ETH News

The exhibition “Colonial Traces – Collections in Context” opens today in the extract exhibition space. It explores the past of objects from the ETH Zurich collections and sheds light on the connection between the natural sciences and colonialism.

On behalf of Raiffeisen Switzerland Cooperative, ETH Zurich researchers examined the beginnings of the Raiffeisen movement in Switzerland. Their focus was on antisemitism as well as Raiffeisen during National Socialism.

Why researchers should not only draw on reason but also on their emotions. An essay by Michael Hagner.

Images play an important role in science and science communication. They have always held a powerful appeal, but the means of producing them – and the notion of how they should reflect reality – continue to evolve over time.

In shaking our society to its core, says Jaboury Ghazoul, Covid-19 shows that we must adopt a far broader perspective to tackle the complex socio-ecological problems humanity faces.

The Argentinian Tomás Bartoletti wants to tell history from a global perspective. Since the summer of 2019 he has been doing so at ETH Zurich, where he has been researching the story of the Swiss naturalist Johann Jakob von Tschudi and his travels around Latin America. He hopes to discover new insights into Switzerland’s postcolonial past and the history of Latin America.

Due to digitisation, ecologists are working less and less in the field. Christoph Küffer believes that we should not rely solely on digital data, and puts the case for field research.

At the Architecture Biennial in Venice, a group of students, a colour artist, an architect and an ETH surface physicist will examine the symmetries of ornaments at the Basilica di San Marco. There will be an accompanying exhibition.

For the world to be managed and organised using computers, it has to follow the digital logic of machines. Historian David Gugerli tells the story of this thrilling process of adaptation with a marvellously entertaining flair.

Science is never truly objective. Charles Darwin and his failed theory on the Parallel Roads of Glen Roy can provide an excellent role model, writes Jaboury Ghazoul.

What began as a student initiative has today become one of Switzerland's most distinguished archives. Time for a quick retrospective and a glimpse into the digital future.

The rapid transport of people and goods is both a growing demand as well as an economic necessity. The price we pay for it is an ever-increasing volume of traffic. When it comes to tackling this dilemma in the future, it’s worth taking a look at the past.

Die Schweiz ist ein rohstoffarmes Binnenland – und dennoch Drehscheibe für den globalen Rohstoffhandel. Bereits im 19. Jahrhundert waren Schweizer Handelsfirmen weltweit tätig. Was nach langer Tradition aussieht, ist allerdings die Geschichte eines radikalen Wandels.

Russland sorgt in der Arktis immer wieder für Aufsehen. Mit viel Muskelspiel und Symbolpolitik will Moskau seinen Einfluss in dieser ressourcenreichen Region vergrössern. Doch die Ambitionen Russlands allein auf seinen Rohstoffhunger zurückzuführen, greift zu kurz. Das Land verfolgt in der Arktis eine hundertjährige Priorität.

Seit knapp 140 Jahren erstellen Wissenschaftler Prognosen über zukünftige Geschehnisse in der Atmosphäre. Anfänglich waren Vorhersagen umstritten, heute sind sie breit etabliert. Dabei geht es immer auch um die Frage, wie mit Unsicherheiten umzugehen sei. Was uns die historische Perspektive für die Prognosen der Gegenwart lehrt.

Since the 18th century, the international success of natural science research has played a significant role in shaping the international image of Switzerland. Bernhard Schär and Lea Pfäffli, two historians at ETH Zurich, have investigated its history.

Monte Verità, or the "Mountain of Truth", was recently the setting for an international gathering of historians, aimed at finding new patterns of interpretation for the period between 1980 and 2010. David Gugerli, a Professor of History of Technology at ETH and conference co-organiser, discusses the bold conference format and key findings from the meeting.

Friday was the day of the launch event for a new book about Robert Gnehm. The occasion was organised by the ETH-Bibliothek and the Association of Swiss Pioneers of Industry and Technology.