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Results 161 - 180 of 284.
Forest soils store large amounts of organic carbon. When storms devastate the forest, this carbon is lost and a large part enters the atmosphere as CO2. Mountain forests are particularly vulnerable to such carbon losses, shows a study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL.
To mark the tenth annual UN World Wildlife Day, we compiled a sample of EPFL research projects that are using technology to protect and preserve wildlife. Everywhere you look, biodiversity is under threat. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), wildlife populations have plummeted by 69% since 1970.
Scientists improve the accuracy of weather and climate models
Scientists from EPFL and the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF have developed a program that improves the accuracy of a widely used weather forecasting model by incorporating surface phenomena that weren't previously taken into account. Given the challenges associated with climate change and the energy transition, it's essential for weather and climate forecasters to be able to accurately predict what happens to snowfall.
Scientists from EPFL and the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF have developed a program that improves the accuracy of a widely used weather forecasting model by incorporating surface phenomena that weren't previously taken into account. Given the challenges associated with climate change and the energy transition, it's essential for weather and climate forecasters to be able to accurately predict what happens to snowfall.
A team of biologists led by UNIGE and UNIL has discovered how to awaken neural stem cells and reactivate them in adult mice. Some areas of the adult brain contain quiescent, or dormant, neural stem cells that can potentially be reactivated to form new neurons. However, the transition from quiescence to proliferation is still poorly understood.
A fan-shaped tail with shimmering colors in the peacock, eyes perched at the ends of long stems on either side of the head in the Diopsidae flies. The different finery that males use to distinguish themselves is the "seductive" part of mating. The aggressiveness they show to each other, and especially to females, can have an extremely deleterious effect on the biology of populations.
The next unit at NEST, the research and innovation building of Empa and Eawag, goes by the name of STEP2. For about two years, partners from research and industry have been working on various innovations in the fields of circular economy, digital and industrial fabrication, building envelope and energy systems, turning them into products ready for market entry.
It is known that toxins in tobacco smoke can change our DNA - but where exactly in the genome they do this has been a mystery. A new approach developed by researchers at ETH Zurich now brings light into the darkness. In the future, this could make it easier than ever to determine the safety of many chemical substances.
Researchers have published a method for 3D-printing an ink that contains calcium carbonate-producing bacteria. The 3D-printed mineralized bio-composite is unprecedently strong, light, and environmentally friendly, with a range of applications from art to biomedicine. Nature has an extraordinary knack for producing composite materials that are simultaneously light and strong, porous and rigid - like mollusk shells or bone.
When is remdesivir effective for COVID-19?
Remdesivir was one of the first medications approved for treatment of COVID-19. Clinical studies evaluated its effectiveness, but did not generate conclusive results. A new analysis of the study data shows that a specific group of patients benefits the most from the drug. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers and medical practitioners have made a massive effort to find effective treatments for the illness.
Remdesivir was one of the first medications approved for treatment of COVID-19. Clinical studies evaluated its effectiveness, but did not generate conclusive results. A new analysis of the study data shows that a specific group of patients benefits the most from the drug. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers and medical practitioners have made a massive effort to find effective treatments for the illness.
Researchers have developed an extraordinary protection against corrosion after a chance discovery. It glows in places where it is not damaged, repairs itself - and can be reused multiple times. Skyscrapers, bridges, ships, aeroplanes, cars - everything humans make or build sooner or later decays. The ravages of time are known as corrosion; nothing is safe from it.
Modeling liver and kidney disease
In two separate studies, researchers at EPFL have carried out extensive tests to develop the best mouse models for studying kidney and liver diseases. The findings provide crucial insights into both conditions, and are expected to open up new avenues of research and treatment. "In these two studies we investigated how the mouse's genetic background affects the susceptibility to fatty liver disease and the transition from acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease," says Professor Johan Auwerx at EPFL.
In two separate studies, researchers at EPFL have carried out extensive tests to develop the best mouse models for studying kidney and liver diseases. The findings provide crucial insights into both conditions, and are expected to open up new avenues of research and treatment. "In these two studies we investigated how the mouse's genetic background affects the susceptibility to fatty liver disease and the transition from acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease," says Professor Johan Auwerx at EPFL.
Researchers have studied residues from the incineration of graphene-containing plastics. Conclusion of the study: Burned composite materials containing graphene nanoparticles can be considered harmless in case of acute exposure. Due to its exceptional properties, graphene is now added to a wide range of plastics.
Many regions have suffered from heatwaves in recent years. But exactly how these form is still a matter of debate. Two researchers at ETH Zurich have now found a nuanced answer. Unusually hot weather in India and Pakistan at the end of March; a long, warmer-than-average summer in central Europe; extreme December temperatures in northern Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay: 2022 was definitely a year of heat waves.
Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have used the Swiss X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL and the Swiss Light Source SLS to make a film that could give a decisive boost to developing a new type of drug. They made the advance in the field of so-called photopharmacology, a discipline that develops active substances which can be specifically activated or deactivated with the help of light.
Geckos can use their tongue to differentiate their own odor from that of other members of their species, as researchers from the University of Bern have shown in a new experimental study. The findings show that geckos are able to communicate socially, meaning that they are more intelligent than was previously assumed.
Researchers at EPFL have found that infection with a common bacterium that is linked to periodontal disease, oral cancers, and bad breath may cause a small increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease. A combination of genetic and environmental risk factors contributes to heart disease, which is responsible for about a third of all deaths worldwide.
Researchers have come up with a new approach to electronics that involves engineering metastructures at the sub-wavelength scale. It could launch the next generation of ultra-fast devices for exchanging massive amounts of data, with applications in 6G communications and beyond. Until now, the ability to make electronic devices faster has come down to a simple principle: scaling down transistors and other components.
Up to now, the use of models to research the barrier that separates the circulatory from the nervous system has proven to be either limited or extremely complicated. Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a more realistic model that can also be used to better explore new treatments for brain tumours.
The European Patent Office has granted Agroscope a patent for its new cheese maturing process. This patent was published - and thus became effective - on January 25, 2023 in the European Patent Bulletin. It will now be registered in some countries. In 2020, Agroscope applied for a patent for its new maturing process, which works as follows: after leaving the salt bath, the cheeses are wrapped in a biodegradable cloth.
By analysing sediments dating back to the global warming that happened 56 million years ago, a team from the University of Geneva is taking a new look at our climate future. PETM was marked by an increase in the seasonality and intensity of rainfall. This increased the mobility of river channels - the deepest areas of a river - and resulted in the transport of large quantities of fluvial clays deposited on adjacent alluvial plains to the deep ocean.
