Research

EPFL engineers propose a system-wide integration solution for carbon capturing and mineralisation in the cement production, steel manufacturing, and waste incineration sectors. 

An international research group with ETH professor Dominik Hangartner has found that solidarity with refugees in Europe has remained stable, despite repeated refugee crises. While there is a tendency to view refugees from Ukraine more positively, this does not come at the expense of other groups.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have found a new attack on AMD computer chips in which the attacker plants an “idea” in the computer without it noticing. Using that attack, it was possible to leak data from anywhere in the computer’s memory. 

Soil is the most species-rich habitat on earth. This is the conclusion of an overview study by a Swiss research team. According to the study, two thirds of all known species live in the soil. Fungi are the group with the most soil-dwelling species, namely about 86 percent, followed by plants with their roots.

The SailMAV drone can fly and sail on water due to its foldable wings. Its special design also allows it to record wildlife behavior, as animals do not perceive the drone as a hostile intruder.

A study on almost 4000 people of African descent has identified a gene that acts as natural defense against HIV by limiting its replication in certain white blood cells. An international effort co-led by EPFL, Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory, and Imperial College London, it paves the way for new treatment strategies.

ETH Zurich molecular biologist Mandy Boontanrart is researching gene therapies that could be used to cure two of the most common types of inherited anaemia. She has now developed a promising approach for so-called beta-hemoglobinopathies.

In a breakthrough for bioengineering, researchers at EPFL have developed organoids that can model the human respiratory tract. The organoids, called AirGels, allow them to uncover the mechanism by which antibiotic-resistant pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa infect the respiratory tract.

In collaboration with CHUV, EPFL engineers propose wrapping an adhesive hydrogel patch around a collapsed trachea for treatment of Tracheomalacia.

Bruno Schuler and his young team are embarking on an ambitious research project: He will selectively generate defects in atomically-thin semiconductor layers and attempt to measure and control their quantum properties with simultaneous picosecond temporal resolu­tion and atomic precision. The resulting insights are expected to establish fundamental knowledge for future quantum computers.

A team led by researchers from ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) advances to the finals of the XPRIZE Rainforest Competition. The international competition aims to promote the development of autonomous technologies for collecting data on biodiversity.

The pathogens that cause urinary tract infections are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. ETH Zurich researchers have now developed a rapid test and a new therapeutic approach using bacteria-infecting viruses known as phages.

A research team from PSI and ETH Zurich, together with the Baden Cantonal Hospital and University Hospital Zurich, wants to improve a method used for diagnosing breast cancer.

EPFL scientists have developed a model that sheds light on the seismic risks arising from subsurface fluid injections carried out as part of geothermal energy extraction. 

Large language models such as GPT-3 are able to learn new concepts by interacting with their users. Researchers at ETH and Google may now have uncovered a key mechanism behind this capability.