news 2024

Researchers at EPFL unlock a detailed understanding of brain and spinal cord interactions. The tool that paves the way for future research breakthroughs and innovative therapeutic approaches. The brain and spinal cord are the central pillars of the human central nervous system (CNS), orchestrating everything from movement to sensation.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed ultra-flexible brain probes that accurately record brain activity without causing tissue damage. This opens up new avenues for the treatment of a range of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Neurostimulators, also known as brain pacemakers, send electrical impulses to specific areas of the brain via special electrodes.

Our glycaemic balance is based on the ability of the pancreatic beta cells to detect glucose and secrete insulin to maintain our blood sugar levels. If these cells malfunction, the balance is broken, and diabetes develops. Until now, the scientific community agreed that beta cells needed the other hormone-producing cells of the pancreas to function properly.

Scientists at EPFL have developed an AI tool that creates detailed models of cellular metabolism, making it easier to understand how cells function. Understanding how cells process nutrients and produce energy - collectively known as metabolism - is essential in biology. However, analyzing the vast amounts of data on cellular processes to determine metabolic states is a complex task.

Remarkable fossil evidence of an ancient sea cow being preyed upon by not one, but two different predators - a crocodile and a shark - offers fresh insights into the predation tactics and food chain dynamics of millions of years ago.

Medical imaging technology - such as MRI, ultrasound and X-ray - is gaining in power and precision, especially in the wake of recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Several EPFL research groups are contributing to this progress and actively shaping the future in this area. Thanks to advances in medical imaging, doctors can localize a bone fracture, detect a tumor and observe a baby inside the uterus, all'in a completely noninvasive manner.

Primate ornamentation plays a crucial role in communication not only within social groups but also between them, according to a new study. The research reveals that the males of species with overlapping home ranges often display vibrant colors or elaborate features, traits that may help reduce intergroup aggression by enabling quick assessments of potential rivals.

Microorganisms in biofilms in rivers can break down harmful substances. Some are also able to degrade biocides, including the insect repellent diethyltoluamide (DEET) - or so it is thought. Researchers at the aquatic research institute Eawag have now discovered that DEET is degraded better when the proportion of treated wastewater in the water is high.

Methane-oxidizing bacteria could play a greater role than previously thought in preventing the release of climate-damaging methane from lakes, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, and the Swiss Eawag report. They also show who is behind the process and how it works.

A new study now published in Science reveals that the memory for a specific experience is stored in multiple parallel "copies". These are preserved for varying durations, modified to certain degrees, and sometimes deleted over time, report researchers at the University of Basel. The ability to turn experiences into memories allows us to learn from the past and use what we learned as a model to respond appropriately to new situations.

A new class of fat cells makes people healthier. The cells consume energy and produce heat through seemingly pointless biochemical reactions. Fat cells come in three colours: white, brown, and beige. White fat cells store fat in our body as an energy reserve. We need these cells, but having too many creates health problems.

Extreme heatwaves are on the rise. When do they become critical for forest trees? In the hot summer of 2023, a research team led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) investigated this in Switzerland, southern France and Spain.

A team of scientists from EPFL and other research institutes have identified just how an Alpine flower is surviving by adapting its genes to local habitats. This discovery has important implications for the protection of ecosystems under threat. In the Alps, adventurous hikers aren't the only ones to regularly climb to new heights.

Researchers a novel AI-driven model designed to predict protein sequences from backbone scaffolds, incorporating complex molecular environments. It promises significant advancements in protein engineering and applications across various fields, including medicine and biotechnology. Image caption: Schematic representation of sequence prediction with CARBonAra.

The brain chemical orexin is crucial when we choose between sport and the tasty temptations that beckon everywhere we turn. This research finding could also help people who find it difficult to motivate themselves to exercise. Should I go and exercise, or would I rather go to the café and enjoy a delectable strawberry milkshake? Until now, what exactly happens in our brain when we make this decision has been a mystery to science, but researchers at ETH Zurich have found the solution.

Variations in genetic material allow the water flea to defend itself against parasites, forcing the parasites to adapt. This coevolutionary loop has been running for at least 15 million years, as researchers at the University of Basel have demonstrated. Hosts and their parasites are in constant competition.

Researchers have modified certain bacteria with UV light so that they produce more cellulose. The basis for this is a new approach with which the researchers generate thousands of bacterial variants and select those that have developed into the most productive. Bacteria produce materials that are of interest to humans, such as cellulose, silk and minerals.

In an important study for understanding how memories are made, scientists show that the flexibility of chromatin - packaged DNA inside the cell - plays a crucial role in "deciding" which neurons are involved in forming a specific memory. When we form a new memory, the brain undergoes physical and functional changes known collectively as a "memory trace".

Researchers at ETH Zurich have uncovered how colorectal cancer cells colonise the liver. Their findings could open up new ways to suppress this process in the future. In cases where cancer is fatal, nine out of ten times the culprit is metastasis. This is when the primary tumour has sent out cells, like seeds, and invaded other organs of the body.

Scientists have discovered how yeast cells sense physical stresses on the membranes that protect them. Cell membranes play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and functionality of cells. However, the mechanisms by which they perform these roles are not yet fully understood. Scientists from the University of Geneva , in collaboration with the Institut de biologie structurale de Grenoble (IBS) and the University of Fribourg (UNIFR), have used cryo-electron microscopy to observe how lipids and proteins at the plasma membrane interact and react to mechanical stress.