science wire

Whether rooftop solar panels are worth the cost is largely dependent in Switzer-land on local compensation rates for solar power and on electricity prices in gen-eral - these are the findings of a study by researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Bern.

Efforts to restore degraded ecosystems have so far fallen short of meeting global targets. Sound restoration must better incorporate social processes promoting equity in order to effectively benefit people, climate and biodiversity, says Sara Löfqvist. The United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal closed this past December with an unprecedented agreement to place 30 percent of global degraded landscapes under protection by 2030, especially emphasizing the need to respect indigenous and local communities rights in the process.

One of the greatest unknowns in climate change is the question of how particulate matter affects clouds. Yu Wang is using machine learning and satellite data to investigate the surprising role of these tiny particles in the atmosphere. In autumn 2014, Iceland's Holuhraun volcano erupted, spewing daily about 120,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the air at its peak.

Christophe Girot brought landscape architecture into the digital world and taught a generation of architects how to think on a larger scale.

Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal research institute WSL have developed a flying device that can land on tree branches to take samples. This opens up a new dimension for scientists previously reserved for biodiversity researchers. Ecologists are increasingly using traces of genetic material left behind by living organisms left behind in the environment, called environmental DNA (eDNA), to catalogue and monitor biodiversity.

Are we witnessing the rise of a different, adaptive artificial intelligence (AI) that works with humans and supports them with smart decisions? Computer scientist Niao He is investigating how this kind of AI can be theoretically underpinned so that it really does provide benefits. As a researcher, Niao He has both people and technology in mind.

There has been a great deal of media focus on the near-total lack of snow in Swiss ski resorts at the beginning of the year.

Life has existed on Earth for billions of years. Stabilising mechanisms have helped our planet remain habitable to this day.

A new study by researchers reveals that if Europe fails to immediately invest 302 billion euros in climate-relevant infrastructure, it will not reach its target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Vira Bondar is fascinated by the fundamental questions of physics. She conducts research with ultracold neutrons and is working to make exercise sessions at ETH Zurich even more exciting.

A special year is soon coming to an end. In 2022, much has been researched, developed and invented at ETH Zurich. ETH News looks back on an eventful past year. January Robot ANYmal can walk over hill and dale - thanks to its visual perception and sense of touch, made possible by artificial intelligence.

The lander's team has tried to contact the spacecraft twice without response, leading them to conclude it has run out of energy. NASA's InSight mission has ended after four years of collecting unique science on Mars.

Ukrainian building materials professor Viacheslav Troian left his homeland with his family because of the war.

A nature-based economy that regenerates ecosystems and stops species extinction? Christoph Küffer believes this is possible if we strengthen ecology in research and education and make ecological expertise a basic skill for society.

Nobel laureate and astrophysicist Didier Queloz and earth scientist Cara Magnabosco on the origin of life on Earth, complex life beyond our planet, and the inevitable end of every life. You're both tackling the big questions about the universe. Doesn't it sometimes make you feel small and insignificant? Didier Queloz: Yes, it does indeed.

We posed this question to researchers. In return, we got five intriguing answers from the perspectives of biomedicine, computer science, biology, robotics and philosophy. Life and death within us ''DNA is the building block of life. It contains all the information necessary for life, from reproduction and metabolism to growth and the ability to respond to stimuli.

Students from ETH and the Ghanaian university KNUST came up with some creative solutions for sustainable waste management at the Rethinking Waste summer school, where knowledge sharing and intercultural exchange topped the agenda.

Elvis Nava teaches robots to carry out oral and written commands. To this end, he sends them to "training camps" where they learn to combine image, text and motion data.

The LOOP Zurich research center combines expertise from ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and the four university hospitals in Zurich with the aim of developing more personalized therapies.

The ETH Board has appointed Christian Wolfrum as Vice President for Research at ETH Zurich effective 1 January 2023.

Daniel Angerhausen believes that fundamental research is essential, especially in the current crisis.

As part of a two-day state visit to Switzerland, the Italian President stopped off at ETH Zurich today in the company of President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis.

Four students at ETH Zurich's Student Project House have launched "Generai", a platform that uses artificial intelligence to create works of art.

How does water seep through porous rock? Investigating this question with a mathematical model was the starting point for Barbara Dembin's research.

For the first time, farmers in the Philippines have cultivated Golden Rice on a larger scale and harvested almost 70 tonnes of grains this October.This nearly never-ending story began at ETH Zurich.

While the insufficient measures increasingly argue against reaching the 1.5-degree target, we could still achieve it with a rapid reduction in methane emissions, writes Cyril Brunner.

Together with partners in Ethiopia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa, researchers are creating circular economies that use processed organic waste and human excreta as fertilizer or animal feed, resulting in higher crop yields and new jobs.

Stephen Herzog is researching how nuclear weapons could be better controlled and eventually eliminated. For him, Putin's threats are a reason to fundamentally question the nuclear "balance of terror." "I research nuclear arms control." For years, this line produced blank stares in social settings as I tried to explain my job's importance.

The term "high-performance computer" already implies a high energy demand.

Chemist Freideriki Michailidou is developing novel processes for the sustainable production of fragrance ingredients. As a first step, she studied the scents of rare aromatic plants that grow only on Mount Olympus in Greece. To tackle this challenge, she scaled Mount Olympus this past summer. She took along one of the ETH Biocommunication group's headspace traps, a device equipped with a glass bell or a plastic bag, which is placed carefully over a plant.

The promise of industrialised countries to financially support emerging and developing countries in climate measures remains unfulfilled at the beginning of the climate conference in Egypt.

ETH postdoc Olivier Gröninger is improving the drinking water supply for people in rural areas of South America with his Openversum project.

While the economic impacts of climate policy are generally perceived as costs, Anthony Patt proposes the opposite perspective.

The 2022 summer was a further illustration of how climate is becoming more extreme year after year. Sticking to business-as-usual and counting on adaptation alone will not work.

This year's Swiss HR Barometer focuses on working conditions that promote innovative behaviours amongst employees. Approaching errors in an open manner, a practice prevalent in Switzerland, has a positive effect on innovative behaviour as well as attitudes to work. Scope for improvement is found in areas such as support for new ideas, personnel development and compensation.

Header The four-seater electric aircraft "e-Sling", which was developed by ETH students, has taken flight for the first time. The student project has taken two years and a lot of dedication. For two years, a team of around 20 ETH students worked tirelessly in a hangar in the Innovation Park in Dübendorf.

If the transition to renewables is to succeed, we will need a viable means of storing surplus heat and electricity.

Cognitive flexibility improves leadership, according to numerous studies conducted by researchers. The Swiss Armed Forces are planning to employ this knowledge in the training of officers to better prepare them for future crises.

Scientists have a duty to initiate a dialogue with the public on cellular engineering, says Daniel Müller.

Autonomous virtual humans that move and behave naturally are Siyu Tang's vision. One area from which the computer scientist draws inspiration are our behavioural patterns.