Research

ETH Fellow Nadia Shardt is researching how water droplets in clouds freeze to form ice, and the role played by particles in this process. She has developed an innovative apparatus specifically for this purpose. She hopes that her findings will enable climate models to produce more accurate forecasts.

Researchers at the PSI and ETH Zurich have investigated the extent to which direct capture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the ambient air can help to effectively remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The result: With careful planning, for example with regard to location and provision of the necessary energy, CO₂ can be removed in a climate-effective manner. The researchers have now published their analysis in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

NICEdrug.ch, a new database developed by a group of researchers from EPFL, may help scientists assess potential drugs more quickly, including how they are metabolized by the body and their potential side effects.

Thanks to their swimming robot modeled after a lamprey, EPFL scientists may have discovered why some vertebrates are able to retain their locomotor capabilities after a spinal cord lesion. The finding could also help improve the performance of swimming robots used for search and rescue missions and for environmental monitoring.

Taking a novel perspective, EPFL researchers have studied political polarization in online news consumption rather than content production, looking at whether the backlink structure of online news networks alone, or users’ explicit reading choices contribute to the partisan divide. 

Scientists at EPFL have developed two complementary bladder models to study urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by E. coli: bladder organoids and a bladder-on-a-chip. The two studies reveal how bacteria invade the bladder, and how they evade the immune system and resist antibiotics.

ETH Zurich Professor Katrien De Bock and her team have discovered a certain type of blood vessel cell in muscles that multiplies rapidly upon exercise, thereby forming new blood vessels. Researchers can use this to find novel therapies for vascular disorders of the muscle.

EPFL Summer Series: How science works. Looking to the past can help us better understand the workings of science today. Jérôme Baudry, Professor at the College of Humanities at EPFL, explains how the procedures for proving and communicating scientific results have changed over time.

We know that CO₂ is warming the planet. But if we want to understand its consequences and avert risks, more accurate weather and climate models are crucial, says Nicolas Gruber.

Torrential rain and flooding have dominated the weather over the past few weeks. To forecast these weather events with greater accuracy and gain a better understanding of them against the backdrop of global climate change, ETH Zurich and partners are developing a new generation of high-resolution weather and climate models.

Blue-green algae and other phytoplankton are very important for the proper functioning of aquatic ecosystems. When they accumulate in high quantities, however, they can be harmful to people and animals because some blue-green algae species produce toxic chemicals. For this reason, the aquatic research institute Eawag is currently working on methods to improve the prediction of bloom events.

Researchers at ETH have managed to produce nanocrystals made of two different metals using an amalgamation process whereby a liquid metal penetrates a solid one. This new and surprisingly intuitive technique makes it possible to produce a vast array of intermetallic nanocrystals with tailored properties for diverse applications. 

It's another milestone on the path to full operation of the X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL with five experiment stations in all: "First light" at the experiment station Furka. It clears the way for experimental possibilities that are unique worldwide. Team leader Elia Razzoli explains what the Furka Group is planning to do.

EPFL researchers have characterized a mechanism that allows bacteria to direct their movement in response to the mechanical properties of the surfaces the microbes move on — a finding that could help fight certain pathogens.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a molecule that fluoresces where new tissue is forming in the body. Alongside helping to detect tumours, the molecule could play a significant role in research of wound healing disorders.