageAssistant professor of environmental policy at ETH Zurich Rachael Garrett, talk about the evolving role of smallholder farmers in supplying the palm oil sector, and the risks that some farmers may be excluded from certain markets as buyers and brands demand ever-greater supply chain traceability.call_made

Not Accurate Enough: Scientists Remeasure the Gravitational Constant

external page“The only option for resolving this situation is to measure the gravitational constant with as many different methods as possible,” explains Jürg Dual, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich.call_made He and his colleagues conducted a new experiment to redetermine the gravitational constant and have now published their work in the prestigious journal Nature Physics.

Modern mountain huts: Four tips in the Alps – Travel

external pageThe new Monte Rosa hut...an anniversary project of the ETH Zurich, where students and professors worked for years on the optimal contemporary mountain hut. It stands at 2883 meters above the Gorner Glacier and offers a fantastic view of the Matterhorn and other four-thousanders.call_made

In cities, a higher income means more protection against noise pollution

external pageInternational research group, led by ETH Zurich sociologist Andreas Diekmann and Ulf Liebe of the University of Warwick. With the participation of about 7,500 randomly selected residents of the cities of Bern, Zurich, Hannover and Mainz, the studies are the first to combine participants' subjective noise perception with measurements of noise exposure where they live as well as the size and equipment of their homes.call_made

Sarah Springman: Lifetime achiever

external pageSpringman started a new chapter in 1997 when she was appointed professor of geotechnical engineering at public research university the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland. This made her the first female professor of civil engineering in Switzerland and the first female professor of geotechnical engineering anywhere in western Europe.call_made

Climate change: Drought highlights dangers for electricity supplies

external pageProfessor Sonia Seneviratne, ETH Zurich comments, "Once the water in the rivers is very low and very hot, basically you have to stop cooling down nuclear power plants. That's because the water that's released is dangerous for fish and other species in the rivers."call_made

Also reported in...

Daily Magazine, 13 August 2022, external pageClimate change: Drought highlights dangers for electricity suppliescall_made  

E&T - Engineering & Technology, 15 August 2022, external pageEuropean heatwave could threaten UK electricity suppliescall_made

Nation World News, 18 August 2022, external pageWeather: It’s raining – but it’s “too late” for some treescall_made

Thawing Arctic hillsides are major climate change contributors

external pageThe work of Zwieback, Bernhard and Hajnsek (ETH Zurich) shows that the carbon release from thawing Arctic hillsides must be accounted for in assessing the Arctic’s carbon cycle.call_made  

Also reported in...

Alaska Native News, 17 August 2022, external pageThawing Arctic hillsides are major climate change contributorscall_made

Mirage, 13 August 2022, external pageThawing Arctic hillsides are major climate change contributorscall_made

24HTECH, August 2022, external pageThawing Arctic hillsides are major climate change contributorscall_made

Additional news stories in July's "In the Media" page

New technology pulls clean drinking water from the air, 24 hours a day, with no energy input

external pageResearchers at ETH Zurich have now developed a technology that, for the first time, allows them to harvest water 24 hours around the clock, with no energy input, even under the blazing sun.call_made  

Moon rocks found in Antarctica include tiny amounts of gas that may have come from Earth

external pageA new examination of six lunar meteorites found in Antarctica has revealed the first definitive proof that the moon inherited chemical elements from Earth's interior.call_made

Also reported in...

WIRED, 17 August 2022, external pageNew Evidence Points to the Moon Once Being Part of Earthcall_made

Science Alert, 12 August 2022, external pageThe Moon Stole Something From Deep Inside Earth Eons Ago, and Scientists Can Prove Itcall_made

AZO QUANTUM, 11 August 2022, external pageOne More Clue to the Moon’s Origincall_made

PHYS.org, 10 August 2022, external pageOne more clue to the moon's origincall_made

ScienceDaily, 10 August 2022, external pageOne more clue to the Moon's origincall_made

UPI, 11 August 2022, external pageNew study of moon rocks finds they contain gases from Earthcall_made

