wire - news in brief

Capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and storing it either in recycled concrete aggregate or in geological reservoirs in Iceland is not only technically feasible, but also has a positive carbon footprint.

In an era where algorithms operate at the core of many products, a new study involving the University of Lucerne has investigated consumer preferences in relation to AI-driven technologies. The study shows how adaptive and pre-programmed algorithms can influence product preferences and purchasing decisions.

Yaroslav Romanyuk has been working at Empa for around 15 years on complex thin-film technologies for solar cells, printed circuits, novel solid-state batteries and other applications.

More droughts in summer and autumn - combined, paradoxically, with an increased risk of flooding - and, in the long term, less snow in winter.

There are some striking parallels between how skin wounds heal and how malignant tumours grow. Cell culture can help us understand the mechanisms involved - but animal testing still has a role to play. Picture the scene: you're chopping an onion, and suddenly the knife slips, leaving you with a painful cut on your index finger.

At a time when climate change is causing intense droughts to alternate with torrential rains, the RADMOGG project aims to assess the dynamics of the underground reservoirs to which the blue gold that falls from the sky flows, based on the measurement of minute variations in the Earth's gravity. The project's initiator, Landon Halloran, assistant professor at the University of Neuchâtel's Centre for Hydrogeology and Geothermal Energy (CHYN), presented its objectives at the Swiss Geoscience Meeting on November 17 and 18 in Mendrisio (TI ).

What's the best way to translate research findings into clinical practice? A discussion with Monika Jänicke, CEO of the University Hospital Zurich, Rahel Kubik, head of radiology at Kantonsspital Baden, and Christian Wolfrum, VP for Research at ETH Zurich.

From the giant blue whale to minuscule microbes, all creatures on this earth continuously shed traces of their DNA. These clues help researchers to determine the degree of biological diversity. ETH doctoral candidate Anish Kirtane stands in the middle of the River Limmat near the Werdinsel island, below the city of Zurich, wearing a large pair of rubber boots.

On the road to recovery, patients come into contact with clinicians from a whole range of disciplines.

Permanently frozen ground, or permafrost, is becoming rarer on our planet. Climate change causes it to warm up and ultimately thaw.

ETH Zurich and EPFL are launching the "Swiss AI Initiative", whose purpose is to position Switzerland as a leading global hub for the development and implementation of transparent and reliable artificial intelligence (AI).

Climate change is having an impact on avalanche activity. Wet snow avalanches can be expected earlier and more frequently, while instabilities in dry snowpack are becoming less common. Unexpected changes in the weather, such as rain in midwinter, will continue to make the work of avalanche warning services and rescue workers challenging, not only in open terrain but also in ski resorts.

With increasing temperatures, more heatwaves and less snowfall, glacier melt is accelerating. Whether we will still have water reserves in the form of frozen ice by 2100 depends heavily on efforts to contain the climate crisis.

Sascha Quanz searches for traces of life on extrasolar planets orbiting alien stars. The astrophysicist believes that gaining an understanding of life and its origin on Earth is an important stepping stone. Our Earth was formed around 4.5 billion years ago, and fossil evidence of life can be found in rocks that are over 3.5 billion years old.

The generous donation from HSLU alumnus Leo Looser to the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts Foundation enables the Department of Engineering & Architecture to research the "perfect house" of the future.

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL Climate change will significantly alter the Swiss forests.

A doctoral researcher studying architecture at ETH Zurich is using 3D printing to produce lightweight insulation building components from cement-free mineral foams derived from recycled industrial waste. These could cut heating and cooling costs for buildings, and encourage more efficient use of construction materials.

SLF biologist Christian Rixen writes about his expedition to Greenland in the footsteps of historical botanists - and climate change.

Under the motto "Idea generation and co-creation processes to promote technology transfer", around 60 participants from research, business, cantons and municipalities discussed innovative approaches to the energy transition at Empa in Dübendorf on 24 November.

What happens when cities gear their road space primarily to the needs of cyclists and e-bikers? On a new popular-science website, researchers use examples from the city of Zurich to show what such an "E-Bike City" could one day look like. What would the streets look like if a city took half its traffic space and gave it to cycling and e-biking?

LISA: Innosuisse funding for battery research Empa will collaborate with Battery Consult AG, a research and development company specializing in salt battery technology, and the Swiss Innovation Park

Warfare is increasingly spreading to the realm of cyberspace. In response, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) wants to protect its digital infrastructure and that of humanitarian organisations with a digital emblem.

Nutrient losses are a key topic for Swiss agriculture. Current Agroscope figures show that nitrogen and phosphorus losses have decreased by around 10 per cent since 2014/2016. Despite this, further efforts are needed to achieve the targets set by policy-makers. With a new series of factsheets, Agroscope is helping farmers improve nutrient efficiency and thereby reduce nutrient losses to the maximum extent possible.

Researchers have just released Meditron, the world's best performing open source Large Language Model tailored to the medical field designed to help guide clinical decision-making. Large language models (LLMs) are deep learning algorithms trained on vast amounts of text to learn billions of mathematical relationships between words (also called 'parameters').

With climate change resulting in less natural snow and higher temperatures, challenging times lie ahead for tourist destinations that depend on winter sports, as well as for winter sports fans.

SLF biologist Christian Rixen writes about his expedition to Greenland in the footsteps of historical botanists - and climate change.

The Federal Commission for Air Hygiene has assessed the revised guideline values issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021 and their significance for Switzerland's Air Pollution Control Ordinance.

ETH is offering a new continuing education programme in the serviceability and repairability of buildings and products.

From fall 2024, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts will be offering Switzerland's first Bachelor's degree course in immersive technologies.

Knee operations on the meniscus cartilage are a frequent procedure on a particularly complex part of the human body. researchers want to provide an improved basis for clinicians in order to reduce the risks of the operation. Using 3D models based on micro-computed tomography analyses in the laboratory, they are mapping the blood vessel network of the meniscus on a nanometer scale.