In the Media - January 2023

Drone-assisted collection of environmental DNA from tree branches for biodiversity monitoring

external page Science Robotics cover story - ETH Zurich researchers propose to survey biodiversity by sampling eDNA on the outer branches of tree canopies with an aerial robot.

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PHYS.org, 27 January 2023, external page Alien plant species are spreading rapidly in mountainous areas, says new monitoring study

Multiomics Approach Improves Diagnosis of Rare Disease, Methylmalonic Aciduria

external page “The reason is that everyone, even healthy individuals, has many naturally occurring genetic mutations that have no apparent impact on human health, so it’s tough to find the one or two that actually cause disease,” said Bernd Wollscheid, PhD, professor at the department of health sciences and technology at ETH Zurich.

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News Medical Life Sciences, 26 January 2023, external page Research offers hope for patients affected by rare, hereditary metabolic disease

A Well-Balanced Machine

Every month, IEEE Spectrum selects the most stunning technology images recently captured by photographers around the world. external page Roboticists at ETH Zurich, taking a page from nature, say they too have created a machine whose movement seems to defy the laws of physics. The 1.TK-meter-long gadget, called Cubli, balances on a single point, with a single internal reaction wheel whose spin keeps the unit upright.

The use of waste materials in the construction industry

external page There are many attempts and applied building examples to explore the potential for the reuse of parts of the building under the understanding of the circular economy. Projects made from ready-made materials suitable for reuse, which are qualified as waste, disseminate ideas on this subject and encourage the feasibility of new productions in this direction (e.g., ETH Zurich's pavilion in New York City).

Scientists invented a melting liquid robot that can escape from a cage

external page “We’re still early in the exploration of what kind of materials can do this,” Brad Nelson, a professor of Robotics at ETH Zurich who was not part of the study, told The Washington Post. One of the most interesting areas of research in microrobotics right now is in clinical applications — particularly the delivery of drugs to the brain or for treating blood clots, he adds.

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Yahoo!News, 27 January 2023, external page Scientists invented a melting liquid robot that can escape from a cage

Almost CHF 4 billion for Swiss startups in 2022

external page Investments in tech startups increased by 30% in 2022, with a noticeably larger share going to ICT, fintech, and cleantech startups...notable fundraising rounds for ETH Zurich spinoffs, Scandit and Climeworks.

“Leopard 2” for Ukraine: “It makes sense to start with a small number”

external page Niklas Masuhr, who researches defense policy, military strategies and contemporary conflicts at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, comments on the strategic need for battle tanks in the Ukraine.

Hypertension drug rilmenidine can extend lifespan and slow aging

external page A team that included scientists from ETH Zurich published their research in Aging Cell shows that young and older animals treated with rilmenidine, a drug currently used to treat high blood pressure, or hypertension, had increased lifespan and improved health markers; the effects of the drug mimic those of caloric restriction.

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Archyde, 24 January 2023, external page High blood pressure drug with life-prolonging “side effect” – healing practice

Rare 17-pound meteorite discovered in Antarctica

external page An Antarctic expedition team that included Maria Schönbächler, ETH-Zurich fournd a rare 7.7kg (17lbs) meteorite.

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THE SCIENCE TIMES, 25 January 2023, external page Astonishing 17-Pound Meteorite Found in Antarctic Ice

THE SCIENCE TIMES, 21 January 2023, external page Meteorite Found in Antarctica Tagged as Largest One Discovered...

Scientific Inquirer, 25 January 2023, external page 17-pound meteorite discovered in Antarctica

Archynewsy, 24 January 2023, external page Rare Find! International Research Team Finds Meteorite Weighing 8 Kg in Antarctica

Nature World News, 24 January 2023, external page 16.7 Pound New Meteorite With Four Others Found in Deserted Place in Antarctica

Tech Times, 21 January 2023, external page Scientists Recover Five New Meteorites in the Icy Desert of Antarctica

ScienceDaily, 18 January 2023, external page 17-pound meteorite discovered in Antarctica

Etc.

‘Tremendous’ implications for therapy

external page Prof. Martin Schwab, a neuroscientist at ETH Zurich, told Medical News Today, “In our study in rats and mice, we show that a therapeutic antibody for stroke can be applied via the nose to the brain: It reaches the brain and spinal cord within hours after intranasal application, presumably via the olfactory (smell) nerve..."