TechGenyz, 11 August 2022, external pageNew Fact Proved Moon Inherited Chemical Elements From Earth’s Interiorcall_made

IFL Science, 12 August 2022, external pageNoble Gases Discovery Strengthens Theory That The Moon Formed In A Colossal Impactcall_made

Technocharger, 12 August, 2022, external pageMoon origin? Secret revealed! Know how our moon was formedcall_made

The Register, 12 August 2022, external pageScientists find gasses from Earth in rocks from early Mooncall_made

ArchyNewsy, 13 August 2022, external pageAnother clue to the origin of the Mooncall_made

Interesting Engineering, 13 August 2022, external pageScientists find ‘exciting’ links of Moon’s origin to Earth’s mantlecall_made

The American Bazaar, 13 August 2022, external pageMoon’s origin: Earth’s signature gas discovered in lunaitescall_made

Tech Post and Science, 13 August 2022, external pageOne more clue to the moon’s origincall_made

NewsNGR (Nigeria), 13 August 2022, external pageStudy offers one more clue to how our Moon was formed & More Latest News Herecall_made

TechCodex, 13 August 2022, external pageTraces of Indigenous Gas Found in Meteorite to Shed Light on Moon’s Origincall_made

Vishva Times (India), 14 August 2022, external pageScientists shed new light on Moon's origincall_made

Futurity, 15 August 2022, external pageTeam finds new clue to the moon’s origincall_made

Technocharger, 16 August 2022, external pageEarth’s mantle, origin of Moon linked? See exciting giant impact findcall_made

Technocharger (Lifestyle), 16 August 2022, external pageNew study by scientists sheds light on the origin of the Mooncall_made

Universe Today, 15 August 2022, external pageLunar Rocks Have Earth's Noble Gases Trapped Inside. More Evidence That the Moon Came From the Earthcall_made

Greek Reporter (Greece), 16 August 2022, external pageNew Research Sheds Light on Moon’s Origincall_made

Prokeraia, 14 August 2022, external pageScientists shed new light on Moon's origincall_made

The Science Times, 12 August 2022, external pageNoble Gases From Earth Found in Lunar Rocks, Representing One More Clue Towards the Moon's Origincall_made

Gadgets 360, 12 August 2022, external pageTraces of Indigenous Gas Found in Meteorite to Shed Light on Moon’s Origincall_made

Tech Explorist, 13 August 2022, external pageStudy offers one more clue to how our Moon was formedcall_made

Aroged, 12 August 2022, external pageTraces of gases of terrestrial origin found in fragments of meteorites from the moon found in Antarcticacall_made

NewsTrace, 17 August 2022, external pageThe Moon was once part of Earth, according to new scientific evidencecall_made

Signs of the Times, 15 August 2022, external pageMore evidence that the moon came from the Earthcall_made

The Hindu, 20 August 2022, external pageDo we have new evidence of the Moon’s origin linked to the Earth?call_made

FocusTechnica, 19 August 2022, external pageTeam Finds New Clue to the Moon’s Origincall_made

INDIA TV, 22 August 2022, external pageHow was Moon formed? Scientists shed new lightcall_made

Hydrogel bandage uses ultrasound to better stick to the skin

external pageGetting a bandage to stick to your skin can sometimes be difficult, particularly if that skin is wet. This isn't a problem with an experimental new wound dressing however, which uses ultrasound-induced microbubbles to better bond with the skin. (ETH Zurich and McGill University)call_made

Also reported in...

