ETH News
All stories that have been tagged with Focus
ETH research supply support to the Swiss state
Globe magazine
From devising forecasting models for the Federal Finance Administration and describing the latest trends in civil protection, ETH researchers routinely supply vital support to the Swiss state and help drive innovation.
How SMEs benefit from ETH Zurich
Globe magazine
ETH professor Mirko Meboldt helps Swiss SMEs find the right technology to tackle the challenges they face. His early prototypes give companies a solid basis for decision-making – and the confidence to take things further.
How the ETH start-up ecosystem works
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
In 2023, a record-breaking 43 spin-offs were founded at ETH Zurich. Why are ETH spin-offs so successful? Tracing the typical path of a start-up.
How top-flight researchers draw global companies to Switzerland
Globe magazine
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 solar fuel and anti-fog glasses to manufacturing innovation
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
The numerous spin-offs and patents generated at ETH Zurich are the driving force behind innovation in the Swiss economy. We present five of them.
ETH alumni as drivers of innovation
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
When it comes to innovation, Switzerland’s greatest capital is its highly qualified workforce. But what makes an innovation successful? And what makes an idea innovative in the first place? Twelve ETH Zurich alumni share their thoughts and experiences.
A new direction for cancer research
Globe magazine
In collaboration with University Hospital Basel, researchers from ETH are investigating the early stages of bladder cancer. Their findings show that future research should also focus on mechanical changes in tumour tissue.
Mini-organs with big potential
Globe magazine
Organoids grown from human stem cells can help provide answers to important medical questions. In a partnership that looks set to profit both sides, ETH professor Barbara Treutlein has teamed up with pharma giant Roche to advance research in this area.
Combatting infant malnutrition
Globe magazine
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.
Designed for bold visions
Globe magazine
The idea of ETH Zurich establishing a Department of Biosystems in Basel once seemed unachievable. Today, the department occupies a new building where the dividing lines between biology, computer science and engineering are blurred – and researchers increasingly focus on medical applications
Cutting-edge research from Basel
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
From new tests and therapies to the fundamental principles of biology: five compelling examples of the benefits of new bioengineering technologies.
Pain relief without dependence
Globe magazine
ETH researchers have teamed up with Kantonsspital Baden to find ways of preventing patients from becoming dependent on opioid painkillers.
How wounds heal – and cancers grow
Globe magazine
There are some striking parallels between how skin wounds heal and how malignant tumours grow. Cell culture can help us understand the mechanisms involved – but animal testing still has a role to play.
Improving patient safety
Globe magazine
On the road to recovery, patients come into contact with clinicians from a whole range of disciplines. The importance of targeted collaboration between these disciplines is something medical students learn early on at ETH Zurich.
A big step in joint research
Globe magazine
Surprisingly little is actually known about how the knee works. ETH professor Bill Taylor plans to change this with a unique technology and a new 22-metre-long experimental facility. ?
In pursuit of sweat
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
Noé Brasier is fascinated by the emerging field of sweat analysis. He plans to measure the effect of heat stress directly on people’s skin – and help them protect themselves from health risks.
Entrepreneur for women’s health
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
For her doctoral project at ETH Zurich, Sabrina Badir developed a device that determines the risk of premature birth. Today she is the CEO of spin-off Pregnolia, and her certified measuring device is being used in more than 20 clinics and medical practices.
Teaming up for better health
Globe magazine
What’s the best way to translate research findings into clinical practice? A discussion with Monika J?nicke, CEO of the University Hospital Zurich, Rahel Kubik, head of radiology at Kantonsspital Baden, and Christian Wolfrum, VP for Research at ETH Zurich.
Therapeutic success thanks to determination and robots
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
After suffering a severe case of Covid-19, Roger Gassert discovered for himself how important a role rehabilitation plays in recovery. The ETH Professor of Rehabilitation Engineering now plans to waste no time ensuring that patients profit from his developments.
From registered nurse to biomedical engineer
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
Marianne Schmid Daners was already fascinated by the human-technology interface when she worked as a registered nurse. Since graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering and a doctorate in biomedical engineering, she has been developing biomedical devices for the treatment of heart failure and hydrocephalus.
Vision: To be a doctor without borders
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
Mohammed Said is in his third semester of the Bachelor of Human Medicine at ETH Zurich. He plans to work abroad as a doctor and researcher one day and put his knowledge into practice in countries where people are not as fortunate as in Switzerland.
