news 2020
Computer Science - May 29
Electroengineering - May 28
A team of researchers has succeeded in using an electric current to directly control gene expression for the first time.
Astronomy - May 28
The existence of an Earth-sized planet around the nearest star in the solar system, Proxima Centauri, has been confirmed by an international team of scientists including researchers from the University of Geneva.
Health - May 28
It is not always possible to completely remove malignant brain tumors by surgery so that further treatment is necessary.
Health - May 27
ETH researchers are using a new mathematical model to calculate a possible second wave of the pandemic in Switzerland.
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EPFL researchers have developed a new tool called USBFuzz, which they have already used to detect 26 vulnerabilities in the USB driver stacks of widely used operating systems including Linux, Windows, and macOS. USB driver stacks are components that help computers communicate with external devices via the Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection.
A team of researchers has succeeded in using an electric current to directly control gene expression for the first time. Their work provides the basis for medical implants that can be switched on and off using electronic devices outside the body. This is how it works. A device containing insulin-producing cells and an electronic control unit is implanted in the body of a diabetic.
It is not always possible to completely remove malignant brain tumors by surgery so that further treatment is necessary. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the UniversityHospital Zurich have now been able to describe, with unparalleled precision, the composition of the immune cells of various types of brain tumors.
The existence of an Earth-sized planet around the nearest star in the solar system, Proxima Centauri, has been confirmed by an international team of scientists including researchers from the University of Geneva. The results, published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, reveal that the planet in question, Proxima b, has a mass of 1.17 Earth masses and is located in the habitable zone of its star, which it circles in 11.2 days.
ETH researchers are using a new mathematical model to calculate a possible second wave of the pandemic in Switzerland. Even though such a wave would probably grow more slowly than the first without overloading hospitals, its death toll may turn out to be significantly higher. Should Switzerland see a second wave of the coro rus pandemic, it would proceed more slowly than the first.
An international research collaboration led by ETH Zurich and MIT has developed a mathematical method that can speed up search and rescue operations at sea. The new algorithm accurately predicts locations to which objects and people floating in water will drift. Hundreds of people die at sea every year due to vessel and airplane accidents.
What stresses wild bees? Is it certain plant-protection products, the absence of nutrient-rich foods - or a combination of both factors? Together with research partners throughout Europe, Agroscope is investigating these issues. Of the total proceeds from agriculture in Switzerland, around CHF 350 million a year are only generated due to the pollination performance of honeybees and wild bees.
Scientists at EPFL have been able to observe single protons moving at the interface between water and a solid surface. Their research reveals the strong interactions of these charges with surfaces. The H+ proton consists of a single ion of hydrogen, the smallest and lightest of all the chemical elements.
Researchers at the University of Zurich have developed a new X-ray contrast agent. The contrast agent is easier to use and distributes into all blood vessels more reliably, increasing the precision of vascular imaging. This reduces the number of animals required in research experiments. Various diseases in humans and animals - such as tumors, strokes or chronic kidney disease - damage the blood vessels.
Even natural products can be harmful for the unborn child
Plant products ingested by pregnant women through their diet are broken down by the intestinal microbiota into chemical substances, some of which can cross the placental barrier and reach the fetus. These foreign substances can harm the unborn child, even if they are of "natural origin". Researchers at the Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR) at the University of Bern and Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, therefore warn against underestimating the effects of such substances.
Plant products ingested by pregnant women through their diet are broken down by the intestinal microbiota into chemical substances, some of which can cross the placental barrier and reach the fetus. These foreign substances can harm the unborn child, even if they are of "natural origin". Researchers at the Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR) at the University of Bern and Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, therefore warn against underestimating the effects of such substances.
DNA damage and neurodegenerative diseases: a talk with Claudia Magrin and Martina Sola
Claudia Magrin and Martina Sola are two researchers in neuroscience and PhD students at USI. They both work at the Laboratory for biomedical neurosciences of the Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, in the research group led by Dr. Paolo Paganetti. They are currently working on a study on the relationship between Tau and P53 proteins in response to DNA damage, published in Communications Biology, one of Nature's scientific journals.
Claudia Magrin and Martina Sola are two researchers in neuroscience and PhD students at USI. They both work at the Laboratory for biomedical neurosciences of the Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, in the research group led by Dr. Paolo Paganetti. They are currently working on a study on the relationship between Tau and P53 proteins in response to DNA damage, published in Communications Biology, one of Nature's scientific journals.
Atomically thin layers of the semimetal tungsten ditelluride conduct electricity losslessly along narrow, one-dimensional channels at the crystal edges. The material is therefore a second-order topological insulator. By obtaining experimental proof of this behavior, physicists from the University of Basel have expanded the pool of candidate materials for topological superconductivity.
When pollen is in short supply, bumblebees damage plant leaves in a way that accelerates flower production, as an ETH research team headed up by Consuelo De Moraes and Mark Mescher has demonstrated. Spring has sprung earlier than ever before this year, accompanied by temperatures more typical of early summertime.
Today, one third of the world's population obtains its drinking water and water for irrigation from groundwater reserves. Global population growth and water scarcity due to climate change mean that the pressure on this resource is continually increasing. However, many wells are contaminated with naturally occurring arsenic.
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have succeeded for the first time in recording, in action, a light-driven sodium pump from bacterial cells. The findings promise progress in the development of new methods in neurobiology. The researchers used the new X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL for their investigations.
Dynamic measures against the coronavirus examined
An alternating cycle of suppression interventions and relaxation could offer a pragmatic strategy - particularly for developing countries - to prevent health systems from being overloaded while reducing the economical and societal burden. The coronavirus pandemic has imposed an unprecedented challenge to global healthcare systems, societies and governments.
An alternating cycle of suppression interventions and relaxation could offer a pragmatic strategy - particularly for developing countries - to prevent health systems from being overloaded while reducing the economical and societal burden. The coronavirus pandemic has imposed an unprecedented challenge to global healthcare systems, societies and governments.
In a new book, researchers from EPFL examine the history of organic architecture, complete with telling examples of the genre, from its emergence in the early 20th century to the present day.
Scientists from the University of Zurich and the University of Bristol have investigated the jaw mechanics of Titanichthys, a giant armored fish that roamed the seas and oceans of the late Devonian period 380 million years ago. New findings suggest that it fed by swimming through water slowly with its mouth open wide to capture high concentrations of plankton - similar to modern-day basking sharks.
ETH researchers have set up a test rig to put newly developed ventilator systems through their paces. Around the world, the coronavirus crisis has seen the demand for ventilators soar. Many manufacturers are therefore working at full speed to develop new ventilator systems, primarily for those countries that cannot afford expensive high-tech equipment.
The "PaNDiv" experiment, established by researchers of the University of Bern on a 3000 m2 field site, is the largest biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment in Switzerland and aims to better understand how increases in nitrogen affect grasslands. The first article from this experiment has just been published in the scientific journal Functional Ecology after more than four years of work.
News from the Lab is a selection of science news that are significant or interesting for a broad readership.
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