PHYS.org, 12 August 2022, external pageUsing sound and bubbles to make bandages stickier and longer lastingcall_made

BC Post (Canada), 15 August 2022, external pageScientists reveal using sound, bubbles make bandages stickier, durablecall_made

AXIS, 16 August 2022, external pageUsing Ultrasound to Make Adhesive Bandages Stickiercall_made

SwiftTelecast, 13 August 2022, external pageUsing sound and bubbles to make bandages stickier and longer lastingcall_made

Geeky News, 13 August 2022, external pageThe hydrogel dressing uses ultrasound to better adhere to the skincall_made

Canada Standard, 26 August 2022, external pageStudy finds bandages can be made stickier, durable by using sound, bubblescall_made

Design, products & applications, 17 August 2022, external pageAre ultrasound and bubbles the key to making bandages stickier?call_made

Mirage, 19 August 2022, external pageStrong adhesion thanks to cavitation bubblescall_made

CTV News Montreal, 22 August 2022, external pageThe science of sticky: Making bandages stay on longer with ultrasound wavescall_made

Electronic Specifier, 24 August 2022, external pageAn ultra-sound way to make bandages stickcall_made

Physics World, 26 September 2022, external pageBubbles make bandages stickiercall_made

Dr. Denise Mitrano ’08 conducts ground-breaking research to track micro- and nanoplastics

external pageGeochemist and Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich's Environmental Systems Science Department, Denise Mitrano, has been named to the list of 100 most influential people for “Who’s Who in Zurich,” and she’s also been awarded the 2022 Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize for Outstanding Young Woman Researcher of the Year from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).call_made

New Imaging Method Makes Tiny Robots Visible in the Body

external page“Without imaging, microrobotics is essentially blind,” adds Daniel Razansky, Professor of Biomedical Imaging at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurichcall_made.  

Dead Bodies Keep Emerging From the Ice After Years Locked Away in Glaciers

external page"Glacier ice preserves virtually everything that has been deposited at higher elevations years and decades ago," Daniel Farinotti, a glaciologist at ETH Zurich, told Newsweek. "This reaches from remnants of plants and animals, over equipment-debris and garbage left by mountaineers, to entire bodies."call_made

Related stories...

Nation World News, 7 August 2022, external pageMissing Entrepreneur or Missing Japanese Woman?call_made

Nation World News, 5 August 2022, external pageAletsch Glacier exposes parts of crashed planecall_made

Wildfires could release radioactive particles from nuclear sites

Christine Eriksen, Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, speak's with Yale Climate Connections - 90 second podcast about how global warming and changing land use are increasing the threat of wildfires near many nuclear sites. external pageClick and scroll to episode, "Wildfires could release radioactive particles from nuclear sites" to listen.call_made

The syndicated podcast was aired on numerous radio stations in the U.S.

Understanding Underground Fungi May Help Mitigate Climate Change

external pageColin Averill, Lead Scientist at the Crowther Lab, ETH Zurich and cofounder of The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks speaks with NPR about why we should adopt a "fungi first" approach to climate change.call_made

The NPR podcast also aired in numerous syndicated radio stations across the United States.

Sensory bionic limbs: a success story for neuroprosthetics

external pageETH Zurich Postdoc, Giacomo Valle describes (in an op-ed piece) the recent success of his work, creating implantable neuroprostheses that enable bionic limbs to provide sensory feedback for patients and he reveals how the implants used could provide an additional benefit to neuroscience research.call_made

New Hydrogel to Extend the Shelf Life of Biologics

external pageBruno Marco-Dufort, doctoral researcher and Prof. Mark Tibbitt in the Molecular Engineering Lab at ETH Zurichdesigned a new type of hydrogel that enables biologics such as antibodies, enzymes, and protein-based vaccines to withstand a greater range of temperature fluctuations without losing their functionality.call_made

Also reported in...

AZO Materials, 5 August 2022, external pageHydrogel Extends Shelf Life of Vaccinescall_made

DailyBeast, 5 August 2022, external pageA Molecular ‘Soccer Net’ Can Keep Life-Saving Drugs Stablecall_made

New Atlas, 7 August 2022, external pageHydrogel casing keeps vaccines stable without refrigeration up to 150 °Fcall_made  

SciTech Daily, 8 August 2022, external pageExtending the Shelf Life of Vaccines – Like “Tupperware” for Proteinscall_made

Innovation Origins, 8 August 2022, external pageHydrogel improves vaccines’ shelf lifecall_made

Archynewsy, 8 August 2022, external pageAlmost half of vaccines end up in the garbage. Losses are millionscall_made

