Further news

ETH researchers have identified a microRNA specific to humans that regulates the timing of synapse formation in nerve cells. This suggests that non-coding RNAs play an important role in regulating neural connectivity and cognitive abilities in humans.

Pedestrians navigate around robots much like they do with people, yet they keep a greater distance – especially when robots move quickly and space is plentiful.

After an exceptionally early heatwave in May, western Europe recorded its hottest June on record. Immediate protection is essential, but not everyone can access cool housing, shade or flexible working conditions. A new Thermal Justice framework shows how cities can reduce heat risk without shifting its burdens to other people, places or future generations.

Marine heatwaves regularly co-occur with ocean acidification extremes, compounding stress on ocean life. A recently published ETH Zurich study shows where these compound extreme events occur and why they matter for ecosystems and fisheries.

After injury, new intestinal cells must develop into different cell types. Researchers have now shown that the cells do so by sensing how densely they are surrounded by neighbouring cells – and that this information helps guide their further development.

Language models understand text. Aionic Labs is developing AI that can also interpret time-dependent data from the real world, from heartbeats to information from power grids. The spin-off from the Agentic Systems Lab (D-MTEC) is among the ten finalists selected for Next Frontier AI, a European initiative to build the next generation of AI.

ETH Zurich, EPFL and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) have released Apertus 1.5, a new version of the fully open large language model. The update adds multimodal capabilities and stronger reasoning while advancing Switzerland’s vision of a growing open AI ecosystem.

Democracies are under pressure due to polarisation, declining trust, information overload, rising government debt, and geopolitical upheavals. What is needed to strengthen democratic systems and make them more resilient? This is the question that the recently established KOF Democracy Lab at the KOF Swiss Economic Institute aims to investigate and address by developing innovative solutions.

From 10 August 2026 until early 2029, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse will be renovated and modernised in stages. This will enhance the central access and public space axis of the Hönggerberg campus, while also making the open spaces more biodiverse and adapting them to climatic changes.