science wire

Despite a wet and grey June, summers in Switzerland are getting hotter than expected. The increased summer temperatures harbour risks that we are not well prepared for, says Dominik Schumacher.

Rasmus Kyng has written the near-perfect algorithm. It computes the maximum transport flow at minimum cost for any kind of network - be it rail, road or electricity - at a speed that is, mathematically speaking, impossible to beat.

Everyone talks about Artificial Intelligence but its current adoption rates are low in the Swiss tech industry, especially in manufacturing-related applications.

Jessica Droujko's start-up, Riverkin, measures the water quality of freshwater ecosystems and helps quantify and respond to risks such as floods and pollution. Thanks to an ETH Pioneer Fellowship, her work is now picking up speed. Jessica Droujko is passionate about water - and rivers in particular.

ETH professor Mirko Meboldt helps Swiss SMEs find the right technology to tackle the challenges they face.

The numerous spin-offs and patents generated at ETH Zurich are the driving force behind innovation in the Swiss economy.

ETH's outstanding reputation attracts top-flight researchers from all'over the world. This pool of talent makes Zurich a major draw for global companies such as Microsoft.

From devising forecasting models for the Federal Finance Administration and describing the latest trends in civil protection, researchers routinely supply vital support to the Swiss state and help drive innovation.

ETH professor Mirko Meboldt helps Swiss SMEs find the right technology to tackle the challenges they face.

The federal government has plans to tax electric vehicles to secure funding for road infrastructure.

The landslide in Brienz (GR) in 2023 kept Switzerland on tenterhooks for weeks. Researchers from ETH Zurich, WSL and SLF used a model to provide a highly accurate blind prediction of where the sliding mass would come to rest. ETH Professor Johan Gaume explains how the model works and where its limitations lie.

Racing cars, robots, aircraft: Bachelor's students in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering spend two semesters working on a project in teams.

Renewable energies are not the main driver of biodiversity loss. It is rather the other way round: renewables can limit climate change in order to preserve biodiversity.

ETH Zurich's new BSS teaching and research building on the Schällemätteli life science campus in Basel will officially open its doors today.

The electrification of many areas of life is leading to an increased demand for high-performance batteries.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way in which art is created and experienced. Are we at the beginning of a new artistic revolution? Or at the end of creativity as we know it? puts things in perspective.

Public cloud services employ special security technologies. Computer scientists at ETH Zurich have now discovered a gap in the latest security mechanisms used by AMD and Intel chips.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a smartphone app that can be used to check the authenticity of documents and other items.

Das ETH-Spin-off dAIgnose entwickelt einen Algorithmus, mit dem sich Ultraschallaufnahmen der Gebärmutter automatisiert auswerten lassen. Dieser sollte es Ärzten ermöglichen, Endometriose in Zukunft schneller zu diagnostizieren. Endometriosis is widespread. Around ten percent of all women of childbearing age throughout the world suffer from it.

We can transition to pesticide-free agriculture without converting to organic farming. Robert Finger outlines the advantages and challenges involved.

The quadrupedal robot ANYmal went back to school and has learned a lot. researchers used machine learning to teach it new skills: the robot can now climb over obstacles and successfully negotiate pitfalls.

Researchers from ETH Zurich and KUNO Klinik St. Hedwig in Regensburg have developed an algorithm that provides an automatic and reliable method of detecting a certain heart defect in newborns.

Bioengineer Randall Platt engineers bacteria that can assess the state of our guts. It is hoped this non-invasive technique could eventually be used to develop more effective interventions against malnutrition among children in the Global South.

In a pilot project, apprentices from four different professions in the Department of Physics had to work together to build an interactive exhibition object.

Recycling is an accepted formula for sustainable resource use, but in the case of plastic it can have serious side effects, says - and uses the example of plastic flooring in Switzerland to illustrate the dilemma. Considering the climate crisis and worldwide plastic pollution, many people believe that recycling materials, in particular plastic, is the solution to our problems.

Christoph Schär is one of the Swiss climate scientists who have shaped high-resolution climate modelling.

Students at ETH Zurich are working together with engineers from the technology firm Bühler to accelerate innovation and minimise the attendant risks. It's a fruitful collaboration that other companies are also poised to benefit from. Innovation is critical for companies to remain successful over the long term.

Vacant land, community gardens and public parks are key resources for liveable cities. Fritz Kleinschroth calls on urban planners to focus on giving nature more space and on granting equitable access to green spaces. Fritz Kleinschroth is a senior scientist at the Chair of Ecosystem Management at ETH Zurich and researches the consequences of urbanisation for ecosystems.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provides medical supplies to people in need. A planning tool developed by researchers at ETH Zurich will make this complex task more efficient in future and save the ICRC millions.