Chipchick, 10 August 2022, external pageNewly Developed Hydrogel Can Extend Shelf-Life Of Crucial Vaccine Doses...call_made

BioTechniques - Life Sciences, 10 August 2022, external pageIncreasing vaccine thermal stability with PEG-based hydrogelscall_made

Cheraw Chronicle, 9 August 2022, external pageHydrogel keeps vaccination fluid nice and cool at low costcall_made

Archynetys, 14 August 2022, external pageFifty percent the vaccine is wasted. Gel can preserve them.call_made

DrugTargetReview, 26 August 2022, external pageHow to tackle the immense challenge of delivering vaccinescall_made

Four (more) things you might not know about antimatter

external pageExotic atoms are used to study interactions between matter and antimatter on a minuscule scale. The short-scale interactions between the particles and antiparticles within atoms enable researchers to study phenomena that may not be investigated otherwise...“These short-scale interactions are an important tool in searching for new physics,” says Anna Soter, a particle physicist at ETH Zurich (comments).call_made

Automation With Remarkable Robotics

external pageETH Zurich spinoff ANYbotics developed ANYmal X, the Ex-certified, legged robotic inspection solution, aims to be the gamechanger. Operators in the oil & gas and chemical sectors can now include safe, autonomous and highly mobile robots in their inspection and workforce planning.call_made

How are New Construction Materials Prioritizing Human Safety and Wellbeing?

external pageETH Zurich researchers in collaboration with researchers from the University of Fribourg have developed a new type of laminate that changes color as soon as the material is deformed. With an aim to develop new techniques for the early detection of damage or possible failure of certain materials...call_made

Europe battles water shortages as severe drought sweeps the continent

external page“In Switzerland we’re not used to the idea of droughts”, said Sonia Seneviratne, professor of land-climate dynamics at ETH Zurich research university. “We see ourselves as being this water fortress of Europe, but as glaciers shrink and summer temperatures become more extreme this is less and less a reality.”call_made

Also reported in...

News Azi, 6 August 2022, external pageEurope battles water shortages as severe drought sweeps the continentcall_made

The similarities and differences of Bolivian and Colombian coffee farming

external pageResarchers investigated how coffee provides a livelihood to millions of smallholder farmers but faces challenges resulting from price fluctuations, climate change and plant diseases...Dr. Johanna Jacobi, Assistant Professor ETH Zurich says, “Too little research has focused on the situation of coffee farmers in general. But what I think is really different [in our research] are two things: First, the focus on by-products such as fruits, nuts, or timber and not just coffee, which is also important if we want to enhance agroforestry...and two, the view of what quality actually means.call_made

At Long Last, Mathematical Proof That Black Holes Are Stable

external pageThe solutions to Einstein’s equations that describe a spinning black hole won’t blow up, even when poked or prodded. ETH Zurich mathematician, Professor Demetrios Christodoulou comments on the results of a paper proving that slowly rotating kerr black holes are stable, “(it) does indeed constitute a milestone in the mathematical development of general relativity.”call_made

Also reported in...

WIRED, 21 August 2022, external pageAt Long Last, Mathematical Proof That Black Holes Are Stablecall_made

Transcontinental Times (Spain), 23 August 2022, external pageEinstein is Right, Mathematical Evidence of Stable Rotating Black Holes Foundcall_made

Mice produce rat sperm with technique that could help conservation

Mice containing rat cells have produced rat sperm thanks to a modification technique that could be useful for conserving endangered species or creating hybrids. external pageThe technique could be developed to...eventually, says Ori Bar-Nur (ETH Zurich), to produce sperm or eggs of endangered or even extinct species. “In theory, had we also had cells from an extinct species, you could utilise this to generate germ cells from that species.call_made

Also reported in...

