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Earth Sciences - Environment - 09.07.2018 
Charcoal: Major Missing Piece in the Global Carbon Cycle
Due to its widespread occurrence and tendency to linger in the environment, black carbon may be one of the keys in predicting and mitigating global climate change. In wildfires, typically one third of the burned organic carbon is retained as black carbon residues rather than emitted as greenhouse gases.
Social Sciences - Earth Sciences - 28.06.2018
Earth Sciences - 26.06.2018
Innovation / Technology - Earth Sciences - 04.06.2018 
A plateform for extracting crucial information from satellite images
EPFL start-up Picterra has devised a smart system that allows users to analyze drone or satellite images of a given territory: in a few clicks, they can extract information, statistics and representations of changes that have taken place in the area.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 31.05.2018 
«Top of Europe" for greenhouse gas
The research station at Jungfraujoch is at the top of Europe - and not only because of its unique location. Within the framework of the European research infrastructure «Integrated Carbon Observation System» (ICOS), the laboratory in the heart of the Alps is now officially certified. ICOS provides data to better understand the global carbon cycle and how human activities affect it.
Earth Sciences - 10.04.2018
Environment - Earth Sciences - 08.03.2018
Earth Sciences - 31.01.2018 
Two months in Pyeongchang to study Korean snowfalls
Josué Gehring is about to spend two months taking part in an international meteorological measurement project in the mountains of South Korea, close to the 2018 Winter Olympics host venues.
Earth Sciences - Environment - 24.01.2018 
Exploring lakes in Vanuatu
A research team from the Surface Waters Research and Management Department is investigating the earliest traces of human life in the tropical Pacific. In July 2017, the team undertook an expedition to Vanuatu in Melanesia. The researchers took sediment cores from the lakes and marshes on seven islands in order to test these for indications of the earliest human activities.
Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 07.12.2017
Earth Sciences - Event - 27.10.2017
Civil Engineering - Earth Sciences - 03.10.2017 
Swiss people may be ready to live car-free
Swiss people may be ready to live car-free under certain conditions. The findings of PostCarWorld, a cross-disciplinary study into Swiss people's contradictory relationship with cars, will be presented at EPFL on 3 October.
Medicine / Pharmacology - Earth Sciences - 08.09.2017
Environment - Earth Sciences - 04.09.2017 
Diverse Landscapes Are More Productive and Adapt better to Climate Change
The dramatic, worldwide loss of biodiversity is one of today's greatest environmental problems. The loss of species diversity affects important ecosystems on which humans depend. Previous research predominantly addressed short-term effects of biodiversity in small experimental plots planted with few randomly selected plant species.
Earth Sciences - 21.08.2017
Earth Sciences - 26.07.2017
History / Archeology - Earth Sciences - 20.06.2017 
A Wooden Toe: Swiss Egyptologists Study 3000-Year-Old Prosthesis
It is likely to be one of the oldest prosthetic devices in human history: Together with other experts, Egyptologists from the University of Basel have reexamined an artificial wooden big toe. The find is almost 3000 years old and was discovered in a female burial from the necropolis of Sheikh ´Abd el-Qurna close to Luxor.
Earth Sciences - Business / Economics - 16.06.2017 
A new view of the world
The Swiss World Atlas has been published in a completely revised new edition. In addition to the usual topographic relief maps, it also contains maps on current global issues such as the environment, energy and conflicts. Since 1910, the Swiss World Atlas has accompanied generations of secondary school pupils through their geography lessons, conveying not only a comprehensive picture of the earth, but also the specific geography of Switzerland.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 01.06.2017
Earth Sciences - 16.05.2017 
Reconstructing a lake’s history by simple means
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) The sediments of Lake Van in Eastern Anatolia (Turkey) are a valuable climate archive.
Earth Sciences - Astronomy / Space Science - 02.05.2017 
Two's company when it comes to 3D mapping
EPFL researchers have developed the terrestrial and aerial components of a European spatial and urban mapping project.
