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Researchers have modeled the effects of containment and social distancing measures implemented by the Italian government to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Their findings show that contagion transmission was reduced by 45% in March. The model will now be used to analyze possible future scenarios. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, mobility restrictions and social distancing measures implemented by the Italian government have avoided at least 200,000 hospitalizations and, over time, reduced contagion transmission by 45%.

An initial survey by researchers at EPFL has found that local and regional governments are increasingly turning to digital technology to understand the views of their citizens, especially on planning and development proposals. Governments across Switzerland are embracing civic technology. This is one of the headline findings of the first Civic Tech Barometer, a survey conducted by researchers from EPFL's Urban Sociology Laboratory (LaSUR) in partnership with Geneva Canton's Consultation and Communication Department.

Researchers from UNIGE and UNIL analysed water governance in six European countries from 1750 onwards. They demonstrated that there has been an inflationary trend in the number of regulations, and that - far from improving the situation - this has led to serious malfunctions in the system. The use of environmental resources has been regulated for centuries with the aim of improving the management and behaviour of private and public actors on an on-going basis.

EPFL scientists have developed a model that can help policymakers factor in uncertainty when they map out their energy strategies. Today such strategies are based largely on forecasts of fuelprices, technology costs and energy demand. However, these forecasts are often incorrect and can lead to flawed decisions.

Three decades from now, nearly half of the Swiss population will have had some experience with cannabis use. According to a new study by the University of Zurich, the number of active users will rise as well, increasing by 50% compared to 2015 - unless the government establishes new regulations. Countries such as Canada and Uruguay have introduced new paradigms when it comes to regulating the sale and consumption of cannabis.

How do local tax havens emerge? Is tax competition harmful? Raphaël Parchet, Assistant professor at the Faculty of Economics of Università della Svizzera italiana, addresses these questions in his new project "Sorting, Tax Competition and the Rise of Local Tax Havens", funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), shedding new light on the logic behind the rise of tax havens in Switzerland.

Switzerland is becoming drier, hotter and less snowy, and will struggle with heavier rainfall in the future - these are the conclusions reached by climate researchers from MeteoSwiss and ETH Zurich.

How Jupiter was formed? Data collected from meteorites had indicated that the growth of the giant planet had been delayed for two million years. Now the researchers have found an explanation: Collisions with kilometer-sized blocks generated high energy, which meant that in this phase hardly any accretion of gas could take place and the planet could only grow slowly.

Swiss National Bank releases new 200-franc note. Fourth banknote in latest series showcases Switzerland's scientific expertise The Swiss National Bank (SNB) will begin issuing the new 200-franc note on 22 August 2018.

EPFL biologists and geneticists have uncovered how the circadian clock orchestrates the 24-hour cycle of gene expression by regulating the structure of chromatin, the tightly wound DNA-protein complex of the cell. The work is published in Genes & Development. The circadian clock is an internal, biological "metronome" that dictates our 24-hour activity pattern.

Reading the news, posting holiday pictures, or watching cat videos on YouTube - the internet can be used for many things.

As of October 2017, newly launched car models will have to pass more stringent exhaust gas tests in the EU and in Switzerland. The new test method includes measuring drives in actual traf-fic. Empa already tested currently available cars with the new method - with alarming results. By now, it's no secret: the certification requirements for cars in the EU and in Switzerland have precious little to do with the cars' actual exhaust emissions on the roads.

In Switzerland, there are currently around 12,500 foundations, 76,000 associations and 10,000 cooperatives.

An experiment has demonstrated the role played by micro-organisms in the degradation - without oxygen - of a very common pollutant: vinyl chloride. The traces of human industrial activity persist deep inside the ground. And sometimes for a long time! In Switzerland alone, the Federal Office for the Environment records no less than 50,000 polluted sites, including 4000 that have been declared "contaminated" and require clean-up operations.

Private enterprises spent almost CHF 12 billion on research and development activities (R&D) they conducted in Switzerland in 2008.