Research

A team of EPFL scientists has studied the behavior of defects on 2D crystals in water in order to better understand the crystals’ properties and assess their quality.

The condition of Swiss lakes has improved thanks to stricter protection measures, but less than expected. A new method developed by Eawag for calculating biomass production in lakes provides explanations and a basis for further water protection measures.

The most capable geotechnical research centrifuge in Europe is currently being built on the Hönggerberg campus. It will enable researchers to simulate geotechnical structures, such as foundations, dams and tunnels, and the effects of natural hazards, such as earthquakes, landslides, flooding and tsunamis. 

EPFL scientists have found that streams and rivers – or “running waters” – emit on average four times more CO₂ at night than during the day. That matters because most estimates of global CO₂ emissions are made using measurements taken during the day, thereby introducing a potential bias into the calculation of the global carbon cycle.

Water can freeze from liquid to solid ice or boil into a gas. In the kitchen these “phase transitions” aren’t smooth, but their discontinuous nature is smoothed out at high pressure. An international team of physicists – led by EPFL and in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI – have now discovered the same behavior in certain quantum magnets, which may have consequences for the technology of qubits.

EPFL researchers have shed new light on one of the earliest color photography techniques, G. Lippmann’s Nobel Prize–winning multispectral imaging method.

Empa researchers have analyzed the entire material and energy flows of the Swiss economy. Their final report now provides important data and comparisons. The team also looked into how the behavior of the Swiss population affects greenhouse gas emissions.

Machine learning methods help to optimise the development of antibody drugs. This leads to active substances with improved properties, also with regard to tolerability in the body.

EPFL scientists have developed an injectable gel that can attach to various kinds of soft internal tissues and repair tears resulting from an accident or trauma. 

At NEST, the research and innovation platform of Empa and Eawag, the new Sprint unit is currently under construction – an office unit built largely from recycled materials. Sprint aims to set new standards for circular construction. However, the office unit is also a reaction to the current COVID-19 situation, which made it clear that we need to adapt our buildings more flexibly and quickly to changing needs.

Cognitive motor training helps in the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia, as demonstrated for the first time in a study by an international team of researchers with ETH Zurich involvement. The training platform used was developed by an ETH Zurich spin-off.

A new study published in Science Translational Medicine by EPFL professor Johan Auwerx and scientists from EPFL start-up Amazentis highlights the effectiveness of mitophagy-stimulating molecule Urolithin A in mice to cure a disease similar to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. And points to a possible treatment for affected people.

In the Blue-Green Biodiversity research initiative of WSL and Eawag scientists from around the world are working together to find solutions to the pressing challenges of biodiversity loss. The scientists explain in a video what they are working on – and why.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is nowadays considered a fundamental asset for developing products and technologies across industries, giving companies who master it a competitive edge. What is still lacking, however, is a thorough discussion about the implications for society to better understand opportunities but also potential drawbacks. In an interview Mirko Kovac and Aslan Miriyev from Empa's Center of Robotics share their views about where AI and robotics research is headed.

Francesco Stellacci sees the world through the eyes of a materials scientist who is breaking new ground in virus research. The EPFL professor is looking for the formula for a broad-spectrum virus killer. His aim is not to contain the pathogen but rather to destroy it permanently. Sugar molecules are the means he intends to use for this purpose.