Archive News

March 22, 2016Researchers at Eawag have brought daphnia back to life that were more than 40 years old. They then tested the organisms’ varying reactions to lead pollution.

February 29, 2016Sometimes evolution proceeds much more rapidly than we might think. Genetic analysis makes it possible to detect the earliest stages of species formation and to gain a better understanding of speciation processes.

February 24, 2016In Switzerland, conflicts between the societal goals of agricultural production and protection of waterbodies arise in particular with regard to rehabilitation measures, nutrient management and ecological compensation areas.

January 28, 2016A lake’s sediments are a window onto the past – the various layers deposited over time can provide valuable information on changes in local environmental conditions.

January 26, 2016The outdoor experimental pond facility constructed at Eawag’s Dübendorf site in 2015 is the only one of its kind in Europe.

January 6, 2016Hydroelectric power plants, weirs and waterfalls are often insurmountable barricades for fish. This can have a significant impact on the genetic structure of the separate populations. Whether and to what extent fish ladders mitigate this negative effect is now being investigated for the first time.

December 22, 2015Climate change is rapidly warming lakes around the world, threatening freshwater supplies and ecosystems, according to a new study spanning six continents.

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, 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.