wire - news in brief

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have for the first time precisely characterised the enzyme styrene oxide isomerase, which can be used to produce valuable chemicals and drug precursors in an environmentally friendly manner. The study appears today in the journal Nature Chemistry . Enzymes are powerful biomolecules that can be used to produce many substances at ambient conditions.

EPFL has teamed up with three organizations - the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Association for the Safeguard of Lake Geneva (ASL) - to develop Lémanscope, a citizen-science initiative to monitor the health of Lake Geneva.

Whenever a child behaves aggressively at school, a lack of parenting is often assumed. This overlooks the possibility of underlying mental health problems.

A survey of 99 small Swiss streams reveals that the majority of the studied streams have significant deficits in their ecological condition and can only fulfil their function as a habitat for animals to a limited extent. Insect larvae and other small animals that react sensitively to pesticides are missing in over 70% of the streams examined.

In a new study published in "Nature Communications" the Cejka laboratory and collaborators identified the molecular mechanisms by which the HROB protein enhances the DNA unwinding function of the MCM8-9 helicase, crucial for DNA repair and replication processes.

Number, size, surroundings and water level: for the first time, there are quantitative scientific recommendations when it comes to the development of new ecological infrastructures for amphibian conservation.

All-perovskite tandem solar cells could soon pick up where silicon solar cells reach their limits. These highly efficient, lightweight and flexible cells have already proven themselves in the laboratory - now, researchers are working on scaling them up and making them ready for the real world. Roof tiles are becoming a thing of the past: Today, more and more Swiss roofs boast large black and blue rectangles that convert sunlight into electricity.

EPFL engineers have developed new software called Pyxu that makes it easier and faster to reconstruct images taken at any scale. Their system employs reusable, and universally applicable, bricks of algorithms. Scientists use an array of imaging instruments to look inside living organisms, sometimes as they move, and to observe inert objects without altering their state.

The issue of housing shortages is not disappearing from the headlines. According to housing researcher Miriam Meuth, the displacement of certain sections of the population from their homes and neighborhoods is not discussed enough.

The electrification of many areas of life is leading to an increased demand for high-performance batteries.

With over 600,000 deaths in 2022, malaria remains one of the biggest health threats particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The word "perovskite" describes a naturally occurring mineral, but also a whole range of highly specialized synthetic compounds that have promising applications in electronics and photovoltaics. But what do they actually have in common? Who discovered them? And how are researchers using them to create innovative technology? This is the focus of the new issue of Empa Quarterly.

UZH has made a spectacular acquisition of an important manuscript by Richard Wagner. In "Eine Mitteilung an meine Freunde" (-A Message to My Friends-), the composer takes autobiographical and artistic stock and looks to the future.

As part of the MegaBites project, researchers will carefully analyze data on food production and consumption on the EPFL campus, with the goal of cutting the School's food-related carbon emissions.

At the final of the Not-a-Boring Competition 2024 in Bastrop, Texas, the team from Swissloop Tunneling came out on top thanks to a successful drilling process with a self-developed micro-tunneling machine.

Lake trout migrate between different habitats many times over their lives. This helps them grow larger and have more offspring than sedentary trout.

To achieve a decarbonized world, clean energy sources will have to be widely adopted - yet there's a range of obstacles in the way. A number of researchers are studying these obstacles and mapping out strategies for getting past them. Here's a look at some of their findings. The first one is financial.

This research explores a new opensource method for high dimensional spatial proteomic imaging of complex tissue samples, revealing disparate spatial reorganization in glioblastoma and brain metastasis following radiotherapy.

In 2022, Switzerland emitted 41.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2 eq.), 3.5 million tonnes less than in 2021.

A new EPFL study has demonstrated the persuasive power of Large Language Models, finding that participants debating GPT-4 with access to their personal information were far more likely to change their opinion compared to those who debated humans.

Competitiveness, destination development, sustainability, stakeholder management The management of tourist destinations is constantly changing.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way in which art is created and experienced. Are we at the beginning of a new artistic revolution? Or at the end of creativity as we know it? puts things in perspective.

Developing wind and solar infrastructure in the landscape can be tricky and often associated with resistance to arise among the population. Thanks to a new study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, in addition to the spatial and ecosystem-related costs, also social costs in form of people's preferences can now be considered when siting for new solar and wind power plants.