This nanotube has a nose for oxygen

A light-activated high-performance sensor can precisely detect oxygen in complex gas mixtures

13-Mar-2025 - ETH researchers have developed a low-cost sensor made of carbon nanotubes that can selectively, efficiently and reliably measure minute quantities of oxygen in gas mixtures under light. The detector could be widely used in industry, medicine and environmental monitoring. Oxygen is essential for ...

How the latest sensors analyse body fluids

Impressive possibilities - from dummies that recognise dehydration, to tattoos that measure blood sugar, to breathing masks that detect viruses without the need for an unpleasant nasal swab

09-Dec-2024 - A new generation of wearable sensors will fundamentally change medicine. Researchers at ETH Zurich and international experts have now published an overview showing what is possible with such sensors and what questions their developers should consider to ensure their successful future use. Using a ...

Gold membrane coaxes secrets out of surfaces

Thousand-fold signal amplification

26-Jun-2024 - Using a special wafer-thin gold membrane, ETH researchers have made it significantly easier to study surfaces. The membrane makes it possible to measure properties of surfaces that are inaccessible to conventional methods. “Surfaces were invented by the devil” - this quote is attributed to the ...

Blood diagnostics modelled on leeches

For all those who are afraid of needles: New device for taking blood samples uses microneedles and a suction cup instead of a large needle

07-May-2024 - Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a safe and inexpensive device for reliable blood measurements. It works using a suction cup and could also be employed to diagnose the tropical disease malaria – even by non-​medical personnel. Many people are afraid of needles, and having a doctor take a ...

How micro- and nanoplastics are infiltrating the Arctic ice

Environmental scientist Alice Pradel cultivates ice cores in the lab to investigate the transport and accumulation of micro-​ and nanoplastics

26-Mar-2024 - “Beat the Microbead” is the name of a campaign launched in 2012 with the aim of reducing the use of microplastics in cosmetic products in order to minimise negative effects on the environment and people. For Alice Pradel, the campaign was a wake-​up call. “As a young environmental scientist, I ...

Spread of a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant across Europe in summer 2020

There is currently no evidence of this variant being more dangerous

30-Oct-2020 - Researchers from Basel and Spain have identified a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant that has spread widely across Europe in recent months, according to an un-peer-reviewed preprint released this week. While there is no evidence of this variant being more dangerous, its spread may give insights into the ...

Measuring ethanol’s deadly twin

18-Sep-2019 - ETH researchers have developed an inexpensive, handheld measuring device that can distinguish between methanol and potable alcohol. It offers a simple, quick method of detecting adulterated or contaminated alcoholic beverages and is able to diagnose methanol poisoning in exhaled breath. Methanol ...

Hidden signs in cancer tissue

07-Aug-2018 - When scientists at ETH Zurich analysed huge amounts of genetic cancer data, they found previously unresearched molecular changes. These could help in developing new personalised cancer treatments. A research team led by Gunnar Rätsch, Professor of Biomedical Informatics at ETH Zurich, has ...

New tool for structural biology

New method of crystallising large membrane proteins

08-Mar-2018 - ETH researchers have developed a new method of crystallising large membrane proteins in order to determine their structure. This will be of benefit to biological research and the pharmaceutical industry. Membrane-embedded proteins are an essential part of cells and any form of life. They not only ...

Measuring molecular interactions

Previously unknown interactions between proteins and small metabolic molecules discovered

02-Feb-2018 - ETH researchers have used a new approach to discover previously unknown interactions between proteins and small metabolic molecules in bacterial cells. The technique can also be used to test the effect of medications. Science now has a new “omics” – an interactomics, which deals with the ...