History / Archeology - Earth Sciences - 06.04.2017 
Prehistoric alpine farming in the Bernese Oberland
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) The people in Switzerland were on the move in the High Alps and running alpine pastures 7,000 years ago and therefore much earlier than previously assumed. A study by the University of Bern that combines archaeological knowledge with findings from palaeoecology comes to this conclusion.
Earth Sciences - Business / Economics - 27.03.2017 
Archival photos offer research value
A crowdmapping project developed by EPFL and HEIG-VD gives volunteers the chance to compare the Switzerland of the 1960s with that of today through archival photos.
Earth Sciences - Chemistry - 16.03.2017 
The dream of building bridges
The French geologist Matthieu Galvez is one of the winners of the Branco Weiss Fellowship 2016. We discuss how he will be using this fellowship, how it will benefit him and why he chose a career as a researcher.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 28.02.2017 
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.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 24.02.2017 
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.
Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 22.02.2017 
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.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 17.02.2017
Environment - Earth Sciences - 06.02.2017 
Bern study rehabilitates climate models
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) With new methods of reconstruction, climate researchers in Bern have been able to demonstrate that some 9,000 to 5,000 years ago, the Mediterranean climate was considerably warmer than previous studies had suggested. Among other things, previous concerns regarding the reliability of climate models could thus be dispelled.
Earth Sciences - Physics / Materials Science - 23.01.2017 
Chronicle of a catastrophic landslide
Dramatic developments have been documented at the Aletsch glacier, where the ice has retreated at such a pace that an adjoining slope has also started to move rapidly. With the help of a unique dataset, researchers are able to demonstrate a direct connection between the ice loss of the Aletsch glacier and the slippage of the Moosfluh slope.
Social Sciences - Earth Sciences - 13.01.2017 
Bhutan's happiness stems from its hydropower too
EPFL researchers are supporting this Himalayan country's efforts to expand its hydropower capacity. At a time when dams in Switzerland are up for sale, another small mountainous country intent on preserving its natural environment is looking to further tap into its hydroelectric potential.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 20.12.2016 
Three months in the Antarctic to unlock the secrets of our climate
The Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE), the first project run by the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI), will set sail this evening from South Africa.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 16.12.2016 
A month at sea expanding her horizons and knowledge
EPFL student Oriane Etter and 48 other students from universities around the globe just completed the ACE Maritime University.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 14.12.2016 
The open-air researcher
Atmospheric scientist Julia Schmale is starting out, together with more than fifty other researchers, on a three-month research cruise around the Antarctic.
Earth Sciences - 18.11.2016 
Anchors aweigh and off to the Antarctic!
The research ship Akademik Treshnikov is due to set sail for Cape Town tomorrow, transporting researchers and equipment for a major Antarctic circumnavigation expedition.
Chemistry - Earth Sciences - 31.10.2016 
Cadmium, cocoa beans and chocolate
Cocoa from Latin America tends to show higher cadmium levels than cocoa from other growing areas. ETH researchers have been investigating the underlying cause in Honduras and Bolivia. A few years ago, the press picked up on worrying reports by German scientists that dark chocolate can sometimes contain significant amounts of cadmium, a poisonous heavy metal.
Earth Sciences - Astronomy / Space Science - 24.10.2016
Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 21.10.2016
Medicine / Pharmacology - Earth Sciences - 14.09.2016 
University of Zurich launches initiative for the Digital Society
Buzzwords like Industry 4.0 or Big Data and the massive spread of digital technology, such as smartphones, apps or vehicles with state-of-the-art computers, all show one thing: Thanks to digitization, our society, our world of work and our free time are in the throes of a fundamental transformation.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 31.08.2016 
Freshening of the Southern Ocean
Over the past decades, the northward drift of sea ice surrounding Antarctica has strengthened.
