July 2018

Biologically diverse plant communities are more productive and resistant than monocultures, says Christian Schöb. He calls for breeding pro­grammes focused on polycultures.

Just about 4.5 billion years ago, our sun went through an active phase during which it shone much more brightly than it does today – a conclusion researchers reached after taking measurements at ETH Zurich using a truly unique instrument.

Students and a doctoral candidate at ETH Zurich have developed a camping stove with the flame on the inside, greatly reducing the negative effects of wind and heat loss. The new design was made possibly by additive manufacturing.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have fabricated an 80 m2 lightweight concrete slab at the DFAB House, making it the world’s first full-scale architectural project to use 3D sand printing for its formwork.

A team of ETH researchers led by Julia Vorholt and Jörn Piel have discovered new antibiotic substances in bacteria that colonise the leaf surfaces of a local wild plant.

To make qubits for quantum computers less susceptible to noise, the spin of an electron or some other particle is preferentially used. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now developed a method that makes it possible to couple such a spin qubit strongly to microwave photons.

Thin mulch films made of polyethylene are used in agriculture in numerous countries, where they cause extensive soil contamination. Researchers at ETH Zurich and Eawag have now identified an alternative: films made of the polymer PBAT biodegrade in soils.

PEF bioplastic could solve some of the problems caused by PET. The lengthy and energy-intensive production process has so far prevented mass production. ETH Zurich researchers have now developed a method that could finally make the PEF marketable.

Researchers at ETH have made a nanoparticle turn around its own axis a billion times per second. From such measurements of rotating particles, the scientists hope to obtain new insights into the behaviour of materials under extreme stress.

The third Hyperloop Pod Competition in LA saw Swissloop compete against teams from all over the world. Due to a short-circuit, their pod didn't make it into the top three.