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Researchers at ETH Zurich have unravelled the complex network that cells use to repair their genetic material. By examining thousands upon thousands of genetic interactions, the team has discovered new vulnerabilities in cancer cells that could be exploited therapeutically in the future. The DNA of human cells consists of a sequence of about 3.1 billion building blocks.

For the first time, ETH materials scientists are measuring the rolling friction of tiny, micrometre-sized particles. These measurements permit them to better understand everyday products such as concrete. Lacquers, paint, concrete-and even ketchup or orange juice: Suspensions are widespread in industry and everyday life.

In the fight against bacterial pathogens, researchers are combining vaccination with targeted colonisation of the intestine by harmless microorganisms. This approach could potentially mark a turning point in the antibiotics crisis. The issue of intestinal bacteria is a complex one. On the one hand, we are dependent on the microorganisms because they are the ones that digest the food in our intestine.

New miniature laboratories are ensuring that artificial intelligence (AI) doesn't make mistakes. They provide a controlled test environment where algorithms and AI models can be checked before being put to work under real-life conditions. The aim is for AI to work reliably. Anyone who develops an AI solution sometimes goes on a journey into the unknown.

Life needs sufficient phosphorus. However, the element is scarce, not only today but also at the time of the origin of life. So where was there sufficient phosphorus four billion years ago for life to emerge? A team of origin-of-life researchers has an answer. Along with nitrogen and carbon, phosphorus is an essential element for life on Earth.

Who were our earliest ancestors? The answer could lie in a special group of single-celled organisms with a cytoskeleton similar to that of complex organisms, such as animals and plants. researchers made these findings in a new study. Ten years ago, nobody knew that Asgard archaea even existed. In 2015, however, researchers examining deep-sea sediments discovered gene fragments that indicated a new and previously undiscovered form of microbes.

A long-term Switzerland-wide study has found that neighbourhoods with numerous, well-arranged trees exhibit lower mortality risks than other areas. The reasons behind this, and the factors that play a role, will require further research. Beyond creating a serene and open atmosphere in urban areas, trees and parks also contribute to human well-being.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a method that makes it easier to study interactions between electrons in a material. Using a moiré material consisting of twisted atomic layers they created an artificial crystal lattice in a neighbouring material. To study the interactions between electrons in a material, physicists have come up with a number of tricks over the years.

For the first time, researchers have been able to observe how the pupils react during sleep over a period of several hours. A look under the eyelids showed them that more happens in the brain during sleep than was previously assumed. Our eyes are typically closed when we sleep.

A new study by researchers shows that the success of anti-immigration parties in Switzerland's border regions is not due to the effects of migration itself, but rather to their rhetoric. In brief: A new study has investigated the success of anti-immigration parties in Switzerland's border regions following the introduction of the free movement of people in 2004.

Polymer chemists at ETH Zurich have found a surprising way to almost completely decompose PMMA, a plastic known as acrylic glass or as trademark Plexiglas, into its monomeric components. Even additives do not interfere with the process. Today, plastics recycling is primarily limited to the collection of sorted PET or polyethylene beverage bottles.

Researchers have developed a low-cost sensor made of carbon nanotubes that can selectively, efficiently and reliably measure minute quantities of oxygen in gas mixtures under light. The detector could be widely used in industry, medicine and environmental monitoring. Oxygen is essential for life and a reactive player in many chemical processes.

To extend the lifespan of existing railway bridges and conserve resources, researchers are working with Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) to develop new prediction models using machine learning algorithms. An AI assistant also helps civil engineers with the design of new bridges. Images of a collapsed tram bridge over the River Elbe in Dresden were seen around the world in September 2024.

For Switzerland to achieve its net zero climate target, not only must it reduce its CO2 emissions, it must also find a way to store the greenhouse gas permanently. Researchers at ETH Zurich have investigated whether, and under what conditions, CO2 could be stored underground in Switzerland. To achieve its net zero climate target by 2050, Switzerland must press forward with the energy transition - whether in electricity, heating or mobility.

Researchers have developed a new gene switch that can be activated using a commercially available nitroglycerine patch applied to the skin. One day, researchers want to use switches of this kind to trigger cell therapies for various metabolic diseases. The body regulates its metabolism precisely and continuously, with specialised cells in the pancreas constantly monitoring the amount of sugar in the blood, for example.

For the first time, an international team of researchers has shown that countless tiny ice quakes take place in one of Greenland's mightiest ice streams. This finding will allow the flowing of the ice stream and associated changes in sea level to be estimated more accurately. The great ice streams of the Antarctic and Greenland are like frozen rivers, carrying ice from the massive inland ice sheets to the sea - and a change in their dynamics will contribute significantly to sea-level rise.

Body weight and body mass index alone are not enough to predict whether someone will develop a metabolic disease. A new atlas of cells in fat tissue could help to explain why some overweight people stay healthy, while others do not. Researchers have created a detailed atlas of cellular changes in obese people.

Researchers have investigated how microbubbles tiny gas bubbles can deliver drugs into cells in a targeted manner using ultrasound. For the first time, they have visualised how tiny cyclic microjets liquid jets generated by microbubbles penetrate the cell membrane enabling the drug uptake. The targeted treatment of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or brain tumours is challenging because the brain is a particularly sensitive organ that is well protected.

Researchers aim to use vibrations to stimulate bone growth. Now, a new study paves the way for developing new therapies that may one day benefit patients suffering from bone fractures and age-related bone loss. Bone does not just grow in any which way - rather, the bone cells respond to external forces.

Successful test in breast cancer patients: the active agent digoxin, a cardiac medication, dissolves clusters of circulating breast cancer cells in the blood, thus reducing the risk of metastases formation. Certain tumour types do not remain at their point of origin but spread throughout the body and form metastases.