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Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

ETH Zurich is one of the leading international universities for technology and the natural sciences. It is well-known for its excellent education, ground-breaking fundamental research and for putting its new findings directly into practice. It offers researchers an inspiring working environment and its students a comprehensive education.

Founded in 1855, ETH Zurich today has some 18,000 students from over 100 different countries, 3,800 of whom are doctoral students. About 500 professors currently teach and conduct research in the areas of engineering, architecture, mathematics, natural sciences, system-oriented sciences, and management and social sciences.

ETH Zurich regularly appears at the top of international rankings as one of the best universities in the world. 21 Nobel Laureates have studied, taught or conducted research at ETH Zurich, underlining the excellent reputation of the institute.

Transferring its knowledge to the private sector and society at large is one of ETH Zurich’s primary concerns. It does this very successfully, as borne out by the 80 new patent applications each year and some 260 spin-off companies that emerged from the institute between 1996 and 2012.

ETH Zurich helps to find long-term solutions to global challenges. The focal points of its research include energy supply, risk management, developing the cities of the future, global food security and human health.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 48 articles

Shutterstock/Farjana.rahman

We can still prevent the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet – if we act fast to keep future warming in check

Seafloor sediments from beneath the Ross Ice Shelf represent an archive of warmer periods in Earth’s past. An ambitious international project aims to uncover what we can learn about our hotter future.
As new and powerful telescopes gather new data about the universe, they reveal the limits of older theories. (Shutterstock)

Why Einstein must be wrong: In search of the theory of gravity

Einstein’s theory of general relativity suggests that our universe originated in a Big Bang. But black holes, and their gravitational forces, challenge the limits of Einstein’s work.
Diazotroph (Trichodesmium) bloom in the Coral Sea, captured on 1 September 2019 by the Landsat 8 satellite. The interaction between the physics and biology of the ocean is manifested in these green filaments that snake through the currents. Joshua Stevens/NASA

Climate: modelling micro-algae to better understand the workings of the ocean

The ocean absorbs a quarter of the CO₂ emitted by humans, thanks in particular to phytoplankton, including diazotrophs. Knowing how to model them is crucial to understanding the ocean’s role in climate.
Efflorescence de diazotrophes (Trichodesmium) dans la mer de Corail, capturée le 1er septembre 2019 par le satellite Landsat 8. L’interaction entre la physique et la biologie de l’océan se manifeste dans ces filaments verts qui serpentent au grès des courants. Joshua Stevens/NASA

Climat : des microalgues virtuelles pour mieux comprendre le rôle de l’océan

L’océan absorbe un quart du CO₂ émis par l’homme, notamment grâce au phytoplancton, dont les diazotrophes. Savoir modéliser ces microalgues est crucial pour comprendre le rôle de l’océan dans le climat.
Salvatore Allegra / AP

How plate tectonics, mountains and deep-sea sediments have maintained Earth’s ‘Goldilocks’ climate

New modelling shows how tectonic plate movements, carbon-rich deep-sea sediment, and mountain weathering have regulated Earth’s climate.
Shutterstock/Dale Lorna Jacobsen

In the dark, freezing ocean under Antarctica’s largest ice shelf, we discovered a thriving microbial jungle

A high-tech expedition to sample the ocean under Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf confirms what the earliest explorers thought: everywhere we look we find microbes, scavenging any energy source available.
A virus’s genes hold a record of where it’s traveled, and when. imaginima/E+ via Getty Images

Charting changes in a pathogen’s genome yields clues about its past and hints about its future

After a nose swab tests positive for a virus or bacteria, scientists can use the sample’s genetic sequence to figure out where and when the pathogen emerged and how fast it’s changing.
Les prévisions actuelles concernant l’avenir du climat ne vont pas assez loin. Shutterstock

Nos projections climatiques pour l’an 2500 montrent que la Terre sera inhospitalière pour les humains

Les prévisions relatives au changement climatique prennent souvent l’année 2100 comme point final. Mais il est important d’envisager ce qui se passera au-delà, au moins jusqu’à l’an 2500.
Les émissions mondiales de combustibles fossiles ont diminué d'environ 7 % en 2020 par rapport à 2019. Mais un rebond est probable lorsque les mesures d'austérité se relâcheront, à moins que les plans de relance post-Covid-19 ne se concentrent sur la relance verte. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Sans des mesures plus écologiques, une hausse du réchauffement planétaire limitée à 1,5 °C sera hors d’atteinte

Plusieurs pays ont pris l’engagement de réduire leurs émissions de gaz à effet de serre à zéro d’ici le milieu du siècle. Mais de nouvelles recherches montrent que ce n’est pas suffisant.

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