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For the first time, a study demonstrated that loud night-time noise from airplanes can trigger a cardiovascular death within two hours. Researchers from the University of Basel, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and partners compared mortality data with acute night-time noise exposure around Zurich airport between 2000 and 2015.

In future, commercial vehicles will not only have to emit less CO2 but also meet stricter exhaust emission limits. Many experts expect that this could herald the end for fossil diesel. One possible alternative is dimethyl ether: The highly volatile substance burns very cleanly and can be produced from renewable energy.

Decision support for car buyers: Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute have developed a web tool called the Carculator that can be used to compare the environmental performance of passenger cars in detail. The program determines the environmental balance of vehicles with different size classes and powertrains, and presents the results in comparative graphics.

Researchers at EPFL have patented a new concept that could cut trucks' CO2 emissions by almost 90%. It involves capturing CO2 within the exhaust system, converting it into a liquid and storing it on the vehicle. The liquid CO2 would then be delivered to a service station and where it will be turned back into fuel using renewable energy.

In a collaboration with Swiss International Air Lines, NASA and other partners, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed eye-tracking software for use in pilot training. This allows instructors to analyse the gaze behaviour of student pilots in the cockpit. Anyone who has ever sat in a cockpit will know how mentally challenging it is to pilot an aircraft.

ETH researchers have shown that we can use the structure of urban road networks to predict their traffic capacity. This information enables urban and transportation planners to quantify how changes will influence traffic volumes. People who commute by car will have an idea of what "traffic capacity" means, drawn from their own experience: as a stream of cars heads into a city early in the morning, the flow of traffic initially increases - until a critical point is reached in terms of the number of vehicles on the roads.

Researchers at EPFL have carried out an in-depth survey of commuter practices in Greater Geneva - the area covering Geneva Canton, the Nyon region and neighboring parts of France. Why do some people cycle instead of taking the bus' Why do others drive rather than traveling by train? Two factors - price and journey time - have long determined how commuters choose to get to work.

Using macroeconomic modeling, EPFL researchers have identified the most effective carbon tax for Switzerland to meet the Paris Agreement targets: a uniform levy on gasoline, diesel fuel and heating oil, rising steadily to 1.70 francs per liter by 2050. The Swiss transport sector has become the country's leading CO2 emitter, accounting for 41% of total emissions.

At the end of May, the final meeting of the "Horizon 2020" project "GasOn" with the EU Commission took place in Brussels. The aim of this EU project was the further development of gas engines for cars and vans. Around 20 partners participated, including ETH Zurich and Empa as well as four European automobile manufacturers and well-known suppliers.

In a unique experimental setup, Swiss researchers have investigated the effect of exhaust particles from aircraft turbine engines on human lung cells. The cells reacted most strongly to particles emitted during ground idling. The study also showed that the cytotoxic effect is only to some extent comparable to that of particles from gasoline and diesel engines.

When EPFL researchers fused the data from two intelligent vehicles, the result was a wider field of view, extended situational awareness and greater safety. Intelligent vehicles get their intelligence from cameras, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensors, and navigation and mapping systems. But there are ways to make them even smarter.

ETH scientists have combined millions of images and videos into a three-dimensional, living model of the city of Zurich.

As of October 2017, newly launched car models will have to pass more stringent exhaust gas tests in the EU and in Switzerland. The new test method includes measuring drives in actual traf-fic. Empa already tested currently available cars with the new method - with alarming results. By now, it's no secret: the certification requirements for cars in the EU and in Switzerland have precious little to do with the cars' actual exhaust emissions on the roads.

EPFL researchers have developed an algorithm for automated vehicles to operate in traffic alongside manually-driven vehicles.

EPFL researchers have been studying futuristic transport solutions for car-free urban centers. They have come up with an optimal design for a network of accelerating moving walkways. Could moving walkways help people get where they want to go in cities' This is not a new idea. The first moving walkways were seen in Chicago in 1893, and seven years later they were used at the world's fair in Paris.

07. By using anonymized WiFi data collected on campus, EPFL researchers were able to analyze students' motivations in a fundamental activity: eating.

Researchers showed that by managing the access to freeway junctions and moderating the speed limit on the express lanes it is possible to reduce delays by over 12% across the highway system. In 30 years, traffic has more than tripled on most Swiss highways. On the A1, it even increased from 20'000 to nearly 90'000 vehicles per day, between Lausanne and Geneva.

With the first ever production of synthesized "solar" jet fuel, the EU-funded SOLAR-JET project has successfully demonstrated the entire production chain for renewable kerosene obtained directly from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide (CO2), therein potentially revolutionizing the future of aviation.

Commuters know only too well: the congested rail network is causing more and more incidents and delays. ETH doctoral candidate Steffen Schranil has developed a method that allows the duration of disruptions to be predicted early and reliably. Last year, the trains of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) were frequently late.