News EPFL

The climate system relies on microscopic particles

Published:17.12.21 — Scientists from EPFL and the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO) have discovered a new source of organic phosphorus that is fertilizing remote marine ecosystems via atmospheric particles. This finding could help researchers better understand how marine ecosystems respond to climate change.

Three EPFL startups went public in 2021

Published:17.12.21 — Three EPFL startups – Sophia Genetics, Astrocast and Onward Medical – went public in 2021, the same number as in the previous three decades combined. This record-breaking year reflects the drive of our local entrepreneurs as well as the bullish stock-market environment and fertile startup ecosystem in our region.

Three climate-related projects win the 2021 Durabilis Awards

Published:16.12.21 — The Durabilis Awards, introduced in 2007, are open to all Bachelor’s and Master’s students at EPFL and UNIL, and are awarded to projects that explore issues related to sustainable development. This year, all six winners are from EPFL’s environmental sciences and engineering section.

Where in Geneva Canton do people live the longest?

Published:15.12.21 — Scientists at EPFL and Geneva University Hospitals have mapped discrepancies in the difference to life expectancy at birth across Geneva Canton. Their findings shed new light on what researchers previously thought, as the lower-life-expectancy neighborhoods they identified weren’t necessarily those detected in earlier studies.

Swiss lockdown especially stressful for women and students

Published:14.12.21 — Three EPFL studies on the effects of Switzerland’s first COVID-19 lockdown have just been published. The research was based on a survey of Swiss residents carried out during the confinement, and illustrate how the restrictions caused higher stress levels and changed the way people view housing.

Can oil and water mix?

Published:13.12.21 — Common experience tells us that oil and water do not mix. Yet, it turns out that they can mix when oil is dispersed as small droplets in water. This strange behavior has long vexed scientists because there is no explanation for it. A team of EPFL and ICTP scientists have studied this question using novel optical technology and discovered the mechanism by which these two neutral and immiscible compounds can in fact mix together and form emulsions. The answer lies in the electrical charge distribution at the interface.

A postdoc program to train sustainability-oriented leaders

Published:09.12.21 — EPFL’s newest postdoc fellowship program – EPFLeaders4impact – will fund innovative research projects that address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Funded in part by the EU, the program is designed to encourage joint R&D among EPFL laboratories, businesses and non-profit organizations.