Despite opposition, Japan may soon dump Fukushima wastewater into the Pacific

external page Independent groups will also be watching. A group led by Núria Casacuberta Arola, an oceanographer at ETH Zürich, collected samples off the coast of Fukushima in November 2022 that will provide baseline concentrations of tritium and other radionuclides, with which any changes can be compared.

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World News Era, 25 January 2023, external page Despite opposition, Japan may soon dump Fukushima wastewater into the Pacific

Nanorobots in Neurology: Tiny Movements Towards Major Change

external page “The idea is for medical professionals to be able to carry out whole procedures that are non-invasive. For example, we hope to be able to treat aggressive brain tumors, such as glioblastoma that can be hard to reach, without impacting the rest of the body, and to carry out procedures inside the body using microrobots that could prevent strokes..." according ETH Zurich Professor, Daniel Ahmed.

Alexander Müller (1927–2023)

external page Obituary of physicist and co-discoverer of high-temperature superconductivity, Alexander Müller attended seminars at ETH Zurich given by the Nobel-prizewinning theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli. He conducted his doctoral thesis under ETH Zurich professor, Georg Busch using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to study the electrical and magnetic properties of a variety of solids.
 

Seeing the Forest for the Fungi: Harnessing Fungal Microbiomes to Accelerate Natural Climate Solutions

external page Colin Averill, Senior Scientist at ETH Zurich's Crowther Lab maps the planet's mycorrihizal fungi.

President Yoon visits ETH Zurich… Seeking ways to cooperate in global solidarity

external page President Yoon Seok-yeol explored ways to develop quantum technology and global solidarity and cooperation at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland.

Also reported in...

Korea JoongAng Daily, 18 January 2023, external page Yoon Suk Yeol heads to Davos to meet business leaders

Korea Net, 25, January 2023, external page Photo essay of President Yoon's tour of UAE, Switzerland

The Future of Quantum Security Will Be Encoded in Light, Researchers Hope

external page Renato Renner, professor for theoretical physics and head of the research group for Quantum Information Theory at ETH Zürich, serves as one of the lead theorists within the U.S.-Swiss partnership. He explained to Nextgov that these devices look to arm the current familiar computing systems with quantum protections...“...what we are doing [is] also using quantum technology—that is, device-independent quantum cryptography—[to] secure against attacks by quantum computers [using] quantum technology itself.”

Magnetic matchmaking under the microscope

external page Superconductivity is for couples only. That is, for conductance without electrical resistance to emerge in certain materials, the charge carriers involved have to pair up in order to perform their magic. A team of researchers including ETH Zurich Physics professor, Eugene Demler now report experiments that confirm central predictions of these theories.

New Flying Device to Land on Tree Branches to Take DNA Samples

external page Ecologists are increasingly using the traces of genetic material omitted by living organisms left behind in the surrounding, known as environmental DNA (eDNA) in order to record and track biodiversity. Depending on these DNA traces, researchers at ETH Zurich and Swiss Federal research institute WSL can identify which species are present in some areas

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ScienceDaily, 18 January 2023, external page Special drone collects environmental DNA from trees

Interesting Engineering, 20 January 2023, external page This new drone can collect environmental DNA from tree branches

New Atlas, 19 January 2023, external page Swiss eDrone helps scientists gather eDNA from branches

ZME Science, 20 January 2023, external page This gentle drone can scoop animal DNA from the tops of trees

DroneXL, 25 January 2023, external page Research drone collects samples of genetic material from treetops

UAV Digest, January 2023, external page Collecting Environmental DNA with a Drone

Innovation Origins, 21 January 2023, external page Swiss researchers develop drone that collects samples from tree branches

Yahoo! Finance, 18 January 2023, external page This gentle drone collects loose DNA from swaying tree branches

TechCrunch, 18 January 2023, external page This gentle drone collects loose DNA from swaying tree branches

IEEE Spectrum, 20 January 2023, external page Video Friday: Drones in Trees, Your weekly selection of awesome robot videos

Etc.

Human waste could help tackle a global shortage of fertiliser

external page Franziska Häfner at Agroscope in Zurich, Switzerland, and her colleagues compared cabbages grown using organic fertiliser derived from vinasse, a by-product of ethanol production, with fertilisers made from treated human urine and faeces.

Messaging App’s Response to Bug Hits on Cyber Disclosure Issues

external page A team of computer specialists from ETH Zurich, a public university in Switzerland, published a paper detailing a series of vulnerabilities in a popular encrypted messaging app. The app, Threema, says it has 11 million usersand includes “maximum security.”...In a research paper, experts from ETH Zurich came forward to describe how Threema had relied on outdated cryptography that fell below modern security standards. If abused, someone could have switched around the content of messages, sent new encrypted messages and — if they had access to the device — find the private key associated with the account.

