news

A protein that stays attached on chromosomes during cell division plays a critical role in determining the type of cell that stem cells can become. The discovery, made by EPFL scientists, has significant implications for stem cell biology and their use in medicine. When cells divide, DNA is neatly wrapped up into chromosomes, and the normal expression of genes into proteins stops until the new cells are formed.

Several simple and inexpensive techniques make it possible to store antiviral-vaccines at room temperature for several months.

EPFL scientists have developed a new perovskite material with unique properties that can be used to build next-generation hard drives.

Researchers led by EPFL have built ultra-high quality optical cavities for the elusive mid-infrared spectral region, paving the way for new chemical and biological sensors, as well as promising technologies. The mid-infrared spectral window, referred to as 'molecular fingerprint region,' includes light wavelengths from 2.5 to 20 'm.

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.

Type-1 diabetes occurs when immune cells attack the pancreas. EPFL scientists have now discovered what may trigger this attack, opening new directions for treatments. Type-1 diabetes is the rarest but most aggressive form of diabetes, usually affecting young children and adolescents. The patient's own immune cells begin to attack the cells in the pancreas that make insulin, eventually eliminating its production in the body.

EPFL scientists have developed a gel for growing miniaturized body organs that can be used in clinical diagnostics and drug development.

Researchers have come up with a way to link a smartwatch to the metabolic monitors used with patients in intensive care. If the sensors - which were developed at EPFL - detect an anomaly, the doctor on duty receives an alert anywhere in the hospital. Intensive care doctors may soon be able to wear a smartwatch connected to the system that keeps tabs on the vital parameters of patients in the intensive care unit.

EPFL scientists measured for the first time - at centimeter resolutions - how the snowscape of Antarctic ice in the sea changed, before and after a blizzard. This data will help build better weather models for the South Pole and the world's climate. EPFL scientists provided the first detailed measurements of how a blizzard affects snow cover on an Antarctic ice floe.

A new technology developed by PlayfulVision, an EPFL startup, records all aspects of sporting events for subsequent analysis in augmented reality.

Microbiologists at EPFL and the University of Edinburgh have discovered that red squirrels in Britain and Ireland carry the two bacterial species that cause leprosy in humans. Once rampant in medieval Europe, leprosy dramatically declined by the end of the Middle Ages for reasons that are still unclear.

Non-human primates regain control of their paralyzed leg ­- as early as six days after spinal cord injury - thanks to a neuroprosthetic interface that acts as a wireless bridge between the brain and spine, bypassing the injury.

Lignin is a bulky chain of molecules found in wood and is usually discarded during biofuel production. But in a new method by EPFL chemists, the simple addition of formaldehyde could turn it into the main focus. Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels means turning to plant-derived biofuels and chemicals.

Researchers are working on a new strategy to combat one of the most severe forms of muscular dystrophy. Rather than acting on the defective gene, they are using large doses of a vitamin. Duchenne is the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy. Because of this genetic disease, one out of every 3,500 children spends their 12th birthday in a wheelchair.

Since the popular game came out this past summer, the number of videos about it on YouTube has skyrocketed.

Naturally occurring bacteria could consume pent-up hydrogen gas in nuclear waste repositories to prevent radioactive leaks, say researchers at EPFL. Scientists may have found an unexpected ally in the long-term disposal of nuclear waste: bacteria. In a recent study, a research team led by EPFL discovered a microbial community made up of seven species of bacteria that live naturally hundreds of meters underground in the very rock layers that have been chosen to host Swiss nuclear waste.

An EPFL team is developing soft, flexible and reconfigurable robots. Air-actuated, they behave like human muscles and may be used in physical rehabilitation.

Researchers have developed an image-reconstruction algorithm that improves the performance of ultrasound equipment. This breakthrough could have important implications in the fields of cardiology and neurosurgery. Over the past 30 years, ultrasound has become one of the most widely used imaging technologies in medicine.

A new study has found that hydraulics determines microbial lifestyles along streams and rivers, with important implications for river health, biodiversity, and water quality. In streams and rivers, bacteria, algae, and other microorganisms form tight-knit communities that feed the ecosystem, drive its biodiversity, and purify its water.

EPFL researchers have printed nanometric-scale sensors capable of improving the performance of atomic force microscopes. Tiny sensors made through nanoscale 3D printing may be the basis for the next generation of atomic force microscopes. These nanosensors can enhance the microscopes? sensitivity and detection speed by miniaturizing their detection component up to 100 times.