Event - Earth Sciences - 05.06.2016
Environment - Earth Sciences - 18.04.2016 
Newly created Swiss Polar Institute to launch an Antarctic expedition
18.04.16 - The Swiss Polar Institute will study the Earth's poles and extreme environments.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 18.04.2016 
Newly created Swiss Polar Institute to launch a Antarctic expedition
18.04.16 - The Swiss Polar Institute will study the Earth's poles and extreme environments.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 05.04.2016
Earth Sciences - 05.04.2016 
Fireproof hybrid wood
For centuries, wood has been a popular light, solid building material. Moreover, it is a renewable and easily recyclable raw material - with one drawback: wood burns. But this doesn't necessarily have to be that way, as researchers from Empa demonstrate. Ecological construction is all the rage. Aspects such as the sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings are crucial.
Earth Sciences - Environment - 31.03.2016
Earth Sciences - 29.03.2016
Careers / Employment - Earth Sciences - 29.01.2016
Environment - Earth Sciences - 17.12.2015 
Putting carbon back where it came from: underground
17.12.15 - Will the future run entirely on renewables? According to Lyesse Laloui, the Paris Climate Conference could be catalytic, but in the meantime, we may have to bury our CO 2 emissions underground.
Earth Sciences - Environment - 10.09.2015 
Revived oceanic CO 2 uptake
A decade ago scientists feared that the ability of the Southern Ocean to absorb additional atmospheric CO 2 would soon be stalled.
Earth Sciences
Results 1 - 50 of 74.
Due to its widespread occurrence and tendency to linger in the environment, black carbon may be one of the keys in predicting and mitigating global climate change. In wildfires, typically one third of the burned organic carbon is retained as black carbon residues rather than emitted as greenhouse gases.
From Wooden Combs to the Lives of the Saamaka Marron in Suriname
Video preview of the exhibition "Encountering - Retracing - Mapping. The Expedition Collections of Heinrich Harrer".
Video preview of the exhibition "Encountering - Retracing - Mapping. The Expedition Collections of Heinrich Harrer".
EPFL start-up Picterra has devised a smart system that allows users to analyze drone or satellite images of a given territory: in a few clicks, they can extract information, statistics and representations of changes that have taken place in the area.
The research station at Jungfraujoch is at the top of Europe - and not only because of its unique location. Within the framework of the European research infrastructure «Integrated Carbon Observation System» (ICOS), the laboratory in the heart of the Alps is now officially certified. ICOS provides data to better understand the global carbon cycle and how human activities affect it.
Earthquake engineering: an EPFL laboratory stands out
Three researchers from the Resilient Steel Structures Laboratory (RESSlab) beat 11 other teams to win an international computer simulation contest on earthquake engineering.
Three researchers from the Resilient Steel Structures Laboratory (RESSlab) beat 11 other teams to win an international computer simulation contest on earthquake engineering.
Josué Gehring is about to spend two months taking part in an international meteorological measurement project in the mountains of South Korea, close to the 2018 Winter Olympics host venues.
A research team from the Surface Waters Research and Management Department is investigating the earliest traces of human life in the tropical Pacific. In July 2017, the team undertook an expedition to Vanuatu in Melanesia. The researchers took sediment cores from the lakes and marshes on seven islands in order to test these for indications of the earliest human activities.
Swiss people may be ready to live car-free under certain conditions. The findings of PostCarWorld, a cross-disciplinary study into Swiss people's contradictory relationship with cars, will be presented at EPFL on 3 October.
Roche provides update on first lampalizumab phase III study for geographic atrophy, an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration
Roche provides update on first lampalizumab phase III study for geographic atrophy, an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration Spectri study did not meet its primary endpoint of reducing mean change in geographic atrophy lesion area in patients treated with lampalizumab compared with sham treatment Safety profile was in line with previous lampalizumab trials and other intravitreal therapies Results from the second phase III study, Chro
Roche provides update on first lampalizumab phase III study for geographic atrophy, an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration Spectri study did not meet its primary endpoint of reducing mean change in geographic atrophy lesion area in patients treated with lampalizumab compared with sham treatment Safety profile was in line with previous lampalizumab trials and other intravitreal therapies Results from the second phase III study, Chro
The dramatic, worldwide loss of biodiversity is one of today's greatest environmental problems. The loss of species diversity affects important ecosystems on which humans depend. Previous research predominantly addressed short-term effects of biodiversity in small experimental plots planted with few randomly selected plant species.
