Genes that dance to the circadian rhythm
Scientists at EPFL have made breakthrough discoveries on the circadian clock and how it affects gene expression. Some of the findings suggest a biological underpinning for different behaviors in people, such as morning people, nappers, evening people, night owls etc. In 2017, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to three scientists who uncovered the molecular mechanisms that control the circadian rhythm, otherwise known as the "wake-sleep" cycle.

Life Sciences - Health - 09.02.2021

Synchronization of Brain Hemispheres Changes What We Hear
Most of the time, our brain receives different input from each of our ears, but we nevertheless perceive speech as unified sounds. This process takes place through synchronization of the areas of the brain involved with the help of gamma waves, neurolinguists at the University of Zurich have now discovered.

Economics / Business - Innovation - 09.02.2021

Thematic ETFs, "a financial innovation gone awry"
Catering to the future expectations of investors is inherent to the world of finance which, as such, plays an import role in fostering economic growth through it's ability to innovate. However, financial innovations are not always flawless. A recent study co-authored by USI finance professor Francesco Franzoni reveals the significant performance inefficiencies of the increasingly popular 'thematic' exchange traded funds (ETFs).

Environment - Earth Sciences - 09.02.2021

Streams in agricultural areas benefit from beavers
Beavers are master builders that reshape aquatic landscapes with their dams and lodges. The environments they inhabit experience an increase in the biodiversity of aquatic organisms, for example. Now, for the first time, an Eawag study from the wine-growing region known as "Zürcher Weinland" has shown that this is also true for streams in areas given over largely to agriculture.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 09.02.2021

Emissions of banned ozone-depleting substance back on decline
After a mysterious and sharp increase between 2012 and 2017 that could be traced to eastern China global emissions of a potent (and banned) substance notorious for depleting the Earth's ozone layer - the protective barrier that absorbs the Sun's harmful UV rays - have fallen rapidly in recent years and are now as low as never before since measurements began in this region in 2008, according to new atmospheric analyses published in "Nature" today.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.02.2021

Bernese researchers create sophisticated lung-on-chip
In collaboration with clinical partners from the Inselspital, researchers from the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Research of the University of Bern have developed a second-generation lung-on-chip model with life-size dimension alveoli in a stretchable membrane, made of purely biological material. The new model reproduces key aspects of the lung tissue architecture not found in previous lungs-on-chip.

Materials Science - Physics - 08.02.2021

Droplets perform daredevil feats on gel surfaces
Scientists have succeeded in making droplets flow just as fast on soft surfaces as on hard ones by changing the surface texture. Welcome to the amazing world of soft substrates. These materials are made of silicon gels and have the same texture as panna cotta - but without the delicious flavor. They are used in a range of applications, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, because their biocompatible and antiadhesive properties make them resistant to corrosion and bacterial contamination.

Health - History / Archeology - 08.02.2021

1918 Pandemic Second Wave Had Fatal Consequences
In the event of a pandemic, delayed reactions and a decentralized approach by the authorities at the start of a follow-up wave can lead to longer-lasting, more severe and more fatal consequences, researchers from the universities of Zurich and Toronto have found. The interdisciplinary team compared the Spanish flu of 1918 and 1919 in the Canton of Bern with the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

Life Sciences - 08.02.2021

Chromatin remodelers never rest to keep our genome open
Chromatin remodelers are needed to take nucleosomes away from DNA in order to make room for transcription factors to bind, and regulate the activity of our genes. It has been unclear how dynamic this process is. Researchers from the Schübeler group now revealed that active regulatory regions undergo continuous cycles of chromatin opening.

Social Sciences - Health - 05.02.2021

Global Action Required to Tackle Pandemic-Induced Hunger and Poverty
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp decline in living standards and rising food insecurity in lowand middle-income countries across the globe, according to a new study by an international team of economists including from Swiss TPH. The study, published today Advances, provides novel insights into the collateral damage of the pandemic, and urges the international community to take action to mitigate the impact on hunger and poverty.

Health - Environment - 04.02.2021

Geospatial data helps to better understand Parkinson's disease
In a new paper, a team of EPFL spatial-analysis experts and neurologists from Geneva University Hospital (HUG) show that the probability of developing Parkinson's disease is higher in the canton of Geneva's urban centers than in its rural areas. This constitutes an important contribution to the study of the causes of this neurodegenerative disease, which are still poorly understood.

Life Sciences - Chemistry - 04.02.2021

Detecting functional changes at the proteome level
Researchers have drastically improved existing proteomics techniques so they can capture all functional alterations in proteins. Their work paves the way for using these signatures as diagnostic tools. In biological cells, proteins are everywhere: these building blocks of life perform countless important functions.

Health - Materials Science - 04.02.2021

Safe to cross: low risk of coronavirus infection from high-touch surfaces
Surfaces which are frequently touched by many different people may be contaminated with the coronavirus, but the risk of infection via this route is low. However, regular collection of samples from door handles, buttons or keypads could be useful for monitoring the course of the pandemic. Have you ever tried pressing the button at a pedestrian crossing with your elbow?

Health - Pharmacology - 03.02.2021

Artificial aorta can reduce patients' blood pressure
Engineers at EPFL's Center for Artificial Muscles have developed a silicone aorta that can reduce how hard patients' hearts have to pump. Their breakthrough could offer a promising alternative to heart transplants. "Over 23 million people around the world suffer from heart failure. The disease is usually treated with a transplant, but because donated hearts are hard to come by, there is an ongoing need for alternative therapies.

Social Sciences - 03.02.2021

Marmoset Monkeys Eavesdrop On and Understand Conversations Between Other Marmosets
Marmoset monkeys perceive the vocal interactions between their conspecifics not just as a string of calls, but as coherent conversations. They also evaluate their content. These are the findings of a study by researchers at the University of Zurich which combined thermography methods with behavioral preference measures.

Health - Pharmacology - 03.02.2021

3D-printed bioresorbable airway stent
An ETH Zurich research team is using 3D printing to produce a new type of bioresorbable airway stent. This could greatly simplify the future treatment of upper airway obstruction. Narrowing of the trachea or the main bronchi due to injury or illness can end very badly. If patients get too little oxygen, they risk suffocating and often need medical help as quickly as possible.

Health - Pharmacology - 03.02.2021

Better poison dosages for better prostate cancer therapies
A given substance may be fundamental for life or may serve as a poison. All depends on the specific dose. At first glance, this somewhat paradoxical principle in medicine was first coined by the Swiss physician Paracelsus more than half a millennium ago when he stated: "All things are poison, and nothing is without poison.

Agronomy / Food Science - Social Sciences - 02.02.2021

What did the Swiss eat during the Bronze Age?
Scientists from the University of Geneva and UPF have analysed the skeletons of several Bronze Age communities that lived in Western Switzerland in order to reconstruct the evolution of their diet. The Bronze Age (2200 to 800 BC) marked a decisive step in the technological and economic development of ancient societies.

Life Sciences - 02.02.2021

Unusual mutation causes defective sperm in boars
Researchers have found a gene mutation that causes the sperm of boars to immobilize. Their discovery will help pig breeders to exclude animals with this genetic defect from breeding in future. In pig farming, natural mating between a boar and a sow has become rare. It is much more common for sows to be artificially inseminated.

Pedagogy - 01.02.2021

Parental control apps behaving badly
Researchers from EPFL and Spain's IMDEA Software Institute and IMDEA Networks Institute , have found that many parental control applications collect and share data without consent, and fail to comply with regulatory requirements.