Environment
Using heat from underground parking lots to warm apartments
TechTransfer
EPFL
EPFL spin-off Enerdrape has developed technology that can recover heat from underground parking lots and use it to warm the apartments above. Its geothermal wall panels are currently undergoing pilot tests at a building in Lausanne’s Sébeillon district.
Geologically vibrant continents produce higher biodiversity
Research
ETH Zurich
Using a new mechanistic model of evolution on Earth, researchers at ETH Zurich can now better explain why the rainforests of Africa are home to fewer species than the tropical forests of South America and Southeast Asia. The key to high species diversity lies in how dynamically the continents have evolved over time.
Deepwater renewal in Lake Geneva in light of climate change
Research
EPFL
EPFL scientists have studied two mechanisms that can help bring oxygen to the depths of a lake – essential for preserving the lake’s ecosystem. The classical deepwater renewal caused by surface cooling during winter is becoming less efficient due to climate change, especially in deep lakes.
EPFL engineers introduce a new approach for recycling plastics
Research
EPFL
Two EPFL engineers have come up with a revolutionary new method for tackling plastic pollution by harnessing the inner workings of proteins. The result? A whole new way of looking at plastic recycling.
A Glimpse into the ocean’s biological carbon pump
Research
ETH Zurich
Oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through microscopic algae that carry out photosynthesis and then sink to the deep sea when they die. This sinking enhances the degradation processes, as ETH researchers have now discovered.
Fibres make chaotic turbulence more predictable
Research
ETH Zurich Eawag
The chaotic behaviour of vortices is one of the things that makes weather forecasting so difficult. Researchers at ETH Zurich, Eawag and WSL, together with international partners, have now developed a novel experimental method that enables more accurate analyses of the movement and energy of turbulence in fluids with much less effort.
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