Large-Mouthed Fish Was Top Predator After Mass Extinction
Possible look of the newly discovered predatory fish species Birgeria americana with the fossil oft he skull shown at bottom right (Artwork: Nadine Bösch) The most catastrophic mass extinction on Earth took place about 252 million years ago - at the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geological periods.
Possible look of the newly discovered predatory fish species Birgeria americana with the fossil oft he skull shown at bottom right (Artwork: Nadine Bösch) The most catastrophic mass extinction on Earth took place about 252 million years ago - at the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geological periods.
It is likely to be one of the oldest prosthetic devices in human history: Together with other experts, Egyptologists from the University of Basel have reexamined an artificial wooden big toe. The find is almost 3000 years old and was discovered in a female burial from the necropolis of Sheikh ´Abd el-Qurna close to Luxor.
The Swiss World Atlas has been published in a completely revised new edition. In addition to the usual topographic relief maps, it also contains maps on current global issues such as the environment, energy and conflicts. Since 1910, the Swiss World Atlas has accompanied generations of secondary school pupils through their geography lessons, conveying not only a comprehensive picture of the earth, but also the specific geography of Switzerland.
Landscapes remain under pressure
Bern, 01.06.2017 - Landscapes play an important role in Switzerland's quality of life and attractiveness as a location. They remain under considerable pressure: the latest results of the Landscape Monitoring Switzerland programme reveal a continuous deterioration in the quality of the country's landscapes.
Bern, 01.06.2017 - Landscapes play an important role in Switzerland's quality of life and attractiveness as a location. They remain under considerable pressure: the latest results of the Landscape Monitoring Switzerland programme reveal a continuous deterioration in the quality of the country's landscapes.
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) The sediments of Lake Van in Eastern Anatolia (Turkey) are a valuable climate archive.
EPFL researchers have developed the terrestrial and aerial components of a European spatial and urban mapping project.
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) The people in Switzerland were on the move in the High Alps and running alpine pastures 7,000 years ago and therefore much earlier than previously assumed. A study by the University of Bern that combines archaeological knowledge with findings from palaeoecology comes to this conclusion.
A crowdmapping project developed by EPFL and HEIG-VD gives volunteers the chance to compare the Switzerland of the 1960s with that of today through archival photos.
The French geologist Matthieu Galvez is one of the winners of the Branco Weiss Fellowship 2016. We discuss how he will be using this fellowship, how it will benefit him and why he chose a career as a researcher.
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.
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.
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.
A novel socio-ecological approach helps identifying suitable wolf habitats in human-dominated landscapes
The wolf was eradicated in Switzerland and from large parts of continental Europe including France and Germany by the end of the 19th century. Following legal protection, the wolf population started naturally increasing and expanding, and in 1995 its presence was confirmed in Switzerland. Sightings have increased since.
The wolf was eradicated in Switzerland and from large parts of continental Europe including France and Germany by the end of the 19th century. Following legal protection, the wolf population started naturally increasing and expanding, and in 1995 its presence was confirmed in Switzerland. Sightings have increased since.
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) With new methods of reconstruction, climate researchers in Bern have been able to demonstrate that some 9,000 to 5,000 years ago, the Mediterranean climate was considerably warmer than previous studies had suggested. Among other things, previous concerns regarding the reliability of climate models could thus be dispelled.
Dramatic developments have been documented at the Aletsch glacier, where the ice has retreated at such a pace that an adjoining slope has also started to move rapidly. With the help of a unique dataset, researchers are able to demonstrate a direct connection between the ice loss of the Aletsch glacier and the slippage of the Moosfluh slope.
