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Results 121 - 140 of 233.
Can we learn without a brain?
Some animals do not need a brain to be able to learn. This is what Professor Simon Sprecher of the University of Freiburg has revealed in a study that has just been published. With his team, the biologist taught a sea anemone to adapt its behavior according to past experiences . We spontaneously associate the faculties of learning and memorization with the existence of a brain.
Some animals do not need a brain to be able to learn. This is what Professor Simon Sprecher of the University of Freiburg has revealed in a study that has just been published. With his team, the biologist taught a sea anemone to adapt its behavior according to past experiences . We spontaneously associate the faculties of learning and memorization with the existence of a brain.
Following the water cycle in the forest
In the Forest Laboratory "Waldlabor" on Hönggerberg, researchers investigate the storage and transport processes of water in the forest. Recently they showed that forest-floor litter and deadwood have a far larger influence on the forest water balance than expected. The forest on Hönggerberg in the north of Zurich is both, a recreational space and a laboratory.
In the Forest Laboratory "Waldlabor" on Hönggerberg, researchers investigate the storage and transport processes of water in the forest. Recently they showed that forest-floor litter and deadwood have a far larger influence on the forest water balance than expected. The forest on Hönggerberg in the north of Zurich is both, a recreational space and a laboratory.
Lower energy consumption thanks to daylight-saving time
The abolition of daylight saving time is a frequently - and hotly - debated topic. Often, only the aspect of electricity consumption due to artificial lighting is considered. In a new study, researchers have analyzed whether daylight saving time also has an impact on the energy needed to heat and cool office buildings, and what role climate change might play in this.
The abolition of daylight saving time is a frequently - and hotly - debated topic. Often, only the aspect of electricity consumption due to artificial lighting is considered. In a new study, researchers have analyzed whether daylight saving time also has an impact on the energy needed to heat and cool office buildings, and what role climate change might play in this.
Sculpting quantum materials for the electronics of the future
An international team led by the University of Geneva has developed a quantum material in which the fabric of space inhabited by electrons can be curved on-demand. Artistic view. Curvature of the space fabric due to the superposition of spin and orbital states at the interface between lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO3) and strontium titanate (SrTiO3).
An international team led by the University of Geneva has developed a quantum material in which the fabric of space inhabited by electrons can be curved on-demand. Artistic view. Curvature of the space fabric due to the superposition of spin and orbital states at the interface between lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO3) and strontium titanate (SrTiO3).
Where should wind turbines be constructed in Switzerland?
A study by researchers at ETH Zurich shows for the first time how a relaxation of Swiss spatial planning policy would affect the locations of wind turbines. If the aim is to have as few wind turbines as possible in the Alps and in Switzerland in general, it would be worth considering using windy agricultural areas on the western Swiss Plateau.
A study by researchers at ETH Zurich shows for the first time how a relaxation of Swiss spatial planning policy would affect the locations of wind turbines. If the aim is to have as few wind turbines as possible in the Alps and in Switzerland in general, it would be worth considering using windy agricultural areas on the western Swiss Plateau.
How tumours transform blood vessels
Increasingly dense cell clusters in growing tumours convert blood vessels into fibre-filled channels. This makes immune cells less effective, as findings by researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Strasbourg suggest. It was almost ten years ago that researchers first observed that tumours occurring in different cancers - including colorectal cancer, breast cancer and melanoma - exhibit channels leading from the surface to the inside of the cell cluster.
Increasingly dense cell clusters in growing tumours convert blood vessels into fibre-filled channels. This makes immune cells less effective, as findings by researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Strasbourg suggest. It was almost ten years ago that researchers first observed that tumours occurring in different cancers - including colorectal cancer, breast cancer and melanoma - exhibit channels leading from the surface to the inside of the cell cluster.
Genetics as a tool to protect endangered chimpanzees
West African chimpanzees in Guinea are threatened by mining. Using a novel genetic approach, researchers together with an international team have collected information on the population size and community structure of the threatened species. These data provide an important basis for assessing the impact of mining .
West African chimpanzees in Guinea are threatened by mining. Using a novel genetic approach, researchers together with an international team have collected information on the population size and community structure of the threatened species. These data provide an important basis for assessing the impact of mining .
