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Climate change is particularly intense in the Arctic. To assess its consequences and determine what role this region plays in global warming, two teams of scientists from EPFL have visited the area. One to gain a better understanding of the region's air composition, the other to quantify the greenhouse gases sequestered in Greenland fjords sourced by glacial water.

Are you concerned about hackers stealing your fingerprint and face data for accessing your smartphone? researchers have found numerous security flaws in Android's most privileged components before hackers do and give advice to users on how to reduce risks. researchers in computer and communication sciences are hacking and fixing Android phones before malicious hackers do.

Scientists have developed an AI-based technique to improve chemical analysis of nanomaterials, overcoming challenges of noisy data and mixed signals. "Nanomaterials" is a broad term used to describe chemical substances or materials in which a single unit is sized between 1 and 100 nanometers (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter).

Extreme heatwaves are on the rise. When do they become critical for forest trees? In the hot summer of 2023, a research team led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) investigated this in Switzerland, southern France and Spain.

A team of scientists from EPFL and other research institutes have identified just how an Alpine flower is surviving by adapting its genes to local habitats. This discovery has important implications for the protection of ecosystems under threat. In the Alps, adventurous hikers aren't the only ones to regularly climb to new heights.

Researchers a novel AI-driven model designed to predict protein sequences from backbone scaffolds, incorporating complex molecular environments. It promises significant advancements in protein engineering and applications across various fields, including medicine and biotechnology. Image caption: Schematic representation of sequence prediction with CARBonAra.

Researchers have published a programmable framework that overcomes a key computational bottleneck of optics-based artificial intelligence systems. In a series of image classification experiments, they used scattered light from a low-power laser to perform accurate, scalable computations using a fraction of the energy of electronics.

In a new study, scientists found that rhinoceros beetles use passive mechanisms to deploy and retract wings instead of muscles. The findings inspired them to design a new microrobot, demonstrating a simple, yet effective, approach to the design of insect-like flying micromachines. Birds, bats, and bees all'use distinct muscles to deploy and retract their wings.

In an important study for understanding how memories are made, scientists show that the flexibility of chromatin - packaged DNA inside the cell - plays a crucial role in "deciding" which neurons are involved in forming a specific memory. When we form a new memory, the brain undergoes physical and functional changes known collectively as a "memory trace".

Addressing problems with diagnosing and treating breast cancer, scientists at EPFL have developed EMBER, a tool that integrates breast cancer transcriptomic data from multiple databases. EMBER can improve precision oncology by accurately predicting molecular subtypes and therapy responses. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide.

Developed at EPFL, Heriot-Watt University, and ETH Zurich, PrISMa is a new platform that uses advanced simulations and machine learning to streamline carbon capture technologies, by taking into account the perspectives of diverse stakeholders early in the research process. Mitigating the effects of climate change has become a major focus worldwide, with countries and international organizations developing various strategies to address the problem.

Researchers at EPFL have discovered how amyloid fibrils form complex structures, shedding light on diseases like Alzheimer's and opening new doors in material science. Amyloids are protein aggregates that can form in the body, sometimes leading to diseases like Alzheimer's. These fibrils can adopt multiple shapes, known as "polymorphs", which complicate our understanding of their role in health and disease.

Researchers discovered that deepwater renewal in Lake Geneva in wintertime is not only due to vertical mixing. Instead, strong currents coming from the lake's Petit Lac basin and nearshore zones of the Grand Lac play a vital role. In temperate lakes, deep vertical mixing, known as turnover, happens during winter.

Researchers at EPFL have made a breakthrough in understanding how neural network-based generative models perform against traditional data sampling techniques in complex systems, unveiling both challenges and opportunities for AI's future in data generation. The world of artificial intelligence (AI) has recently seen significant advancements in generative models, a type of machine-learning algorithms that "learn" patterns from set of data in order to generate new, similar sets of data.

EPFL engineers have created a device that can efficiently convert heat into electrical voltage at temperatures lower than that of outer space. The innovation could help overcome a significant obstacle to the advancement of quantum computing technologies, which require extremely low temperatures to function optimally.

Scientists at EPFL unveil DiffPALM, an innovative AI method that enhances the prediction of protein interactions and our understanding of biological processes potentially relevant to medical applications. Proteins are the building blocks of life, involved in virtually every biological process. Understanding how proteins interact with each other is crucial for deciphering the complexities of cellular functions, and has significant implications for drug development and the treatment of diseases.

Researchers at EPFL have discovered that by shining different wavelengths of light on a material called magnetite, they can change its state, making it more or less conducive to electricity. This could lead to the development of innovative materials for electronics. Magnetite is the oldest and strongest natural magnet.

Scientists have discovered that in indoor spaces, droplets containing the flu virus will remain infectious for longer when they also contain certain types of bacteria found in our respiratory tract. This finding provides important insight into how respiratory infections are transmitted and can enhance estimates of exposure risk.

Researchers have succeeded in directing floating objects around an aquatic obstacle course using only soundwaves. Their novel, optics-inspired method holds great promise for biomedical applications such as noninvasive targeted drug delivery. In 2018, Arthur Ashkin won the Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing optical tweezers : laser beams that can be used to manipulate microscopic particles.

Scientists at EPFL have developed advanced atom-thin graphene membranes with pyridinic-nitrogen at pore edges, showing unprecedented performance in CO2 capture. It marks a significant stride toward more efficient carbon capture technologies. As the world battles climate change, the need for efficient and cost-effective carbon capture technologies is more urgent than ever.