ScienceDaily, 4 August 2022, external pageSterile mice produce rat spermcall_made

IFL Science, 4 August 2022, external pageSterile Mice Can Produce Rat Sperm With New Stem Cell Injectioncall_made

Popular Science, 4 August 2022, external pageThese sterile mice have been modified to make rat spermcall_made

Daily Beast, 4 August 2022, external pageHow Rat Sperm Grown in Mice Can Resurrect an Extinct Speciescall_made

Gismodo, 4 August 2022, external pageMale Mice Produce Rat Sperm in Novel Chimera Experimentcall_made

Physics.org, 4 August 2022, external pageSterile mice produce rat spermcall_made

World Nation, 4 August 2022, external pageMice produce rat sperm in a scientific experimentcall_made

Zipe Education, 13 August 2022, external pageRat Sperm Produced in Sterile Micecall_made

Medscape, 12 August 2022, external pageRat Sperm Produced in Sterile Mice: New Tech Could Help Us Grow Human Organs in Animalscall_made

Zenger, 12 August 2022, external pageScientists Create Mouse-Rat Chimera By Growing Rat Sperm Cells In Sterile Micecall_made

Extreme heatwaves: surprising lessons from the record warmth

external pageUnprecedented temperatures are coming faster and more furiously than researchers expected, raising questions about what to anticipate in the future. Erich Fischer, climate scientist at ETH Zurich comments: "Like the Pacific Northwest heatwave of 2021, the UK heatwave of 2022 might become a catalyst for understanding what causes heatwaves to become even more extreme than expected."call_made

Wood Wide Web: The secret, ancient, internet of plants

external pageSince its discovery, the wood wide web has posed new questions about this subterranean social network that is nearly 500 million years old. Adding information to this growing research, Ecologist Thomas Crowther from ETH Zurich in Switzerlandcall_made and Biologist Kabir Peay from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California attempted to map the forest’s underground ecosystem to better understand its implications.

Also reported in...

AlmoOon, 4 August 2022, external pageThe secret, ancient, internet of plantscall_made

Wearable Muscles Work with Users to Restore Mobility

external pageRobotic “exoskeleton” technology has greatly advanced in recent years, restoring mobility and functionality to those who’ve lost it...a group of researchers at ETH Zurich are developing “wearable muscles” inside of a vest-like garment, called the Myoshirt, to fill this gap in the industry.call_made

First map of immune system connections reveals new therapeutic opportunities

external pageIn creating the immune system map, scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, ETH Zürich, and collaborators show how immune cells across the body link up and communicate.call_made

Also reported in...

The Science Advisory Board, 4 August 2022, external pageFirst full map of immune system connections unlocks drug discovery opportunitiescall_made

New Atlas, 5 August 2022, external pageScientists create first full map of human immune system connectivitycall_made

Interesting Engineering, 6 August 2022, external pageThe first-ever complete map of immune system connections offers new pathways to therapiescall_made

TechLIVE, 7 August 2022, external pageMap of immune system connections reveals new therapeutic opportunitiescall_made

HeroMag, 7 August 2022, external pageThe first-ever complete map of immune system connections offers new pathways to therapiescall_made

Cambridge Independent, 12 August 2022, external pageUnique network map of immune system could direct scientists to new immunotherapies...call_made

Solar-to-Jet-Fuel System Readies for Takeoff

external page“The present pilot fuel plant is still a demonstration facility for research purposes,” says (Aldo) Steinfeld (ETH Zurich), “but it is a fully integrated plant and uses a solar-tower configuration at a scale that is relevant for industrial implementation.”call_made

Also reported in...

Advanced Science News, 2 August 2022, external pageSolar kerosene: One giant leap for humankindcall_made

Chemical & Engineering News, 1 August 2022, external pageSolar-powered reactor converts CO₂ and water into jet fuelcall_made

HAPPY ECO NEWS, 4 August 2022, external pageSustainable Aviation Fuel From Solar Energy: Not A Dream Any Morecall_made

Archynewsy, 5 August 2022, external pageScientists can make jet fuel and diesel from the sun, CO2 and watercall_made

Advanced BioFuels USA, 8 August 2022, external pageSUN-to-LIQUID Project Publishes Successful Thermochemical Kerosene Production...call_made

