News EPFL

Speeding trains, flying ballast: putting an end to the problem

Published:05.03.14 — Results of an EPFL study on ballast projections in exceptional winter conditions have enabled SBB to set-up measures to improve safety around the tracks.

A planet to feed

Published:04.03.14 — A third of the planet’s food is lost between the farm and our plates. If this situation persists, it will be impossible to feed 8 billion human beings in 2025. “Fusebox” has a new challenge for you. Starting March 4, you can share your idea for reducing food waste by participating in the contest – and you might take home CHF 10,000 in prize money.

A Complete Medical Check-up On a Chip

Published:03.03.14 — About the size of a stapler, this new handheld device developed at EFPL is able to test a large number of proteins in our body all at once-a subtle combination of optical science and engineering.

Quirky photons spin out of the Standard Model

Published:28.02.14 — As members of the LHCb collaboration, scientists at EPFL have analyzed data collected at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider that offer a first-time observation of the polarization of the photon emitted in the weak decay of a bottom quark. This finding opens the way to future measurements, which may reveal a reality deeper than the one described by the present theory of elementary particles, the so-called Standard Model.

Ecotoxicity: All Clear for Silver Nanoparticles?

Published:26.02.14 — It is well known that, in the form of free ions, silver particles can be highly toxic to aquatic organisms. Recent research by Eawag and EPFL provides a better understanding about the critical doses and about how the organisms respond to these kinds of stresses.

A Fast Track From Algae Biomass to Biogas

Published:24.02.14 — Could microalgae fuel the future? Researchers are fine-tuning a technology that transforms wet algal biomass into a biogas that is compatible with today’s natural gas infrastructure.

Faster wound healing from bioengineered growth factors

Published:21.02.14 — Scientists at EPFL have greatly improved the effectiveness of growth factors, paving new strategies for regenerative medicine.