Archive News

November 27, 2015Martin Ackermann, Professor of Molecular Microbial Ecology at ETH Zurich and department head at Eawag, was presented the Golden Owl of the Association of Students at the ETH  (VSETH) at this year’s ETH Day.

November 26, 2015When the biodiversity of an ecosystem is reduced by invasive species, competition for food plays a more important role than has previously been supposed. This was the conclusion of research conducted by Eawag and Bern University scientists on cichlid species in Lake Victoria, which suffered mass extinction following the introduction of the fish-eating Nile perch in the 1950s.

November 24, 2015According to a new international study – in which Eawag scientists played a leading role – the global climate shifted to a warmer state in the late 1980s. The research also indicates that the cooling initially caused by the eruption of El Chichón was followed by a rapid rebound in global temperatures.

October 29, 2015In February the “National Academy of Engineering” (NAE) has elected 67 new members and 12 foreign members. Among the new members is also Eawag director, Prof Janet Hering. The induction took place at the beginning of October 2015.

October 29, 2015An international research team, including scientists from Eawag, has discovered an uncharted and unusually large hydrothermal vent field – with several black smokers – in the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California.

October 26, 2015Wastewater treatment plants in the EU could soon be transformed from consumers to producers of energy – European municipal wastewater is estimated to contain around 315 000 terajoules of energy per year.

October 21, 2015What is required to facilitate the adoption of new technologies such as potable water reuse? According to a study carried out by environmental social scientists in California, users need to see not only how an innovation benefits them personally, but also that it is compatible the community’s values and can become a routine part of daily life.

October 12, 2015Since it was founded in 2004, the Swiss Fisheries Advisory Service, Fiber, has established itself as an important interface between research and practice. Fiber is jointly funded by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag).

October 2, 2015According to Jerald Schnoor, emerging challenges in the water sector like water shortage or micropollutants call not only for high-quality research but also for interactive collaboration between scientists and decision-makers.

September 30, 2015In collaboration with Griffith University in Australia, an Eawag research group has succeeded in developing humpback whale cell cultures in the laboratory.