Popular Mechanics, 9 August 2022, external pageThis Solar Tower Can Transform Water, Sunlight, and Carbon Dioxide Into Jet Fuelcall_made

Road and Track, 9 August, 2022, external pageThis Solar Tower Can Transform Water, Sunlight, and Carbon Dioxide Into Jet Fuelcall_made

Newsbreak, 11 August 2022, external pageThis Solar Tower Can Transform Water, Sunlight, and Carbon Dioxide Into Jet Fuelcall_made

SolarPaces, 10 August 2022, external pageHow “Hot Solar” Aviation Fuel from H2O and CO2 Has Taken Offcall_made

Renewable Energy Magazine, 18 August 2022, external pageSynhelion produces solar syngas on an industrial scale for the first timecall_made

The Latest News, 17 August 2022, external pageKerosene from the sun: Synhelion produces synthesis gascall_made

The Chemical Engineer, 19 August 2022, external pageResearchers produce jet fuel from sunlight, CO2 and watercall_made

Nature Energy, 19 August 2022, external pageTower of achievementcall_made

Viable Earth, 21 August 2022, external pageSwiss scientists make sustainable jet fuel using just sunlight, water, and aircall_made

Further news "In the Media," July 2022

Forever chemicals are raining down all over the world

According to a study led by Stockholm University and external pageETH Zurich, the current levels of PFAS(Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in environmental media are now ubiquitously above guideline levels, defining a new planetary boundary for novel entities that has been exceeded. Martin Scheringer, a professor of Environmental Science at ETH Zurich comments.call_made

Also reported in...

Yahoo! News, 2 August 2022, external pageRainwater everywhere on Earth contains cancer-causing ‘forever chemicals’, study findscall_made

GREENWIRE, 2 August 2022, external pagePFAS found in rainwater in Antarctica and Tibetcall_made

GREENMATTERS, 2 August 2022, external pageForever Chemicals Have Rendered All Rainwater Unsafe to Drink Worldwidecall_made

Yahoo! News (UK), 3 August 2022, external pageRainwater everywhere in world 'unsafe to drink' due to cancer chemicalscall_made

World Nation, 4 August 2022, external pageRainwater is no longer potable anywhere on the planetcall_made

EasternEye, 4 August 2022, external pageRainwater contains cancer-causing ‘forever chemicals’, study findscall_made

CTV, 6 August 2022, external pagePFAS levels in rainwater have made it 'unsafe to drink' globally, even in remote areas: studycall_made

Digital Journal, 7 August 2022, external pageGlobal levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in rainwater make it unsafe to drink worldwidecall_made

Global News, 8 August 2022, external page‘Forever chemicals’ have made rainwater ‘unsafe to drink’ globally, says studycall_made

The New American, 9 August 2022, external page“Forever Chemicals” in Rainwater Worldwidecall_made

Vancouver Sun, 10 August 2022, external pageAre there toxic chemicals in B.C.'s drinking water? A UBC professor plans to find outcall_made

The Latch (Australia), 11, August, 2022, external pageRainwater Is No Longer Safe to Drink and We Need to Start Talking About Whose Fault It Iscall_made

USA Today (newspaper), 13 August 2022, external pageRainwater is now unsafe to drink worldwide because of 'forever chemicals,' study suggestscall_made

Toronto Sun, 21 August 2022, external pageRainwater not safe to drink — even in remote corners of the globe: Studycall_made

Intelligent Living, 19 August 2022, external page‘Forever Chemicals’ Make Global Rainwater Unsafe to Drinkcall_made

Envirotec Magazine, August 2022, external pageRainwater is no longer drinkable thanks to PFAS, say researcherscall_made

In addition, numerous radio broadcasts in the U.S., including well-known Time Warner, CBS, and Spectrum, reported on the story. 