Digital well-being through social media
Smartphones and social media are part of our lives, raising understandable concerns, especially when younger people use them. However, online experiences can be as negative as they are positive. The way to the psychological well-being of adults and adolescents is through the conscious use of such technologies, not their avoidance.
Smartphones and social media are part of our lives, raising understandable concerns, especially when younger people use them. However, online experiences can be as negative as they are positive. The way to the psychological well-being of adults and adolescents is through the conscious use of such technologies, not their avoidance.
New maps chart our affective relationship with the local environment
Researchers have studied Vernier, a city in the canton of Geneva, as the pilot site for an interactive map that explores our relationship with the built and natural environments. "Vernier is an odd place. You pass by oil storage tanks, an Ikea, and an airport - and then suddenly you're walking by cows, the Rhône, and little boats." That's how one resident describes what he sees on his daily walking commute.
Researchers have studied Vernier, a city in the canton of Geneva, as the pilot site for an interactive map that explores our relationship with the built and natural environments. "Vernier is an odd place. You pass by oil storage tanks, an Ikea, and an airport - and then suddenly you're walking by cows, the Rhône, and little boats." That's how one resident describes what he sees on his daily walking commute.
Bypassing antibiotic resistance with a combination of drugs
By combining an antibiotic with an anti-cancer agent, an international team has developed a treatment capable of circumventing the antibiotic resistance of the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis. Antibiotic resistance is one of the world's most pressing health challenges: in 2019, nearly 5 million people died from an infection associated with or attributed to antibiotic resistance.
By combining an antibiotic with an anti-cancer agent, an international team has developed a treatment capable of circumventing the antibiotic resistance of the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis. Antibiotic resistance is one of the world's most pressing health challenges: in 2019, nearly 5 million people died from an infection associated with or attributed to antibiotic resistance.
Smart ring offers a simple way to monitor your health
Senbiosys, an EPFL spin-off, has unveiled a jewelry-like smart ring that incorporates all the health-monitoring features currently available in smart watches. The company's notable achievement in miniaturization - made possible thanks to the world's smallest sensor, developed at EPFL - appears to have major market potential, as its recent crowdfunding campaign raised five times more capital than expected.
Senbiosys, an EPFL spin-off, has unveiled a jewelry-like smart ring that incorporates all the health-monitoring features currently available in smart watches. The company's notable achievement in miniaturization - made possible thanks to the world's smallest sensor, developed at EPFL - appears to have major market potential, as its recent crowdfunding campaign raised five times more capital than expected.
Dwarf and giant species are most at risk of extinction
Islands are biodiversity hotspots and are home to animal species with unique characteristics, including dwarf specimens, which have evolved to very small sizes compared to their mainland relatives, and giants. An international study now reports that these species are at higher risk of extinction. The findings are supported by software developed by Daniele Silvestro of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB) at the University of Fribourg.
Islands are biodiversity hotspots and are home to animal species with unique characteristics, including dwarf specimens, which have evolved to very small sizes compared to their mainland relatives, and giants. An international study now reports that these species are at higher risk of extinction. The findings are supported by software developed by Daniele Silvestro of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB) at the University of Fribourg.
Despite some successes, the landscape remains under pressure
The population appreciates the landscape around it, but it continues to be under pressure. Without additional measures, the quality of the landscape as defined by the Federal Council in the Swiss Landscape Concept (SLC) will not be achieved.
The population appreciates the landscape around it, but it continues to be under pressure. Without additional measures, the quality of the landscape as defined by the Federal Council in the Swiss Landscape Concept (SLC) will not be achieved.
Detecting hidden brain states
Mental health disorders can only be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms - and individual outcomes cannot be accurately predicted. An ETH scientist hopes to change that with the help of mathematical models. Why do we have emotions? Klaas Enno Stephan, a professor at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, considers the question carefully before answering: "It seems very plausible that the purpose of the emotions is to make us aware of unconscious processes in the body." As a doctor and researcher, Stephan is particularly interested in the interaction between brain and body.
