science wire

18. With today's launch of the nationwide initiative called Switzerland Innovation, Switzerland affirms its position as a global leader in innovation.

11. EPFL scientists have developed a new method that turns cells into stem cells by "squeezing" them. The method paves the way for large-scale production of stem cells for medical purposes. Stem cells are now at the cutting edge of modern medicine. They can transform into a cells of different organs, offering new ways to treat a range of injuries and diseases from Parkinson's to diabetes.

04. The Human Brain Project provided a first proof of concept with a numerical reconstruction of a portion of a rat neocortex, the public came in droves to EPFL's new science festival, and researchers launched a social network platform to monitor public sentiment during the global climate conference.

29. EPFL's Campus Biotech in Geneva was inaugurated in May. Researchers and students were full of imagination and made remarkable advances in the fields of infectious diseases, quantum technologies, the production of biofuels and rehabilitation.

24. Considerable advances were made during the first months of 2015, notably in the field of brain implants. EPFL scientists also worked on research into graphene, extra-terrestrial life, robotics for teaching and the immune system. State representatives from all over the world came to our school in April.

23. Hidden elements can now be placed into an inkjet printed image, thanks to EPFL software. These hidden elements become visible by simply rotating the print.

17. 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 CO2 emissions underground.

16. Be it in the world of work or in our daily routines, the digital revolution is in the process of transforming our way of life and our economy in a fundamental and lasting way.

08. The Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology has announced the appointment of four professors at EPFL. Jürgen Brugger as Full Professor of Microtechnology in the School of Engineering (STI) Jürgen Brugger is an innovator in the field of microsystems. His research focuses in particular on microand nano-manufacturing techniques as well as on the integration of novel functional materials such as microlenses and conductive inks into the latest generation of microsystems.

03. EPFL's Social Media Lab (ESML) will take advantage of the COP21 Climate Forum in Paris to test Horizon, its social media-based public opinion tracking tool.

27. A small group of EPFL students captured second place at the international competition iCan with their bike light with an air pollution gauge.

25. Time and space are celebrating their 100th wedding anniversary. To mark the centenary of relativity theory, Anais Rassat and her cross-Channel accomplices have put Einstein front and center in an entertaining animated film.

24. EPFL and Penn State University are releasing an unprecedented 50,000 open-access photos of plant diseases.

16. Researchers have come up with a system capable of automatically captioning photos, including with sentences it was not taught.

05. They fly, crawl, swim or sift through rubble after a disaster: robots from all across Switzerland were brought to EPFL on Wednesday for the first ever Swiss Robotics Industry Day (video report).

04. For the first time in Switzerland, autonomous shuttles could make the rounds of a city center. Researchers at EPFL, in association with the startup BestMile and the public bus operator PostBus, are working on how to integrate these vehicles into the public transport system.

30. What drives people to spend hours commuting to and from work? A book written by EPFL sociologists analyzes this phenomenon - its structure, its social consequences and how it has changed over time.

29. Two EPFL doctoral students created algorithms capable of eliminating false alarms that pollute intensive care units.

09. Lasers with a wavelength of two microns could move the boundaries of surgery and molecule detection.

l. to r. Patrick Aebischer (EPFL), Roberto Balzaretti (EU Swiss ambassador), Carlos Moedas (EU, Head of Research and Innovation), Lino Guzzella (ETH Zürich).

29. Facing the lack of scientifically based evidence in the field of nutrition, a university and a foundation unite forces in the areas of research and public outreach.

28. Researchers at EPFL have come up with a folding, reconfigurable robot that is capable of crawling and jumping.

25. At its most recent meeting on September 23th and 24th, the ETH Board nominated 15 EPFL professors.

25. Tapping into the potential of cities to promote high quality of life with a low ecological footprint is more crucial than ever in an increasingly urbanized world.

25. Two EPFL students have developed a model to teach women how to build toilets in India. They were invited to present their project this past summer at a conference held at UN headquarters in New York.

