ETH-News

Here we present all News fron ETH Zurich!

1. Climate change particularly pronounced in Switzerland

   Switzerland will become drier and hotter, experience less snow and face heavier rainfall in the future. Those are the conclusions reached by climate researchers from its Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) and ETH Zurich. On 4 November 2025, at an event attended by Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, they presented the new climate scenarios for Switzerland, which form the basis for the Federal Council's strategy on adaptation to climate change.

2. Does the wood pink provide the formula for surviving climate change?

   An alpine plant could hold the key to its survival in a steadily warming climate. ETH Zurich researchers have identified the origin of two particular ancient gene variants in the plant that control its flowering time.

3. New research into forgotten Alpine oat variety

   For decades, the oat variety ‘Hative des Alpes’  had been all but forgotten. Now, its genetic information is being incorporated into the first gene atlas for oats – and will one day contribute to the cultivation of new oat varieties. 

4. Novel artificial muscles move with sound

   Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed artificial muscles that contain microbubbles and can be controlled with ultrasound. In the future, these muscles could be deployed in technical and medical settings as gripper arms, tissue patches, targeted drug delivery, or robots. 

5. An ETH spin-off aims to bring gene scissors to the clinic

   Thanks to CRISPR/Cas technology, researchers can precisely edit genetic material to treat hereditary diseases. To achieve this, they need to identify undesirable cuts in the genome at an early juncture. Pioneer Fellow Lilly van de Venn is developing exactly such testing methods.