Nasal Spray Could Help Deliver Antibodies That Heal Stroke-like Damage in the Brain, Study Suggests

The success rate of the nasal spray of antibodies after two weeks improved to about 60% of their former ability after four weeks since the injury. Meanwhile, those in the placebo treatment only recorded about 30%. external page When they examined the rat brains, they found that the treated rats had generated more new nerve fibers. Martin Schwab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich said that they attained a level of antibodies that is useful in healing a massive stroke lesion that showed the brain has a natural regenerating ability.

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NewScientist, 16 January 2023, external page Spraying drugs up the nose may help heal the brain after a stroke

Swiss researcher finds spectacular meteorite in Antarctica

external page A rare meteorite weighing 7.6kg has been uncovered in Antarctica by a researcher from the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich, together with scientists from Belgium and the US.

Bad news for sushi fans: Eating just one freshwater fish like salmon a YEAR is equivalent to a month of drinking water laced with “forever carcinogenic chemicals,” the study warns

external page Researchers from Stockholm University and ETH Zurich have been conducting laboratory and field studies on the presence and transport of PFAS over the past decade. They claim they can be found in rainwater and snow in even the most remote places on earth like Antarctica and Tibet. The fluorinated chemicals have been linked to a variety of health problems, including cancer, immune system disorders, obesity and fertility problems.

Switzerland offers innovation-rich environment

Kristi Shalla, Swiss Business Hub notes that "current trends in photonics in Switzerland include the development of novel materials and devices, the use of photonics for biomedical applications, and the integration of photonics with other technologies...for fundamental physics research such as quantum computing and communication. external page For example, it is worth mentioning that ETH Zurich—together with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)—is building quantum computers, which will be used in research and application.

Flipped Learning

external page Methods of flipped learning need to be better defined in order to prove they are more effective compared to traditional lesson planning, as much of the apparent advantage may be due to just more time spent on the content overall, according to a meta-analysis by Manu Kapur at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, and colleagues at Melbourne University, Australia.

8 Actions You Can Take For Managing Grid Volatility And Network Congestion

external page ETH Zurich, Alumn, Sabine Erlinghagen who is now a CEO at Siemens writes on the energy crisis in Europe.

How academia contributes to the world’s net zero ambitions

external page ETH Zurich President, Joël Mesot writes about how universities can serve as “living labs” where investment in innovative energy solutions can be upscaled and tested in cooperation with industry.

Integrated photonic circuits could help close the 'terahertz gap'

external page EPFL researchers have collaborated with those at Harvard and ETH Zurich on a new thin-film circuit that, when connected to a laser beam, produces finely tailorable terahertz-frequency waves. The device opens up a world of potential applications in optics and telecommunications.

Disney Uses AI To Re-Age Faces

external page Intended for visual effects, FRAN comes from a team of researchers from the Zurich-based Disney Research Studios, and ETH Zurich.Setting the scene the paper states: The use of digitally aged or de-aged human characters in movie productions and advertising has increased dramatically over the last few years. Whether for making Robert De Niro younger in The Irishman [2020], or David Beckham older in an ad campaign against malaria [2020], digital re-aging is quickly becoming an essential tool in every visual effects studio. 

Tree fungus is used in electronics and robotics

Mycelium itself can also be of interest to science. Because the fungal mycelium is a living, complex and adaptable material that forms large networks. These networks are in turn made up of elongated cells called hyphae. The hyphae absorb water and nutrients, which is how the fungus spreads in nature...external page Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich are now also using the adaptive behavior to develop a self-healing and robust robot skin.

Ukrainian researcher who fled war shows how recycled concrete can help his country rebuild

external page Professor Viacheslav Troian was allowed to leave the country when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started...He ended up at ETH Zurich, where he recently published a study on the role recycled concrete may play in the reconstruction of Ukraine.

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Exclusive Global News, 13 January 2023, external page Ukrainian researcher who fled conflict reveals how recycled concrete may help his nation rebuild

10 Ways the World Got Better In 2022

external page Farmers in the Philippines harvested the first large-scale genetically engineered “golden” rice crop - developed by researchers at ETH Zurich. Golden rice is a powerful tool in the fight against vitamin A deficiency, a condition that claims the eyesight and lives of hundreds of thousands of children annually.  