Mental health disorders can only be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms - and individual outcomes cannot be accurately predicted. An ETH scientist hopes to change that with the help of mathematical models. Why do we have emotions? Klaas Enno Stephan, a professor at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, considers the question carefully before answering: "It seems very plausible that the purpose of the emotions is to make us aware of unconscious processes in the body." As a doctor and researcher, Stephan is particularly interested in the interaction between brain and body.
The legacy of trauma
Emotional trauma can have far-reaching ripple effects and may even reverberate across generations. Professors Isabelle Mansuy and Katharina Gapp study how the effects of trauma can be inherited through epigenetic mechanisms. Our parents and grandparents form part of who we are. They reared us and served as our role models, and they also passed on their genes.
Emotional trauma can have far-reaching ripple effects and may even reverberate across generations. Professors Isabelle Mansuy and Katharina Gapp study how the effects of trauma can be inherited through epigenetic mechanisms. Our parents and grandparents form part of who we are. They reared us and served as our role models, and they also passed on their genes.
New AI model transforms research on metal-organic frameworks
Researchers at EPFL and KAIST have developed a new AI model that significantly improves the understanding of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), promising materials for hydrogen storage and other applications. How does an iPhone predict the next word you're going to type in your messages? The technology behind this, and also at the core of many AI applications, is called a transformer; a deep-learning algorithm that detects patterns in datasets.
Researchers at EPFL and KAIST have developed a new AI model that significantly improves the understanding of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), promising materials for hydrogen storage and other applications. How does an iPhone predict the next word you're going to type in your messages? The technology behind this, and also at the core of many AI applications, is called a transformer; a deep-learning algorithm that detects patterns in datasets.
Extreme nighttime pollution in New Delhi air explained
In a major joint project with top Indian scientists, PSI researchers have determined why smog forms at night in the Indian capital New Delhi, contrary to all the rules of atmospheric chemistry. Their results have now been published in the journal Nature Geoscience . For the past three years, New Delhi has been ranked the world's most polluted capital.
In a major joint project with top Indian scientists, PSI researchers have determined why smog forms at night in the Indian capital New Delhi, contrary to all the rules of atmospheric chemistry. Their results have now been published in the journal Nature Geoscience . For the past three years, New Delhi has been ranked the world's most polluted capital.
High-performance detectors to combat spies
A team from the University of Geneva and ID Quantique has developed single-photon detectors with unprecedented performance. These results open new perspectives for quantum cryptography. How can we combat data theft, which is a real issue for society? Quantum physics has the solution. Its theories make it possible to encode information (a qubit) in single particles of light (a photon) and to circulate them in an optical fibre in a highly secure way.
A team from the University of Geneva and ID Quantique has developed single-photon detectors with unprecedented performance. These results open new perspectives for quantum cryptography. How can we combat data theft, which is a real issue for society? Quantum physics has the solution. Its theories make it possible to encode information (a qubit) in single particles of light (a photon) and to circulate them in an optical fibre in a highly secure way.
A robot inspired by earthworms
Scientists from the Adolphe Merkle Institute and Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, USA) have developed a flexible robot, inspired by earthworms, that can squeeze into small spaces and move in all directions regardless of the surface . Soft robots with worm-like mechanical properties and shape can, in principle, move over rough terrain and into tight spaces inaccessible to other robots.
Scientists from the Adolphe Merkle Institute and Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, USA) have developed a flexible robot, inspired by earthworms, that can squeeze into small spaces and move in all directions regardless of the surface . Soft robots with worm-like mechanical properties and shape can, in principle, move over rough terrain and into tight spaces inaccessible to other robots.
Shape memory for nano-sized objects
Researchers at ETH Zurich achieved a shape memory effect for the first time with objects that are only a few nanometers in size. This can be used to manufacture tiny machinery and robotic devices on the nanoscale. Alloys that can return to their original structure after being deformed have a so-called shape memory.
Researchers at ETH Zurich achieved a shape memory effect for the first time with objects that are only a few nanometers in size. This can be used to manufacture tiny machinery and robotic devices on the nanoscale. Alloys that can return to their original structure after being deformed have a so-called shape memory.