In the Media - January 2023
Featuring the best of this month's news stories from the perspective of journalists and media around the globe.
Drone-assisted collection of environmental DNA from tree branches for biodiversity monitoring
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PHYS.org, 27 January 2023, external pageAlien plant species are spreading rapidly in mountainous areas, says new monitoring studycall_made
Multiomics Approach Improves Diagnosis of Rare Disease, Methylmalonic Aciduria
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News Medical Life Sciences, 26 January 2023, external pageResearch offers hope for patients affected by rare, hereditary metabolic diseasecall_made
A Well-Balanced Machine
Every month, IEEE Spectrum selects the most stunning technology images recently captured by photographers around the world. external pageRoboticists at ETH Zurich, taking a page from nature, say they too have created a machine whose movement seems to defy the laws of physics. The 1.TK-meter-long gadget, called Cubli, balances on a single point, with a single internal reaction wheel whose spin keeps the unit upright.call_made
Scientists invented a melting liquid robot that can escape from a cage
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Yahoo!News, 27 January 2023, external pageScientists invented a melting liquid robot that can escape from a cagecall_made
Hypertension drug rilmenidine can extend lifespan and slow aging
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Archyde, 24 January 2023, external pageHigh blood pressure drug with life-prolonging “side effect” – healing practicecall_made
Rare 17-pound meteorite discovered in Antarctica
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THE SCIENCE TIMES, 25 January 2023, external pageAstonishing 17-Pound Meteorite Found in Antarctic Icecall_made
THE SCIENCE TIMES, 21 January 2023, external pageMeteorite Found in Antarctica Tagged as Largest One Discovered...call_made
Scientific Inquirer, 25 January 2023, external page17-pound meteorite discovered in Antarcticacall_made
Archynewsy, 24 January 2023, external pageRare Find! International Research Team Finds Meteorite Weighing 8 Kg in Antarcticacall_made
Nature World News, 24 January 2023, external page16.7 Pound New Meteorite With Four Others Found in Deserted Place in Antarcticacall_made
Tech Times, 21 January 2023, external pageScientists Recover Five New Meteorites in the Icy Desert of Antarcticacall_made
ScienceDaily, 18 January 2023, external page17-pound meteorite discovered in Antarcticacall_made
Etc.
Despite opposition, Japan may soon dump Fukushima wastewater into the Pacific
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World News Era, 25 January 2023, external pageDespite opposition, Japan may soon dump Fukushima wastewater into the Pacificcall_made
President Yoon visits ETH Zurich… Seeking ways to cooperate in global solidarity
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Korea JoongAng Daily, 18 January 2023, external pageYoon Suk Yeol heads to Davos to meet business leaderscall_made
Korea Net, 25, January 2023, external pagePhoto essay of President Yoon's tour of UAE, Switzerlandcall_made
New Flying Device to Land on Tree Branches to Take DNA Samples
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ScienceDaily, 18 January 2023, external pageSpecial drone collects environmental DNA from treescall_made
Interesting Engineering, 20 January 2023, external pageThis new drone can collect environmental DNA from tree branchescall_made
New Atlas, 19 January 2023, external pageSwiss eDrone helps scientists gather eDNA from branchescall_made
ZME Science, 20 January 2023, external pageThis gentle drone can scoop animal DNA from the tops of treescall_made
DroneXL, 25 January 2023, external pageResearch drone collects samples of genetic material from treetopscall_made
UAV Digest, January 2023, external pageCollecting Environmental DNA with a Dronecall_made
Innovation Origins, 21 January 2023, external pageSwiss researchers develop drone that collects samples from tree branchescall_made
Yahoo! Finance, 18 January 2023, external pageThis gentle drone collects loose DNA from swaying tree branchescall_made
TechCrunch, 18 January 2023, external pageThis gentle drone collects loose DNA from swaying tree branchescall_made
IEEE Spectrum, 20 January 2023, external pageVideo Friday: Drones in Trees, Your weekly selection of awesome robot videoscall_made
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Nasal Spray Could Help Deliver Antibodies That Heal Stroke-like Damage in the Brain, Study Suggests
The success rate of the nasal spray of antibodies after two weeks improved to about 60% of their former ability after four weeks since the injury. Meanwhile, those in the placebo treatment only recorded about 30%. external pageWhen they examined the rat brains, they found that the treated rats had generated more new nerve fibers. Martin Schwab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich said that they attained a level of antibodies that is useful in healing a massive stroke lesion that showed the brain has a natural regenerating ability.call_made
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NewScientist, 16 January 2023, external pageSpraying drugs up the nose may help heal the brain after a strokecall_made
Switzerland offers innovation-rich environment