A Swiss company says it has pulled CO2 out of the atmosphere and stored it underground

external page Climeworks says a third-party auditor has verified its carbon removal for Microsoft, Stripe, and Shopify.  

A precision arm for miniature robots

external page Until now, microscopic robotic systems have had to make do without arms. Now, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed an ultrasonically actuated glass needle that can be attached to a robotic arm. This lets them pump and mix minuscule amounts of liquid and trap particles.

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AZO Robotics, 16 January 2023, external page A Novel Robotic Arm with Ultrasonically Actuated Glass Needle

Engineering360, 17 January 2023, external page ETH Zurich team creates precision arm for tiny robots

...New Carrot-Based Color Enables Red Meat Alternatives to Change Shade during Cooking

The innovation is the result of GNT’s investment in and external page collaboration with ETH Zurich spin-off company microPow, which developed a patented technology to encapsulate ingredients. The natural encapsulation solution melts when the temperature increases to release the color concentrate.

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Innovations in Food Technology, 11 January 2023, external page Plant-based breakthrough: New carrot-based EXBERRY® color enables red meat alternatives to change shade during cooking

Food Ingredients First, 11 January 2023, external page “Sustainability is crucial”: GNT proves significant carbon footprint reductions after switching to green energy

Last year tied as world's fifth-warmest on record, U.S. scientists say

external page "The global mean temperature will be even higher in 10 years from now," said ETH Zurich climate scientist Sonia Seneviratne, adding that unless countries stopped burning CO2-emitting fossil fuels temperatures would continue to climb.

Swiss Federal Office of Energy awards the Swiss energy prize Watt d’Or 2023

external page Adaptive solar façade’, developed by Professor Arno Schlüter, Head of the Architecture and Building Systems Chair at ETH Zurich wins the Watt d'Or 2023 prize in the category, "Buildings and Spatial Development" for its intelligent facade on the NEST innovation building in Dübendorf, Switzerland.

Swiss company that counts Microsoft as a customer says it’s removed CO2 from the air and put it in the ground

external page Christoph Gebald and Jan Wurzbacher co-founded Climeworks in 2009 as a spinoff of ETH Zurich...They have been scaling the technology for direct carbon removal, wherein machines vacuum greenhouse gasses out of the air...Microsoft, Stripe and Shopify have all bought future carbon removal services from Climeworks in a bid to help kick-start the nascent industry. Now Climeworks is actually removing the carbon dioxide and putting it underground in a process that has been certified...by an independent auditor.

Threema claims encryption flaws never had a real-world impact

external page A team of researchers from ETH Zurich has published a paper describing multiple security flaws in Threema, a secure end-to-end encrypted communications app.

Clinical trials that promise to revolutionize medicine in 2023

external page Metastases are the real enemy in oncology...A drug used in the cardiovascular field, digoxin, has been shown to have the ability to break down circulating tumor cells...A phase 1 trial is underway which will evaluate the efficacy of the drug in disrupting clusters of circulating tumor cells in patients with metastatic breast cancer. If the results are positive, Nicola Aceto – an expert in molecular oncology at ETH Zurich – believes that they will open the door to the development of a new generation of drugs, specifically aimed at preventing tumor metastases through the disruption of circulating tumor cells.

Climate change comes for European skiing: After deadly conditions and closed runs, is this the beginning of the end?

external page “The basic message is pretty simple - humans are warming the planet by burning fossil fuels and we’re seeing these increasingly strong heatwaves in summer but also very warm periods in winter,” Dr Reto Knutti, a climate scientist at research university ETH Zurich, told The Independent.

EU and Switzerland need 302 billion euros per year to achieve climate goals

The EU and Switzerland have set themselves the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050...This is the result of a meta-study by ETH Zurich. external page "In order to drive forward the decarbonisation of all areas of life, around 75 billion a year will have to flow into solar and wind power plants in the next few years. That is 24 billion more per year than in the recent past," explains Bjarne Steffen, Professor of Climate Finance at ETH Zurich and co-author of the study.

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Futurity, 13 January 2023, external page EU needs major investment to hit emissions target

ETH Zurich spin-offs: Digital twins, new cancer treatments and three unicorns

A grand total of 26 spin-​offs were founded at ETH Zurich in 2022. Their businesses range from new cancer drugs and sustainable water bottles to digital mapping of urban traffic flows. external page The ETH spin-​off family also welcomed three new unicorns and raised 1.2 billion Swiss francs in fresh capital.