1500e inevtion: the final step in a microscope capable of providing three-dimensional high-resolution images of functioning cells in the human body.

24. EPFL scientists have found that combining antidepressants with anticoagulants slows down brain tumors (gliomas) in mice. Gliomas are aggressive brain tumors arising from the brain's supporting glial cells. They account for about a third of all brain tumors, and hold the highest incidence and mortality rate among primary brain cancer patients, creating an urgent need for effective treatments.

22. At EPFL, the Center for Research in Plasma Physics (CRPP) has become the Swiss Plasma Center (SPC), and for good reason: the Center is upgrading its facilities and expanding its scope of activities.

21. EPFL scientists have developed a method that improves the accuracy of DNA sequencing up to a thousand times. The method, which uses nanopores to read individual nucleotides, paves the way for better - and cheaper - DNA sequencing. DNA sequencing is a technique that can determine exact sequence of a DNA molecule.

09. Summer Series: Student Projects - Aranya Goswami works on carbon nanotubes, which, among their many extraordinary properties, can also be combined with polymers and biological molecules to detect chemicals.

02. Esther Amstad and an international team of researchers have developed a method to increase the solubility of poorly soluble substances, such as many of the newly developed drugs. "Each year, pharmaceutical companies refuse many drugs during early stages of their development because of their poor solubility in the body which prevents their efficient uptake by the human body" explains Esther Amstad.

31. A study published describes work led by the University of Geneva's (UNIGE) Faculties of Medicine and Sciences, on the indisputable role of the olfactory bulb in mammal brains' ability to discriminate between smells.

28. Driving in Nairobi is often akin to navigating an obstacle course. Residents can now do something about it thanks to an app developed with EPFL.

26. Monkeys and humans exhibit greater motor recovery than rats after similar spinal cord injury, according to a study conducted in Grégoire Courtine's lab at EPFL.

24. An EPFL researcher is modeling cities in order to understand their metabolism and determine their ecological impact when they grow and change. Her research is aimed at identifying the urban form that is most efficient and consumes the least amount of natural resources. With cities expected to grow significantly in the future, it is vital to plan their development and anticipate their impact on the environment ahead of time.

21. Microalgae are a promising feedstock for biofuels, but current methods of harvesting and dewatering them are unsustainable. Now researchers have shown that growing the algae with certain filamentous fungi to form lichens can reduce both cost and the energy input. Biofuels produced using microalgae could play an important role in the transition from a fossil fuel-based to a sustainable economy.

14. To cut the cost of biofuels, their production-process can be enhanced to include additional valuable biochemical compounds.

12. Inspired by the compound eyes of fruit flies, a team of researchers from EPFL has developed an artificial eye that allows robots to detect and avoid obstacles.

EPFL spin-off "Innovative Medicines for Tuberculosis" (iM4TB) has been awarded nearly USD 750,000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a breakthrough drug against tuberculosis.

Two thirds of humankind do not have access to radiography, essential to the practice of modern medicine.

The Council of Federal Institutes of Technology appointed ten professors at its march meeting.

The Federal Council decided today to prolong the mandate of professor Patrick Aebischer until December 31, 2016, based on the unanimous proposal of the ETH Board and the wish of Patrick Aebischer to hand over the presidency of the School in a little less than two years.

The UNIL-EPFL Centre sport et santé (CSS), the CHUV and the Zoé4life association are teaming up. They launched a programme for the benefit of children with cancer.

The Fondation Gandur pour l'Art is supporting the creation of a Digital Humanities research chair at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), dedicated to the promotion and study of artistic heritage through new technologies. The research conducted will contribute to shaping the museums of tomorrow.

A new system of wireless microelectrodes aims to detect the location of epilepsy in the brain with high precision. This technique, under development at EPFL, is much less invasive than the current method. It will allow patients to go about their daily life while their brain activity is being monitored.