February 2022
The best of ETH Zurich news from journalists around the globe.
This month's top story
call_made -- The Atlantic
The following international news content features in digital, English-language platforms. ETH Zurich also appears in numerous broadcast television shows, films, and print publications. Some publications may require a subscription to view content (noted by the symbol here), while others allow free access to a limited number of articles.
Why soil is a surprisingly noisy place
call_made Ecologists have long known that the ground beneath our feet is home to more life, and more diverse life, than almost any other place on Earth. To a layperson, soil seems little more than a compact layer of dirt. But in fact, the ground is a labyrinthine landscape of tunnels, cavities, roots and decaying litter.
China Banished Cryptocurrencies. Now, ‘Mining’ Is Even Dirtier
New research shows that China’s Bitcoin ban has sent the process of creating new coins, known as mining, to countries where it uses far less renewable energy. call_made
The Future of Using the Air and Sun to Produce Sustainable Aircraft Fuel
Shipping and aviation combined account for around 8 percent of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions. call_made
A Fantastic Feeling - Lightweight Exoskeleton
The Myosuit is an exoskeleton for people who need extra strength and support in everyday life. It is a training device for people with movement restrictions in their legs, resulting from an accident, a chronic disease such as MS, or age-related muscle weakness. A certain degree of residual muscle function is a prerequisite for using this soft exoskeleton, which was call_made
Swiss population in favor of strict food waste rules
call_made It is in favor of government regulations that set strict reduction targets and ensure transparent monitoring of implementation.
Spanish Dancer Galaxy Twirls into View from NSF’s NOIRLab in Chile
Located in the constellation Dorado and lying around 70 million light-years away, NGC 1566 is a grand-design spiral galaxy with two arms that appear to wind around the galactic core, just like the arms of a dancer as they spin around and around in a furious twirl. DOE-funded Dark Energy Camera captures a trove of celestial phenomena in one shot. call_made
Russia-Ukraine crisis: Should UK be worried about an escalating cyber conflict?
Responding to the question: Can cyber warfare achieve strategic objectives? call_made
AI Overcomes Stumbling Block on Brain-Inspired Hardware
Algorithms that use the brain’s communication signal can now work on analog neuromorphic chips, which closely mimic our energy-efficient brains...“call_made
Why collaboration is key to scientific discovery
call_made By closely working with Swiss and British researchers, who have long played key roles, Horizon Europe projects will benefit – as they have in the past. This is the motivation behind ETH Zurich...leading the Stick-to-Science campaign.
Why Scientists Are Sticking Microphones Underground
Subterranean life isn’t as quiet as you might think. call_made
Concurrent Droughts Worldwide Likely to Threaten Global Food and Water Security in Near Future: Study
Many of the regions that our analysis shows will be most affected are already vulnerable, and so the potential for droughts to become disasters is high," said call_made.
The women changing science in Switzerland
call_made Margarita Chli is a professor and head of the Vision for Robotics Lab at the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich
call_made Sonia Seneviratne is a climate scientist and professor at the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich.
call_made Lavinia Heisenberg is professor of physics and theoretical cosmology at the Institute of Theoretical Physics at ETH Zurich.
An Interview with Women in the Clean Technology Sector
call_made, investigating ice nucleation in atmospherically relevant systems using microfluidics. She says, "Equal educational opportunities and mentorship in science are two important ways to help achieve equal access."
call_made studying water circulation using radionuclides to understand the role of the oceans in mitigating climate change. She says, "To get more women in the scientific community, women will need to feel that there is more support from the research institutions."
Building Toward Change: Conversing with Women in STEM
call_made, says "The circular economy is at the center of architectural engineering discourse at the moment. I am particularly interested in the relationship between building strategies and urban sustainability."
Engineering Innovation: Showcasing Women in STEM
call_made focusing on the next generation of polymers and their recycling, says "My advice to young women and girls is to embrace their female nature. The reason why we want more women in STEM is to be represented by different voices."
call_made, says "...the successful promotion of science among women is only possible in a safe environment. A culture of equality, open communication, and zero harassment must be a “must”."
call_made, says "Today, our societal structures still keep many young women from following their scientific interests, which leads to a vicious circle because fewer women become role models for the next generations."
Catalyzing Innovation; in Conversation with Women in STEM
call_made says, "... I made the connection between what I learned in the classroom and applying this knowledge to clinically relevant applications, which has been my motivator in scientific research since."
Life in the soil was thought to be silent. What if it isn’t?
A handful of scientists, including call_made “They were very strange. There was thrumming and chirring and scraping. You need a whole new vocabulary to describe it.” Maeder was eavesdropping, he realized, on creatures that live in the soil.
Scandit raises $150M to automate inventory scanning with computer vision
Growing in the supply chain automation space is Scandit, which offers a platform that helps capture data from barcodes, text, objects, and IDs. The company — call_made
Igniting the human spirit through movement: running brand ON at engadin art talks 2022
From the initial hosepipe prototype, the ON team developed their innovative CloudTec? technology, creating multi-directional cushioned soles for soft landings and explosive take-offs. ETH Zurich confirmed the effectiveness of the technology in a 2011 study that demonstrated test runners wearing ON shoes ran at significantly lower pulse rates and lower blood lactate levels.
Water Supplies From Glaciers May Peak Sooner Than Anticipated
Raymond Zhong, Climate reporter quotes call_made
The UnXplained and The Proof is out There
Two television series on the History Channel, featured research from ETH Zurich and the University of Miami publised in the journal Nature (2013) on the discovery of many circular-shaped ocean patterns in the Southern Ocean thought to have an important role in driving glacial/interglacial changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.
Intervention doubles worm lifespan, even given in old age
call_made to Chris Smith, would worms in which an ageing-linked gene is deactivated later in life still benefit?
Ukraine Considers International Cyber Help
Ukrainian officials have a technology wish list as they continue probe of Jan. 14 cyberattack on government websites. call_made
Ice Cores Tell the Tale of an Incredibly Powerful Solar Storm That Hit the Earth 9,200 Years Ago
For decades, climate researchers and Earth scientists have used cores from ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic to better understand Earth’s climate history. In a recent analysis of ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, a research team led by Lund University in Sweden, the call_made
Researchers discover how long-term memory T cells are formed after Covid-19
Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 by infection or vaccination generates immune cells that provide long-term immunity. These long-lived memory T cells play a key role in preventing severe cases of Covid-19. call_made
The first electron counts – how anaerobic microbes ‘breathe’ iron
Life has a way of adapting to challenging environments. While humans – as well as animals and plants in general – rely on oxygen to burn their nutrients, call_made
Machine-Learning System Can Rapidly Predict the Way Two Proteins Will Bind
As experts continue to fight SARS-CoV-2, the virus that triggered COVID-19, one possible defense route is a synthetic antibody that binds with the spike proteins of the virus to stop the virus from penetrating a human cell. call_made
Earth Has 14% More Tree Species Than Previously Thought: Why Does Diversity of Forests Matter?
New global estimate of trees suggests an estimated 73,300 species of trees on Earth, wherein 9,200 of them are yet to be discovered. Researchers used the second world war codebreaking techniques called the Good-Turing Frequency Estimation that Alan Turing developed at Bletchley Park to identify many undiscovered tree species. Prof. call_made