Yoon to visit UAE, Switzerland accompanied by Samsung, Hyundai leaders

external page President Yoon Suk Yeol will make a state visit to Switzerland...On the last day of his trip, Yoon plans to visit ETH Zurich, one of the top universities in Switzerland, and meet with scholars in the field of quantum technology to discuss science and technology cooperation before returning home.

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Yonhap News, 10 January 2023, external page Yoon to visit UAE, Switzerland for economic diplomacy

A new climate reality: Less warming, but worse impacts on the planet  

external page “People are already dying of climate change right now,” said Sonia Seneviratne, a professor at ETH Zurich’s Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science in Switzerland. “We have started to see events at near-zero probability of happening without human-induced climate change.”

Study predicts demise of European glaciers by 2100 if no action taken

external page Matthias Huss, a co-author of the study from ETH Zurich, underlined the problems that would result from the disappearance of the fresh water contained in glaciers. Resulting shortages will affect irrigation, drinking water, transportation of goods, and wildlife, among other things. “Even if we can no longer save the glaciers in their current state, every tenth of a degree of warming avoided counts,” said Huss.

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EuroNews Green, 16 January 2023, external page A year of highs and lows, but just how exceptional was our climate in 2022?

This Pilot Is Racing to Photograph Our Glaciers Before They’re Gone

Garrett Fisher, founder of The Global Glacier initiative mentions in a PBS television/radio broadcast show, Amanpour & Company hosted by Christianne Amanpour, Chief International Anchor ETH Zurich that external page "ETH Zurich predicts by 2100 there could only be two glaciers in Switzerland. Just two and I believe it. From what I see absolutely that very much can happen." (Broadcasted widely on television and on syndicated national radio in the U.S.)

A new approach to producing a wide range of fluorescent dyes

external page Developing color-tunable fluorescent materials with simple chemical compositions that are easy to synthesize is highly desirable but practically challenging. Now, scientists at ETH Zurich have succeeded in using a new approach to produce a wide range of fluorescent dyes, including red, which was previously difficult to make.

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SCIENMAG, 4 January, external page Entire color palette of inexpensive fluorescent dyes

3 Startups that Are Innovating the Robotics Space

external page ETH Zurich spinoffs, ANYbotics and Voliro named as two out of three companies innovating robotics. ANYbotics is noted at the "forefront of the development of autonomous mobile robotics" and Voliro promotes omnidirectional, advanced flying robots for inspection and maintenance.

For love of physics

external page Vira Bondar is fascinated by the fundamental questions of physics. She conducts research with ultracold neutrons and is working to make exercise sessions at ETH Zurich even more exciting.  

Conducting Virus Research with Atomic Force Microscopy

external page Modern techniques have helped researchers to understand the virus life cycle better...As a result of the progress and advances, newer vaccines and drugs have been developed to treat several different viruses. Two innovative labs, the Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics and the Institute of Microbiology of ETH Zurich, used the FluidFM® to deliver a definitive number of virus particles onto single cells.

Warming gold nanofilm can stop glasses fogging-up

external page A transparent antifogging coating for glasses and other lenses that works by selectively absorbing the infrared wavelengths in sunlight has been developed by researchers in Switzerland...It’s really hard to find a durable, scalable coating which is superhydrophobic on glass,’ says Iwan Hächler of ETH Zurich.

Searching for life on alien worlds

external page ...Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz—now a professor at ETH (Zurich)—discovered the first extrasolar planet orbiting a sun-like star. Much has happened since that initial discovery: astronomers have now identified more than 5,000 exoplanets, many of a similar size to Earth, in over 3,700 different planetary systems. With only a tiny portion of the universe analyzed so far, it certainly seems plausible to suggest that life might exist on other planets outside our solar system.  

Fertilizer could be made much more sustainably

external page "There's no getting around the fact that we need to make agricultural demand for nitrogen more sustainable in the future, both for meeting climate targets and for food security reasons," Paolo Gabrielli (ETH Zurich) says.

A Crucial Particle Physics Computer Program Risks Obsolescence

Maintenance of FORM, the 1980s software that’s used for the field's hardest calculations, rests almost entirely with one septuagenarian physicist. external page In the ’80s...“FORM was built in a time when there was almost no memory, and also no disk space—basically there was nothing,” said Ben Ruijl, a former student of Dutch particle physicist Jos Vermaseren’s and FORM developer who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. This posed a challenge: Equations were too long for main memory to handle.