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Scientists at EPFL have developed a scalable method to produce porous graphene membranes that efficiently separate carbon dioxide. The breakthrough could significantly reduce the cost and footprint of carbon capture technology. Capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial emissions is crucial in the fight against climate change.

Researchers at EPFL have found a way to dramatically reducing energy loss and boosting efficiency perovskite solar cells by incorporating rubidium using lattice strain-a slight deformation in the atomic structure that helps keep rubidium in place. Solar energy is one of the most promising solutions for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

A pioneering study has revealed how climate change is impacting glacier-fed streams and the essential microbiomes they contain - which could change radically by the end of this century. Climate change is causing the world's glaciers to disappear at an alarming rate. Scientists have been studying and modeling this process for years, but until now, no research group has specifically examined how glacier melt will affect glacier-fed streams and their ecosystems.

Scientists at EPFL and IBM Research have developed a compact optical amplifier based on a photonic chip that vastly outperforms traditional optical amplifiers in both bandwidth and efficiency. This breakthrough could reshape data center interconnects, AI accelerators, and high-performance computing.

Scientists have uncovered how a gut bacterium, Clostridium scindens, aids in healing intestinal injuries by restoring bile acid balance. Their findings could pave the way for new treatments for ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. The human gut is home to trillions of bacteria that play vital roles in digestion, immunity, and overall health.

Researchers have achieved a remarkable result: capturing and studying phase changes in quantum hardware, which hold hold promise for next-generation technologies like quantum computing and ultra-sensitive sensors. Phase transitions, like water freezing into ice, are a familiar part of our world. But in quantum systems, they can behave even more dramatically, with quantum properties such as Heisenberg uncertainty playing a central role.

Scientists have identified previously unknown neural modules in the brain that control movement and adapt during skill learning. Their findings challenge long-held ideas about how the brain organizes movement. For nearly a century, scientists have known that different parts of the human brain's cortex control different body movements.

Scientists at EPFL have revealed how quantum interference and symmetry dictate molecular behavior in collisions with gold surfaces, offering new insights into molecular interactions. The findings can have important implications for chemistry and materials science. The quantum rules shaping molecular collisions are now coming into focus, offering fresh insights for chemistry and materials science.

A bioinspired robot developed at EPFL can change shape to alter its own physical properties in response to its environment, resulting in a robust and efficient autonomous vehicle as well as a fresh approach to robotic locomotion. From mountain goats that run up near-vertical rock faces to armadillos that roll into a protective ball, animals have evolved to adapt effortlessly to changes in their environment.

EPFL engineers have developed a versatile swimming robot that nimbly navigates cluttered water surfaces. Inspired by marine flatworms, the innovative device offers new possibilities for environmental monitoring and ecological research. Swimming robots play a crucial role in mapping pollution, studying aquatic ecosystems, and monitoring water quality in sensitive areas such as coral reefs or lake shores.

A recent study examines the effectiveness of environmental strains for the production of biocement. The study's lead author, Dimitrios Terzis, is an EPFL senior scientist and a co-founder of Medusoil, a company that produces organic binders and that opened a production plant in Vaud in 2024. "For me, it's essential to keep conducting fundamental research," says Terzis, a civil engineer at EPFL's Soil Mechanics Laboratory.

Scientists have developed a geometric deep learning method that can create a coherent picture of neuronal population activity during cognitive and motor tasks across experimental subjects and conditions. In the parable of the blind men and the elephant, several blind men each describe a different part of an elephant they are touching - a sharp tusk, a flexible trunk, or a broad leg - and disagree about the animal's true nature.

Scientists at EPFL and the University of Southern Denmark have used holographic projections to bring unprecedented resolution to a light-based 3D printing technique. The method allows the fabrication of millimeter-scale objects within seconds using significantly less energy than previous approaches.

Scientists have identified a new property, interface flexibility, that controls how certain molecules naturally self-organize into crystalline supramolecular networks. This significant discovery could change the design of synthetic molecules for network growth at the nanoscale. Covalent bonding is a widely understood phenomenon that joins the atoms of a molecule by a shared electron pair.

Researchers have developed a computational method to explicitly consider the impact of water while designing membrane receptors with enhanced stability and signaling, paving the way for novel drug discovery and protein engineering. Proteins are life's engines, powering processes like muscle movement, vision, and chemical reactions.

Researchers have designed flexible, batlike wings that boost lift and improve flight performance. This innovation could lead to more efficient drones or energy-harvesting technologies. In 1934, French entomologist Antoine Magnan wrote that bumblebees "should not be able to fly", as their small wings should theoretically not be able to produce enough lift.

By applying techniques from explainable artificial intelligence, engineers can improve users' confidence in forecasts generated by artificial intelligence models. This approach was recently tested on wind power generation by a team that includes experts from EPFL. Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) is a branch of AI that helps users to peek inside the black-box of AI models to understand how their output is generated and whether their forecasts can be trusted.

Researchers have combined injections of a novel hydrogel with systemic osteoporosis drugs in rats, achieving rapid local increases in bone density. The results offer hope for future fracture prevention therapies in osteoporosis patients. Osteoporosis is a disease in which bone resorbs faster than it is formed, gradually weakening its structure over time and leading to fractures.

Researchers have created a new ultra-broadband electro-optic comb that packs 450 nm of light precision into a chip smaller than a coin, paving the way for smarter, more efficient photonic devices. In the world of modern optics, frequency combs are invaluable tools. These devices act as rulers for measuring light, enabling breakthroughs in telecommunications, environmental monitoring, and even astrophysics.

Twenty volunteers spent six months learning about the scientific method through a citizen-science initiative led by EPFL. The initiative was part of a study to determine how the microplastic particles released by tire wear are affecting lakes and rivers in Vaud Canton. The particles of plastic released as our tires rub against the pavement may be just a few millimeters big, but they're a huge source of pollution.