Researchers develop mass production technology for biodegradable microrobots

New technology expected to contribute to enhancing efficacy of regenerative medicine...A joint research team composed of scientists at DGIST, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital of The Catholic University of Korea and Swiss public university external pageETH Zurich came up with a method to produce over 100 biodegradable microrobots per minute, about 10,000 times faster than the existing technology of manufacturing medical microrobots.call_made  

Melting glaciers and heatwaves make famous Alpine hiking routes impassable  

external pageFor Mylène Jacquemart, a glacier specialist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, there are still unknowns about the collapse of the huge block of the Marmolada glacier. "But in general, the more the water melts, the more complicated and dangerous the situation becomes."call_made

Also reported in...

Guardian, 31 July 2022, external pageHeatwaves put classic Alpine hiking routes off-limitscall_made

Get to the Text, 4 August 2022, external pageCracks and landslides: the heat wave makes the ascent of Mont Blanc more dangerous than evercall_made

Pioneering research being done at SEC (Singapore-ETH Centre)

external page“Throughout the years, our collaboration with Singapore government agencies has only grown stronger and expanded as we launched new research programmes,” says SEC’s new managing director Thomas Meyer.call_made

Physical testing for 3D Printed Medical Products – Innovations Require New Test Methods

external pageInterest in 3D printing for biomedical applications is now increasing and the pharmaceutical industry is starting to explore how 3D printing can help us to deliver better medicines.call_made

Researchers Use Entangled Particles as “Secret Keys” for Quantum

external pageResearchers (at Oxford, ETH Zurich, University of Geneva, EPFL, and CEA France) “demonstrated a complete quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol immune to the vulnerabilities and defects of physical devices that plague current quantum protocols.” This QKD protocol uses entangled particles as “secret keys” that will allow for the detection of third-party security breaches and render devices unhackable.call_made

Also reported in...

Homeland Security News Wire, 1 August 2022, external pageA Key Role for Quantum Entanglementcall_made

Photonics Online, 28 July 2022, external pageA Key Role For Quantum Entanglementcall_made

Further news reports can be found "In the Media" - July 2022

Affects AMD and Intel CPUs

external pageSecurity researchers have uncovered yet another vulnerability affecting numerous older AMD and Intel microprocessors that could bypass current defenses and result in Spectre-based speculative-execution attacks. Dubbed Retbleed by ETH Zurich researchers Johannes Wikner and Kaveh Razavi...call_made

Also reported in...

Kaspersky Daily, 16 August 2022, external pageRetbleed attack, or Spectre strikes backcall_made

5 foods for anti-aging

external pageSophie Chabloz, who has a MsC in Food Science, Nutrition & Health from ETH Zürich, and is the co-founder & CPO of Avea Life (opens in new tab), explains why our diets make such a difference to the aging process.call_made “If you think about it, food is not only fuel for your body to produce energy but [it] also contains all the building blocks (the nutrients) that are needed to make new cells as old damaged ones are being replaced,” she says.

Carbon offsets alone won’t make flying climate-friendly

external pageIf the aviation industry wants to do its part to help meet global temperature goals, it’s better yet to think in terms of “climate-neutral,” says Nicoletta Brazzola, a climate policy researcher at ETH Zurich. In a study published this week in Nature Climate Change, she outlines all the ways to get there...call_made

Also reported in...

Grist, 11 August 2022, external pageCarbon offsets alone won’t make flying climate-friendlycall_made

Pathogenic microbes in drying soils could present public health threat

external pageA research team from ETH Zurich, the U.S. Geological Survey and New Mexico State University extracted fungal DNA from vegetated and bare soils, comparing the effects of local conditions on microbial communities. Their work is being used to inform policy makers on the public health threat potential that climate change has on soil fungal communities...call_made

Also reported in...

Earth.com, 29 July 2022, external pageDrying soils pose a major threat to public healthcall_made

ScienceNews.net, 29 July 2022, external pagePathogenic microbes in drying soils could present public health threatcall_made

Integrative Practiioner, 3 August 2022, external pageDry soils with pathogenic microbes may present public health threatcall_made

The Best University Courses To Learn Metaverse Skills

external pageForbes names ETH Zurich one of the best places to learn "Metaverse skills" in its computer science undergraduate or graduate-level degree programmes.call_made