UZH Secures Ten ERC Starting Grants
UZH researchers have been awarded European Research Council funding for projects ranging from climate change and black holes to bullying prevention.
Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Article list Mathematics and Natural Sciences
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First Hint of Dark Matter
The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment has delivered a small but compelling hint of dark matter. UZH researchers are playing a key role in capturing and analyzing these data. -
First Measurement of Low-Energy Solar Neutrinos Scattering Off Electrons
Researchers have observed low-energy solar neutrinos scattering off electrons in the XENONnT detector. The University of Zurich is involved in the experiment. -
Buried Underwear Shows Land Use Is Key to Soil Health
A citizen science project involving 1,000 volunteers and more than 2,000 pairs of buried cotton underwear shows that land use is the most important factor in determining decomposition rates and soil life. -
SNSF Ambizione: 22 projects at UZH
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is funding 22 projects by early career researchers at the University of Zurich with an Ambizione grant. -
Human Activity More than Doubles Fire Occurrence in the Arctic
Effective fire prevention and response can help reduce risks whose impacts extend far beyond the Arctic. -
Young Scientists Answer Key Questions about Animal Research
In the video series “Animal Research in Switzerland” 14 researchers—most of them young—answer the public’s most pressing questions. -
Amazon’s Biocultural Heritage Under Greater Threat Than Expected
Indigenous cultures in the Amazon region will lose up to one-third of the native plant species due to climate change while biocultural knowledge is set to decline sharply by 2080. -
Record-Breaking Magnet Decodes Complex Molecules
UZH operates one of the world's most powerful nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers for research on complex biological molecules. -
Environmental DNA Reveals Impact of Climate and Humans on Global River Fish Biodiversity
Human activity and climate influence biodiversity patterns in river ecosystems, as a global analysis of fish biodiversity using environmental DNA (eDNA) reveals. -
The Puzzle of Fitness Landscapes
Evolutionary biologist Andreas Wagner has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant. Over the next five years, he and his team will investigate a longstanding puzzle in Darwinian theory. -
«Biodiversity loss»
At the 4th World Biodiversity Forum in Davos, biodiversity researchers are joining participants from politics, business, society, and culture to discuss ways to protect biodiversity. -
“We need a culture for addressing AI errors”
As the National Research Program Digital Transformation comes to a close, a new wave of digital change, driven by artificial intelligence, is already underway and needs to be addressed, says Abraham Bernstein. -
ESA Mission to Explore Understory Biodiversity
The HiBiDiS mission aims to provide new insights into forest biodiversity, answering key questions about climate change. UZH is participating as a scientific partner. -
Botanical Rarity in Full Bloom
Visitors to the Botanical Garden are currently being treated to a rare natural spectacle: the giant bromeliad is in bloom. -
Playing with Numbers
Number theory is the branch of mathematics dedicated to the magic of natural numbers. Claire Burrin, assistant professor of mathematics, specializes in this field. -
Cozzarelli Prize Awarded to Jordi Bascompte
UZH evolutionary biologist Jordi Bascompte has received the Cozzarelli Prize for his research on the emergence of eukaryotic cells. -
Equality by Design
The Faculty of Science is applying for an international label for equality, diversity, and inclusion – the first faculty in Switzerland to do so. -
UZH Creates New Fellowship Program for Postdocs
Meet the first three recipients of the Sylvia Isobel Willener Fellowship, a new funding instrument for postdoctoral researchers. -
How Soil Microbes Adapt to Life in Lakes
An analysis of bacteria in Lake Zurich reveals that some soil microbes acquire new traits in order to colonize new aquatic habitats, while others reduce their genome size. -
Collecting Data for NASA
UZH provides NASA with flight data from the Orion space capsule to test the possibility of involving external parties in monitoring flight paths. -
Researching on Equal Terms in the Amazon
Two researchers have discovered a new palm species in the virgin forests of Colombia. Together with an indigenous community, they mapped its geographical distribution. -
How AI Can Learn Better
Today’s artificial intelligence (AI) systems have difficulty understanding complex relationships. Benjamin Grewe wants to change this and draws his inspiration from biology. -
Global Warming Causes Cropland Areas to Shrink
The subtropics are particularly affected. Explore animated diagrams and interactive maps that show the extent of the decline in various climate scenarios. -
Bug-Born Breakthrough
Oliver Zerbe is working on an active substance that attacks pathogenic bacteria in a novel way and eliminates them. -
Muons and Childhood Cancer
The University of Zurich has been chosen to host two new National Centers of Competence in Research, for childhood cancer diagnostics and treatment as well as muon research. -
Pesticides Significantly Affect Soil Life and Biodiversity
Seventy percent of soils in Europe are contaminated with pesticides. A Europe-wide study now shows that their effects on soil life are substantial, as pesticides suppress various beneficial soil organisms. -
Crime Research and Responsible AI
Two interdisciplinary projects have been awarded seed funding. One researches topics such as new forms of crime, while the other promotes the accountable use of AI. -
Einstein’s Dissertation: Groundbreaking Work in Physics
Exactly 120 years ago today, Albert Einstein was awarded his doctoral certificate at the University of Zurich (UZH). Test your knowledge of Einstein’s dissertation in our quiz. -
How Wheat Fends Off Fungi
Although cereals naturally resist pathogenic fungi, powdery mildew can overcome this resistance. Researchers have now discovered one of the mechanisms behind this process.