wire - news in brief

Sustainable ceramics without a kiln
ETH material scientists have developed a new method of manufacturing ceramics that does not require the starting materials to be fired. Instead, they are compacted under high pressure at room temperature in a significantly more energy-efficient process. The manufacture of cement, bricks, bathroom tiles and porcelain crockery normally requires a great deal of heat: a kiln is used to fire the ceramic materials at temperatures well in excess of 1,000°C.

At home in NEST
Two students are now living in the NEST unit Vision Wood. Communications intern Ramona Ronner visited Patryk Spera and David Norris in their very unusual flat, and talked to them about their life in a research environment.

Employment barometer in the 4th quarter 2016: Employment growth remains stable
Neuchâtel, 27.02.2017 (FSO) - In the 4th quarter 2016, total employment (number of jobs) rose by 0.3% in comparison with the same quarter a year earlier (+0.2% with previous quarter).

Using google to map our ecosystem
Researchers in the Singapore-ETH Centre's Future Cities Laboratory developed a method to quantify ecosystem services of street trees. Using nearly 100,000 images from Google Street View, the study helps further understanding on how green spaces contribute to urban sustainability. Do you remember the last time you escaped the hot summer sun to enjoy a cool reprieve in the shade beneath a broad-leafed tree? While sizzling summer days may seem far away right now in the northern hemisphere, tropical cities like Singapore deal with solar radiation on a daily basis.

Federal Councillor Berset visits the Disney lab
Federal Councillor Alain Berset was invited by Lino Guzzella to visit ETH Zurich on Friday. Berset seemed very impressed by what he saw at the Disney Research Zurich research laboratory.

Novartis receives positive CHMP opinion for Tafinlar + Mekinist in BRAF-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients
If approved, Tafinlar + Mekinist will be the first targeted therapy specifically for NSCLC patients with a BRAF V600 mutation CHMP opinion based on positive data from pivotal study of patients with B

Antarctica: the ACE expedition completes its second leg
The ACE expedition has arrived in Chile. This marks the end of its second leg, during which the researchers made a stop on Antarctica, explored little-known ecosystems using a remote-controlled submersible and visited relatively uncharted territory.

Novartis drug Zykadia receives FDA Priority Review for first-line use in patients with ALK+ metastatic NSCLC
Priority Review based on Phase III study results showing 16.6 month median progression-free survival in previously untreated ALK+ metastatic NSCLC patients on Zykadia vs.

Reappointment of Gian-Luca Bona

2nd edition of the Swiss Cleantech
Six years after it first appeared, the second edition of the Swiss Cleantech Report was unveiled today at a press conference in Zurich.

Reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions: promotion or steering?
Policy interventions to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions have a variety of effects on the economy and on households.

Seven terrestrial exoplanets around a nearby star
An international team of astronomers has discovered a compact analogue of our inner solar system about 40 light-years away. Brice-Olivier Demory of the Center of Space and Habitability at the University of Bern, analysed the data collected with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and calculated that the newly detected exoplanets all have masses less or similar to the Earth.

‘For EU countries, Switzerland is an interesting laboratory’
Vincent Kaufmann, an EPFL researcher, has co-authored an essay on Switzerland's recent referendums on mobility and the free movement of people.

Innovation cannot be taught; it must be learned
ETH President Lino Guzzella welcomed Alexander van der Bellen to the University on Friday, where the Austrian President was shown how ETH is encouraging innovation.

Selenium deficiency promoted by climate change
As a result of climate change, concentrations of the trace element selenium in soils are likely to decrease.

Informatics, innovation and ethics: 36 research projects explore big data
The SNSF is launching the National Research Programme ‘Big Data', which aims to develop novel methods of information analysis, to create specific applications and to suggest solutions to the ethical and legal challenges posed by big data. Several billion gigabytes of data are created each day.

EPFL leads 14-million-euro EU projects in optomechanical technologies
A mechanically compliant capacitor: the key element of microwave optomechanical devices. Fabricated at EPFL's Center for MicroNanoTechnology.