January 2022
The best of ETH Zurich news from journalists around the globe.
This month's top story
external pageRecycled Tennis Balls Could Protect Buildings from Earthquakes --Scientific American
The following international news content features in digital, English-language platforms. ETH Zurich also appears in numerous broadcast television shows, films, and print publications. Some publications may require a subscription to view content (noted by the symbol here), while others allow free access to a limited number of articles.
The Influence of Mass Production and Digital Fabrication in Architecture
Digital spaces and fabrication technology have become as prominent as ever within the current state of our post-pandemic society, becoming increasingly more accessible and enabling quick and spontaneous acts of iteration and evolution. external page(Features NCCR Digital Fabrication at ETH Zurich).
Researchers develop blueprint for sustainable food system using black soldier flies
Singapore-ETH Centre's Future Cities Lab Global programme collaborates with researchers from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and ETH Zurich in "external pageDesigning fully circular food systems for high-density cities like Singapore requires experimentation at different scales," says ETH Zurich professor Stephen Cairns.
Novel Computational Approach Can Identify Genomic Safe Harbors for Therapeutic Genes To Treat Cancer
Gene and cell therapies are one of the novel ways scientists have been exploring to treat diseases such as cancer. They are trying to enhance the technology's efficacy through the use of genomic safe harbors (GSHs)...external pageScientists from Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School (HMS), and the ETH Zurich in Switzerland have developed a computational approach to identify GSH for the higher potential of safe insertion of therapeutic genes.
Scientists develop four-legged robot that hikes difficult terrain faster than average human
A new control technology has been developed by researchers at ETH Zurich for a four-legged robot allowed it to achieve the “effortless” superhuman feat of hiking 120 vertical metres in the Alps in 31 minutes without any falls or missteps. external pageThe advance may lead to the development of new robots and other kinds of robotic technology that can be used in terrain too dangerous for humans, said the researchers, including those from ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
This new map shows where nature is, in fact, healing
Good news! Humans are restoring ecosystems all around the world. external pageWe should be angry about climate change and the destruction of ecosystems, ETH Zurich professor, Tom Crowther told Vox. “But without optimism, that outrage goes nowhere,” he said.
ANYmal's quadrupedal robot takes a hike
A team from ETH Zurich's Robotics Systems Lab trained the quadruped to walk up nearby Mount Etzel, a modest summit that stands some 1,098 meters (3,600 feet) above sea level. The team says the robot was able to make the 120 vertical meter hike in 31 minutes — a full four minutes faster than is standard for human hikers - without stumbling or a mis-step. external pageThe feat was accomplished by way of a control scheme recently highlighted in a scientific journal that combines imaging with tactile feedback.
Legged Robots Learn to Hike Harsh Terrain
ANYmal demonstrates locomotion performance that’s slightly superhuman. external pageInterview with Takahiro Miki, Robotics Systems Lab, ETH Zurich.
These are the most international universities in the world in 2022
"Times Higher Education’s (THE) survey of over 10,000 academics features internationally oriented universities leading global academic collaboration efforts through knowledge diplomacy." external pageTwo Swiss universities, ETH Zurich take second and EPFL joint third places in the list of the worlds most international universities for 2022.
Earth’s Interior Is Cooling Faster Than Previously Estimated! Here’s Why It Matters
“Our results could give us a new perspective on the evolution of the Earth’s dynamics. external pageThey suggest that Earth, like the other rocky planets Mercury and Mars, is cooling and becoming inactive much faster than expected," explains professor Motohiko Murakami at ETH Zurich and the lead author of this new study.
This guy keeps track of scary AI usages
David Dao, a PhD candidate at ETH Zurich, wears several hats. In addition to working on his doctorate, he’s the founder of external pageGain Forest Now (a decentralized fund using artificial intelligence to measure and reward sustainable nature stewardship), and he’s also the owner of a rather interesting GitHub page — on his page (external page#AwfulAI), external pagehe tracks some of the most concerning usages of AI (artificial intelligence).
Huge Mars Dust Storm Sends NASA’s InSight Lander Into Safe Mode
The whirlwinds and gusts of dust storms have helped to clear solar panels over time, as with the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rover missions. external pageWhile InSight’s weather sensors have detected many passing whirlwinds, none have cleared any dust.
Horizon Europe: Swiss researchers under pressure to relocate or forgo EU grants
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced that external pageSwiss-based researchers who were recently awarded Horizon Europe research grants will need to do their work outside Switzerland in the absence of an agreement with the EU.
Spring flowers bloom months early after record-breaking New Year heat
Professor Tom Crowther, an ecologist at ETH Zurich...and UN ecosytems adviser, toldThe Independent...that external pageearly blooming can be "hugely disruptive to ecosystems because species that rely on each other, like plants and insect pollinators, can get out of sync with each other."
Recycled Tennis Balls Could Protect Buildings from Earthquakes
A low-cost design helps shaking buildings roll to a stop. external pageA new seismic-isolation method uses the physics of rolling to create a simpler, lower-cost alternative with readily available materials: recycled tennis balls.
Just 5 Major Polluters Could Cause These Extreme Climate Impacts In 2030
“external pageThese are the five largest emitting economies in the world, and we wanted to highlight the outsized role they play in shaping the climate we live in,” said Lea Beusch, a researcher at ETH Zurich... “This [research] helps in better communicating the importance of these emission reduction choices by individual nations.”
New Study Challenges E-Scooter Firms’ Lower Emissions Claims
A study by researchers in Switzerland has challenged the claims of micromobility companies that their vehicles help reduce carbon emissions in cities. Researchers at ETH Zurich wrote that external pageshared e-scooters and e-bikes often replace journeys that are already climate-friendly like public transport or walking, rather than replacing private car trips.
Building Complex Elements in Concrete with 3D Printed Foam Formworks
With the aim of generating a significant impact on the responsible and sustainable consumption of resources and energy in the construction industry, ETH Zürich in collaboration with external pageETH Spinoff FenX AG is using external pagefoam 3D printing to manufacture geometrically complex formwork for the construction of special elements in concrete.
Robotic Microswimmers: The Next Biomedical Breakthrough
Daniel Ahmed from the Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab, ETH Zurich talks about the development of robotic microswimmers modeled from starfish larvae. These acoustically controlled external pagemicrorobots are manipulated by ultrasound and are paving the way for innovative collaborations between biomedical and microrobotic systems research.
Using mortar filled tennis balls to make structures more resistant to earthquakes
A team of researchers at ETH Zurich has found that external pagediscarded tennis balls can be used to create inexpensive seismic isolation bearings.
New Year Honours: Full list of figures to receive reward from the Queen
Former Professor of Geotechnical Engineering and Rector of ETH Zurich, external pageSarah Springman, CBE inducted into the Order of the British Empire as Dame Commander (DBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II.
In the Media - 2020
DownloadHighlights of ETH Zurich stories in the global media in 2020 (PDF, 76.1 MB)