Applying what you have studied in hospital
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
Clara Ehrenzeller studied human medicine at ETH Zurich. Aspects of her course that she will never forget were her six-week research internship at a children’s hospital in Canada and her deployment at the Kantonsspital Baden. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Ticino.
A contradiction at the heart of physics
Globe magazine
Quantum mechanics describes the forces that hold the world together on the smallest scale. The theory of relativity explains the world at the cosmic level. The two seem incompatible – and a unifying theory is nowhere in sight.
More respect for people who think differently
Globe magazine
Polarisation seems to have increased in recent years, whether between right and left, urban and rural, or the supporters and opponents of vaccination. We talked to two experts about the cracks in society – and the glue that binds us together.
A change of perspective
Globe magazine
Strategy games developed by ETH ecologists bring different stakeholders to the table. By shifting people’s perspectives, they create a win-win situation for environmental protection.
The strength of nature's weakest force
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
Gravity keeps our feet firmly on the ground and Earth in its orbit around the Sun. Meanwhile, satellites in space measure the acceleration caused by the Earth’s gravitational pull.
Being human
Globe magazine
With its ability to write text and generate images, artificial intelligence is making inroads into many areas of life. Perceived as threatening, enriching or just plain gimmicky, AI also raises a fundamental question: what is it that makes us human?
Rethinking wastewater management
- Globe magazine
- News
Sewer systems and centralised treatment plants are not a sustainable solution for managing the world’s wastewater. Environmental engineers at ETH Zurich and Eawag have been helping to develop decentralised, closed-loop modular systems.
Traces in the water
- Globe magazine
- News
- Homehero
How we are contaminating our waters with microplastics and a multitude of chemicals.
A world in flux
- Globe magazine
- News
Heavier rain, longer droughts, melting glaciers: climate change has a dramatic impact on the global water cycle.
A contested resource
- Globe magazine
- News
The expansion of hydropower generation often leads to conflicts of interest, both in Switzerland and beyond. Researchers from ETH Zurich are trying to find a basis for compromise that serves the public interest.
The great clean-up
- Globe magazine
- Homehero
- News
From tackling micropollutants in wastewater to removing plastic waste from rivers, here are five solutions based on ETH expertise.
Tracing a digital shadow
- Globe magazine
- Homepage
Psychologist Verena Zimmermann joins computer scientists Joachim Buhmann and Elgar Fleisch to discuss whether our feelings can be measured, what role they play in human-machine interactions, and the use of smart technologies.
At night
- News
- Globe magazine
Why researchers should not only draw on reason but also on their emotions. An essay by Michael Hagner.
The power of habit
- Globe magazine
- News
- Homepage
Life is a constant stream of decisions that pit sober reflection against powerful emotions, conscious deliberation against gut instincts. Using complex models and sophisticated experiments, ETH researchers study how we combine these different decision-making strategies.
The legacy of trauma
Globe magazine
Emotional trauma can have far-reaching ripple effects and may even reverberate across generations. Professors Isabelle Mansuy and Katharina Gapp study how the effects of trauma can be inherited through epigenetic mechanisms.
Detecting hidden brain states
Globe magazine
Mental health disorders can only be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms – and individual outcomes cannot be accurately predicted. An ETH scientist hopes to change that with the help of mathematical models.
From molecules to organisms
Globe magazine
How did life on Earth first emerge? And how was it able to prosper and evolve? ETH researchers are involved in the quest to find answers to these fundamental questions.
A habitable planet
Globe magazine
Life has existed on Earth for billions of years. Stabilising mechanisms have helped our planet remain habitable to this day.
Life on alien worlds
Globe magazine
Does life exist elsewhere in the universe? There’s a good chance it does – though it might look very different to life on Earth. Scientists may soon be able to offer a definitive answer.
What is life?
Globe magazine
We posed this question to ETH Zurich researchers. In return, we got five intriguing answers from the perspectives of biomedicine, computer science, biology, robotics and philosophy.
Playgrounds in the universe
Globe magazine
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.
Quiz: Energy Facts and Figures
Globe magazine
How much electricity is generated from hydropower? How many batteries are recycled? And what has been the increase in electric car registrations? Put your knowledge to the test by taking our energy quiz* about facts and figures from Switzerland.
