3D detectors measure social distancing to help fight Covid-19

Published:07.05.21 — A team of EPFL researchers has repurposed an algorithm they initially developed for self-driving cars to help people comply with social distancing requirements. Their program, which works with a camera, can detect whether individuals are maintaining the right distance to prevent infection – without collecting any personal data. It could be useful for public transport systems, in shops and restaurants, and even in factories.

How mitochondria make the cut

Published:06.05.21 — With the help of their custom-built super-resolution microscope, EPFL biophysicists have discovered where and why mitochondria divide, putting to rest controversy about the underlying molecular machinery of mitochondrial fission. Mitochondria either split in half or cut off their ends to self-regulate. The results are published in Nature.

New tool helps define student-teacher relationships

Published:05.05.21 — In universities, relationships between students and teachers play a key role in creating a conducive learning experience. But how can we evaluate these relationships in an objective manner? A questionnaire developed at EPFL aims to solve that problem, and shows the importance of three emotional dimensions: warmth, trust and admiration.

Northern Red Sea corals pass heat stress test with flying colors

Published:04.05.21 — EPFL scientists are beginning to understand why corals in the Gulf of Aqaba, along with their symbiotic algae and bacteria, resist higher temperatures particularly well.

COVID-19 test detects antibodies in hundreds of tiny blood samples

Published:03.05.21 — Antibody testing can be a powerful tool for tracking the spread of SARS-CoV2 infections, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. A group of scientists from EPFL, UNIGE and HUG have now developed a reliable and cheap antibody test that can analyze more than 1,000 samples at once and requires a small drop of blood, such as that from a finger prick.