Environment
Glacial melt threatens habitats of alpine river organisms
Research
Eawag
When glaciers retreat, the habitats for cold-water organisms also change. Researchers have now modelled where refuges that are vital for biodiversity in glacial rivers will remain in the future.
What causes insects to disappear
Research
WSL
There are fewer and fewer insect species, individuals and biomass worldwide. Moreover, their composition is becoming more uniform. This is highlighted in a special issue of the journal Biology Letters. It outlines the causes and consequences of the global crash of insect populations and possible measures to counter it.
Centralized database helps scientists better understand coral reefs
Research
EPFL
Coral reefs are under a growing threat from climate change and human activity, making it more important than ever to understand their strengths and vulnerabilities. A team of EPFL scientists has now taken an important step in this direction with the new RECIFS open-access database on reef environments.
Wood: a wild card for the energy transition
Research
WSL PSI
Wood is a trump card for the energy transition because it is very versatile and easy to store. Compared to today, up to a third more energy could be obtained from wood, not only in the form of heat, but also in the form of electricity and fuels. However, current use is not efficient enough, Swiss bioenergy researchers have shown in a new report.
Delicate, diligent, transient
Research
Empa
Their task is to monitor the condition of ecosystems, for instance in the forest floor – and crumble to dust when their work is done: bio-gliders modeled on the Java cucumber, which sails its seeds dozens of meters through the air. Empa researchers have developed these sustainable flying sensors from potato starch and wood waste.
Methane as an energy store
TechTransfer
PSI
One important question regarding the planned transition to supplying energy without greenhouse gas emissions is: how can we store energy for times when wind turbines and photovoltaic systems are not supplying electricity? Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute and the start-up AlphaSYNT offer one possible answer. With a new approach to “power-to-methane” conversion, they are promoting a technology for storing energy in the form of methane gas that is ready for industrial use.
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