Electricity and heat on demand
- News
- Globe magazine
If the transition to renewables is to succeed, we will need a viable means of storing surplus heat and electricity. Globe spoke to experts from ETH Zurich about the promising technologies that could help us reach net zero.
Training for a complex world
- News
- Globe magazine
ETH Zurich’s course in Applied Technology in Energy brings managers up to speed on the latest energy technologies, enabling them to make informed decisions in their day-to-day work.
“We need an energy shock”
- News
- Globe magazine
We all understand the importance of energy security. To maintain it, we need to chart the right course. But how can we know what that is?
Powering ahead!
- News
- Globe magazine
Five ETH spin-offs are displaying the kind of innovative thinking that will determine the success of the energy transition.
The beauty and benefits of biodiversity
- Globe magazine
- News
Biodiversity is beautiful, but it’s also vitally important. ETH researchers are getting to the heart of how species diversity and genetic diversity evolve – and why we must fight to preserve them.
Calculate or co-create?
- News
- Globe magazine
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder – yet how do we find consensus on a shared amenity such as a neighbourhood? We took a stroll with two ETH architects to discover how they see their role as mediators between the conflicting priorities of urban consolidation, functionalism and aesthetics.
…as they search for beauty
- News
- Globe magazine
At its heart, is mathematics an aesthetic discipline? Or what does it mean if someone finds a proof “beautiful”? And what does mathematical beauty say about physical connections?
The fascination of images
- News
- Globe magazine
Images play an important role in science and science communication. They have always held a powerful appeal, but the means of producing them – and the notion of how they should reflect reality – continue to evolve over time.
Colour vision
- News
- Globe magazine
Colours can be created in surprisingly different ways. And in addition to being pleasing to the eye, colour can also serve a useful purpose.
The social impact of disasters
- News
- Globe magazine
Human geographer Christine Eriksen and physicist David Bresch conduct research into weather and climate risks. Their methods may be different, but they agree that the scale of a disaster is often determined more by societal decisions than by the natural hazard itself. ?
Underestimated risks
Globe magazine
Climate change, pandemics and cyber attacks are risks that have long been in the public spotlight. But there are also risks that ETH researchers consider are still being given too little attention. Photographer Tina Sturzenegger has captured the scenarios on film.
Virtual world, real threats
Globe magazine
Digitalisation offers a wealth of new opportunities – and criminals and hostile states are only too happy to exploit them. Protecting against such attacks requires a broad range of measures.
How safe is our money?
Globe magazine
The war in Ukraine has fanned the flames of inflation. Is this merely a temporary shock – or the start of a new normal?
“Without risks, life would be unbearable.”
Globe magazine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has suddenly shifted the debate on security policy. An interview for Globe magazine with ETH researchers Myriam Dunn Cavelty, Vally Koubi und Giovanni Sansavini on the subject of security and risk conducted in January has been overtaken by events and will therefore not go to print. We want to nevertheless make it available to you online. A lot of the questions and answers would be different today. Read it for yourself. ?
A laboratory for society
Globe magazine
ETH Zurich has always been a mirror of new social developments. In the past 20 years, the university has become more international, increasingly autonomous, more digital – and less male.
Shaping the future together
Globe magazine
The idea behind rETHink is to cement the university’s position as a world-leading institution. President Jo?l Mesot, Vice President Julia Dannath and transformation coach Dieter Schmid reflect on ingrained habits and inspiring moments.
Future visions
Globe magazine
With the world facing enormous challenges, the need for innovation has never been greater. But how can we design universities to deliver the kind of knowledge we need for the future? And how do we deal with the ever-increasing pace of change?
Freedom to fail
Globe magazine
The Student Project House offers a model of what learning might look like in the future. With no course credits on offer, students are encouraged to develop critical thinking skills and to venture into unknown territory.
Mastering the unknown
Globe magazine
Two years ago, ETH launched the innovative Master’s degree in quantum engineering. Now the first cohort of students is nearing the end of the programme.
“It increasingly feels like a high-tech race”
Globe magazine
Could quantum technologies really be the next gold rush? ETH Vice President Vanessa Wood and quantum researcher Andreas Wallraff discuss how close we are to putting quantum promises into practice.
The whole is the truth
Globe magazine
Quantum physics opens our eyes to the holistic nature of reality. Nothing can be observed in isolation – and everything is governed by chance.