EPFL researchers are supporting this Himalayan country's efforts to expand its hydropower capacity. At a time when dams in Switzerland are up for sale, another small mountainous country intent on preserving its natural environment is looking to further tap into its hydroelectric potential.
The Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE), the first project run by the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI), will set sail this evening from South Africa.
EPFL student Oriane Etter and 48 other students from universities around the globe just completed the ACE Maritime University.
Atmospheric scientist Julia Schmale is starting out, together with more than fifty other researchers, on a three-month research cruise around the Antarctic.
The research ship Akademik Treshnikov is due to set sail for Cape Town tomorrow, transporting researchers and equipment for a major Antarctic circumnavigation expedition.
Cocoa from Latin America tends to show higher cadmium levels than cocoa from other growing areas. ETH researchers have been investigating the underlying cause in Honduras and Bolivia. A few years ago, the press picked up on worrying reports by German scientists that dark chocolate can sometimes contain significant amounts of cadmium, a poisonous heavy metal.
Swiss Researchers Fly Into Weightlessness
The dream of weightlessness came true on Saturday for two researchers from the University of Basel. During a parabolic flight, the scientists tested a newly developed measuring device under reduced gravity. The instrument analyzes the deposition of sediments and is intended to support the search for life on Mars.
The dream of weightlessness came true on Saturday for two researchers from the University of Basel. During a parabolic flight, the scientists tested a newly developed measuring device under reduced gravity. The instrument analyzes the deposition of sediments and is intended to support the search for life on Mars.
Second research flight into zero gravity
A year ago, the University of Zurich conducted its first parabolic flight for test purposes from Swiss soil. Now a second aircraft is ready for lift-off to research zero gravity: Tomorrow (Saturday), an Airbus A310 ZERO-G is set to take off from the air force base in Dübendorf equipped with scientific experiments from the Universities of Zurich, Basel, Lucerne and ETH Zurich.
A year ago, the University of Zurich conducted its first parabolic flight for test purposes from Swiss soil. Now a second aircraft is ready for lift-off to research zero gravity: Tomorrow (Saturday), an Airbus A310 ZERO-G is set to take off from the air force base in Dübendorf equipped with scientific experiments from the Universities of Zurich, Basel, Lucerne and ETH Zurich.
Buzzwords like Industry 4.0 or Big Data and the massive spread of digital technology, such as smartphones, apps or vehicles with state-of-the-art computers, all show one thing: Thanks to digitization, our society, our world of work and our free time are in the throes of a fundamental transformation.
Over the past decades, the northward drift of sea ice surrounding Antarctica has strengthened.
18.04.16 - The Swiss Polar Institute will study the Earth's poles and extreme environments.
18.04.16 - The Swiss Polar Institute will study the Earth's poles and extreme environments.
Off to Tierra del Fuego
Levels of greenhouse gas CO2 continue to rise and are about to exceed the next threshold. Empa makes sure that this and other air pollutants can be measured correctly and in a globally comparable way.
Levels of greenhouse gas CO2 continue to rise and are about to exceed the next threshold. Empa makes sure that this and other air pollutants can be measured correctly and in a globally comparable way.
For centuries, wood has been a popular light, solid building material. Moreover, it is a renewable and easily recyclable raw material - with one drawback: wood burns. But this doesn't necessarily have to be that way, as researchers from Empa demonstrate. Ecological construction is all the rage. Aspects such as the sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings are crucial.
Prey scarcity and competition led to extinction of ancient monster shark
It lived millions of years ago and was three times as large as the great white shark: the megalodon.
It lived millions of years ago and was three times as large as the great white shark: the megalodon.
17.12.15 - Will the future run entirely on renewables? According to Lyesse Laloui, the Paris Climate Conference could be catalytic, but in the meantime, we may have to bury our CO 2 emissions underground.
A decade ago scientists feared that the ability of the Southern Ocean to absorb additional atmospheric CO 2 would soon be stalled.
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