Kristi Shalla, Swiss Business Hub notes that "current trends in photonics in Switzerland include the development of novel materials and devices, the use of photonics for biomedical applications, and the integration of photonics with other technologies...for fundamental physics research such as quantum computing and communication. external pageFor example, it is worth mentioning that ETH Zurich—together with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)—is building quantum computers, which will be used in research and application.call_made
Tree fungus is used in electronics and robotics
Mycelium itself can also be of interest to science. Because the fungal mycelium is a living, complex and adaptable material that forms large networks. These networks are in turn made up of elongated cells called hyphae. The hyphae absorb water and nutrients, which is how the fungus spreads in nature...external pageResearchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich are now also using the adaptive behavior to develop a self-healing and robust robot skin.call_made
Ukrainian researcher who fled war shows how recycled concrete can help his country rebuild
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Exclusive Global News, 13 January 2023, external pageUkrainian researcher who fled conflict reveals how recycled concrete may help his nation rebuildcall_made
A precision arm for miniature robots
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AZO Robotics, 16 January 2023, external pageA Novel Robotic Arm with Ultrasonically Actuated Glass Needlecall_made
Engineering360, 17 January 2023, external pageETH Zurich team creates precision arm for tiny robotscall_made
...New Carrot-Based Color Enables Red Meat Alternatives to Change Shade during Cooking
The innovation is the result of GNT’s investment in and external pagecollaboration with ETH Zurich spin-off company microPow, which developed a patented technology to encapsulate ingredients. The natural encapsulation solution melts when the temperature increases to release the color concentrate.call_made
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Innovations in Food Technology, 11 January 2023, external pagePlant-based breakthrough: New carrot-based EXBERRY? color enables red meat alternatives to change shade during cookingcall_made
Food Ingredients First, 11 January 2023, external page“Sustainability is crucial”: GNT proves significant carbon footprint reductions after switching to green energycall_made
EU and Switzerland need 302 billion euros per year to achieve climate goals
The EU and Switzerland have set themselves the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050...This is the result of a meta-study by ETH Zurich. external page"In order to drive forward the decarbonisation of all areas of life, around 75 billion a year will have to flow into solar and wind power plants in the next few years. That is 24 billion more per year than in the recent past," explains Bjarne Steffen, Professor of Climate Finance at ETH Zurich and co-author of the study.call_made
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Futurity, 13 January 2023, external pageEU needs major investment to hit emissions targetcall_made
ETH Zurich spin-offs: Digital twins, new cancer treatments and three unicorns
A grand total of 26 spin-?offs were founded at ETH Zurich in 2022. Their businesses range from new cancer drugs and sustainable water bottles to digital mapping of urban traffic flows. external pageThe ETH spin-?off family also welcomed three new unicorns and raised 1.2 billion Swiss francs in fresh capital.call_made
Yoon to visit UAE, Switzerland accompanied by Samsung, Hyundai leaders
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Yonhap News, 10 January 2023, external pageYoon to visit UAE, Switzerland for economic diplomacycall_made
Study predicts demise of European glaciers by 2100 if no action taken
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EuroNews Green, 16 January 2023, external pageA year of highs and lows, but just how exceptional was our climate in 2022?call_made
This Pilot Is Racing to Photograph Our Glaciers Before They’re Gone
Garrett Fisher, founder of The Global Glacier initiative mentions in a PBS television/radio broadcast show, Amanpour & Company hosted by Christianne Amanpour, Chief International Anchor ETH Zurich that external page"ETH Zurich predicts by 2100 there could only be two glaciers in Switzerland. Just two and I believe it. From what I see absolutely that very much can happen."call_made (Broadcasted widely on television and on syndicated national radio in the U.S.)
A new approach to producing a wide range of fluorescent dyes
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SCIENMAG, 4 January, external pageEntire color palette of inexpensive fluorescent dyescall_made
A Crucial Particle Physics Computer Program Risks Obsolescence
Maintenance of FORM, the 1980s software that’s used for the field's hardest calculations, rests almost entirely with one septuagenarian physicist. external pageIn the ’80s...“FORM was built in a time when there was almost no memory, and also no disk space—basically there was nothing,” said Ben Ruijl, a former student of Dutch particle physicist Jos Vermaseren’s and FORM developer who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. This posed a challenge: Equations were too long for main memory to handle.call_made