News EPFL

Turbulence in solid matter

Published:05.04.11 — A team at the School of Basic Sciences has made an unexpected discovery in quantum physics. Just as a stone creates a vortex in the wake of a river, EPFL scientists reveal a similar phenomenon at the microscopic level in a semiconductor — a solid state. The new methodology opens up a new field of research in physics with ramifications for the future of quantum computing.

An exceptional night on campus

Published:04.04.11 — The program of the Balélec festival, which will take place on May 13, has just been published. Thirty acts will be featured – lots of French electro-pop; authentic reggae from Jamaica; rock; and heavy metal.

Smart and ecological electricity sockets

Published:01.04.11 — The visualization of the electricity consumption of a dwelling and to manage it in an intelligent manner using a touch-screen is enabled by the technology developed by two doctoral students of the Laboratory of Electronics at EPFL. This technology has been awarded the first prize of the PERL trophy, presented yesterday by the town of Lausanne.

Peat bogs – CO2 traps – must be protected

Published:31.03.11 — Too much nitrogen is harmful to these fragile ecosystems, and could lead to the release into the atmosphere of large quantities of carbon dioxide, as emphasized in an article written by researchers at the Laboratory of Ecological Systems at EPFL, recently published in the journal New Phytologist.

Proteins shed light on the lens of the eye

Published:30.03.11 — The lens of the eye, the only transparent part of the human body, is made up of proteins that still hold many mysteries for medical scientists. In order to solve them, it’s necessary to eventually understand both the eye itself and eye diseases. Giuseppe Foffi’s team has been studying the physical properties of our human lens, and their findings have just been published.

State-of-the-art technology used to reveal ancient walls

Published:29.03.11 — The involvement of two start-ups from EPFL will give some unusual perspectives on the remains of the imposing Roman villa uncovered within the perimeter of the Congress Center building site. Sensefly used its drones to make several aerial photos; Pix4d will aggregate them in order to generate a full-scale view of the buildings that may have belonged to a man named Dorinius.

Evolution of species is recorded in the genes

Published:28.03.11 — Climate change, population movements and natural or forced cross-breeding induce or accelerate the evolution of species. Between geographical information and genetics, a method developed by a researcher at EPFL as part of a European project enables traces of evolution due to the environement to be detected in genes.