science wire

Five energy-efficient piles are being installed between end-May and the beginning of June in the foundations of the future building. They will enable research to be performed on the leveraging of geothermal energy and the mechanical behavior of the foundations. A new crane has appeared on the building site.

It's possible to regain mobility in your arms using "Nano" after a cerebro-vascular accident (CVA). Developed by MindMaze, an EPFL spin-off company, this device can be used every day at home.

Can the financial sector regulate itself? A study carried out by EPFL's Swiss Finance Institute, involving 350 American institutions, shows that those that perform poorly in times of crisis will also be adversely affected the next time.

Thanks to the raising of three million dollars, Martin Odersky has just created the company Typesafe.

Could our drinking water resources be at risk from drought, among other things? The canton of Vaud has commissioned an EPFL laboratory to draw up a geological map of the conservation and the water resources.

How can regions be helped in recognizing their advantages and in putting forward their own strategies? Researchers from EPFL have developed a tool that will help them to develop a different kind of economy.

Transforming solar energy into a usable form is a real challenge. One technique is to use semiconductors to store the energy as hydrogen. Unfortunately, the most efficient semiconductors are not the most stable. An EPFL team has just discovered that it is possible to protect the semiconductor with a uniform layer just a few nanometers thick.

Renovated from top to bottom, EPFL's microengineering building is now prepared to house new, highly promising experiments in microengineering and bioengineering.

EssentialMed, a start-up based at EPFL's science park, has as its mission the development of medical devices specially designed for poorer countries.

New EPFL spin-off Pix4D generates 3D images from simple snapshots and drones using cloud computing and takes time into account as well.

Much more than an exhibition, the Robotics Festival will enable both children and adults to better understand the technology behind these devices - of varying shapes and astonishing abilities - through touching, building and programming.

A profoundly human experience is examined using brain scans and robotics. A new study uses creative engineering to unravel brain mechanisms associated with one of the most fundamental subjective human feelings: self-consciousness. The research, published in the April 28 issue of the journal Neuron, identifies a brain region called the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) as being critical for the feeling of being an entity localized at a particular position in space and for perceiving the world from this perspective.

Study confirms human contamination through contact with armadillos Using advanced DNA analysis and extensive field work, an international research team has confirmed the link between leprosy infection in Americans and the presence of armadillos. In a joint collaboration between the Global Health Institute at EPFL in Switzerland and the National Hansen's Disease Program, clear evidence was found that a never-before-seen strain of Mycobacterium leprae has emerged in the Southern United States and that it is transmitted through contact with armadillos carrying the disease.

The functioning of the new hydroelectric power plant in Veytaux is being studied in the machine hall of the EPFL Hydraulic Constructions Laboratory (LCH) on a 1:30 scale model.

Using lasers, EPFL scientists are dissecting the movements of fluids. The goal of the exercise: to obtain a better understanding of the internal dynamics of complex phenomena such as avalanches and torrential floods.

A new high-performance electrical system has been developed by the Industrial Electronics Laboratory at EPFL to ensure the particle accelerators of the CERN receive an energy supply that is both powerful and sufficiently stable.

An anti-inflammation drug's well-kept secrets have finally been uncovered thanks to a type of yeast; a discovery that will impact treatments for other diseases and limit side effects. Sulfasalazine is a frequently used drug, but its anti-inflammation mechanism has remained, to date, poorly understood.

Molybdenum based catalysts now enable a more cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen production. Producing hydrogen in a sustainable way is a challenge and production cost is too high. A team led by EPFL Professor Xile Hu has discovered that a molybdenum based catalyst allows hydrogen production at room temperature, and is inexpensive and efficient.

The navigator from the Swiss canton of Vaud is working with EPFL to equip his new boat, Rivages, designed for the Vendée Globe 2012.

Tuberculosis still affects thousands of victims worldwide.

Surround sight has come to the camera. Inspired by the eye of a fly, EPFL scientists have invented a camera that can take pictures and film in 360° and reconstruct the images in 3D.