Computer scientists take on the quantum challenge
Globe magazine
For a long time, the development of quantum computers was concerned with theoretical and hardware aspects. But as the focus shifts towards programming, software and security issues, the classical computer sciences are coming back into play.
Simplifying quantum systems
Globe magazine
If only it were less prone to error, quantum physics might already be giving us instant solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems. ETH researchers are therefore working to develop systems that are more robust.
Robots for comfort and counsel
Globe magazine
From robots that offer solace to algorithms that help judges make fact-based decisions, robotics and machine learning are entering new domains that were once the preserve of humans.
Optimising nature
Globe magazine
Today, molecular genetic methods can be used to breed sustainable crops - such as multinutrient rice. Researchers are calling for the risk of new plant varieties to be assessed not on the basis of the breeding method, but on the basis of their characteristics.
Juggling with constant change
Globe magazine
A cultural landscape reflects the combined activity of nature and humans. Where has the equilibrium of this union been lost? And how can we restore the balance??
“The term ‘artificial’ is often associated with risk”
Globe magazine
Is natural always good and artificial always bad? We talked to psychologist Angela Bearth and biotechnologist Sven Panke about science, scepticism, misunderstandings and how language influences the way we think.
Shaking the foundations of life
Globe magazine
Evolution never stops – and disruptions can speed up the process. Now ETH researchers are delving deeper into the secrets of evolutionary change.
Keeping an eye on systems
Globe magazine
Even minor disruptions in infrastructure systems can have fatal consequences. Researchers and practitioners counter that risk by taking action on multiple levels. Four examples.
Resilience as a positive force
Globe magazine
Disruption has the power to upend our lives. But approached constructively, disruption and resilience can be positive.
What are disruptions – and how should we judge them?
Globe magazine
We register disruptions as a deviation from our expectations. We often experience this as a moment of uncertainty or as frustrated expectations. Does this mean that disruptions are always a bad thing? The philosophical essay explores these questions.
In the eye of the storm
Globe magazine
As Chair of the National Science Task Force, Martin Ackermann has to perform a constant balancing act between science, politics, the media and society. So how does he do it?
澳门美高梅金殿 policies drive societal change
- News
- Globe magazine
The coronavirus crisis has triggered a boom in virtual collaboration as an alternative to flying. Might it be possible to seize on this experience to shape the future of sustainable mobility?
Putting climate-positive business ideas into practice
Globe magazine
More and more ETH Zurich researchers are taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. By launching spin-offs, they hope to turn their lab findings into solutions that can help stem the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Get ready for the cleantech race!
Globe magazine
Meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement means embracing a sustainable transition to renewables. Yet analyses suggest that decarbonisation can only be achieved with targeted government support for the right technologies.
"The key thing is to make a start."
Globe magazine
Civil society and governments struggle to take action when it comes to climate change. So what’s the solution? We asked climate researcher Reto Knutti and climate strike advocate Marie-Claire Graf for their perspectives.
Doing things differently
Globe magazine
Without a profound socio-ecological change, we will never achieve climate neutrality, say three economists. A brief sketch of what a sustainable economy might look like.
The algorithm on my team
Globe magazine
The automation of work is increasing at a tremendous pace. But how well do technology and humans really work together in a digitised world?
Who makes the final decision?
Globe magazine
Protecting citizens in the face of disaster often requires far-reaching decisions to be made. Any assistance is welcome – including from AI.
Giving computers a voice
Globe magazine
From Alexa and Siri to translation programs and computer-generated news, anything seems possible these days.The Media Technology Center is searching for applications that could lend a hand with day-to-day editorial work.
Managing with machines
Globe magazine
More and more companies say that AI will be an important tool in the future. AI could also be useful for administration and management – but this journey has only just begun.
The “black box” problem
Globe magazine
A bioethicist and a neuroinformatics scientist discuss how machines are becoming more intelligent and why the advances in technology are leading to new ethical challenges.
Everything AI?
Globe magazine
Artificial intelligence is having a growing impact on our daily lives and is also revolutionising research. ETH Zurich recognises its responsibility in this area and is striving to promote innovation and trust in this fast-evolving technology.
Mapping the depths of the genome
Globe magazine
Using algorithms to analyse the whole-genome sequence of a tumour can make treatment more successful – and can even help determine how cells become cancerous.