Science that matters

Eawag is one of the world’s leading aquatic research institutes. With its professional diversity, close partnerships with practitioners and an international network, Eawag offers an excellent environment for the study of water as a habitat and resource, for identifying problems at an early stage and for developing widely accepted solutions.

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The latest news from Eawag

The latest news from Eawag

Daniel McCurry (Photo: Peter Penicka, Eawag).
Institutional
Daniel McCurry appointed Professor of Water and ...
July 11, 2025

The ETH Board appointed Daniel McCurry as a joint professor at EPFL and Eawag. The environmental engineer, who is currently still teaching in the USA, is already on sabbatical at Eawag. From summer 2026, alongside his teaching and research activities at EPFL, he will set up a research group that will also be active at Eawag.

The global «plastosphere» contains more than 16,000 chemicals. The new study published iprovides a comprehensive overview of all chemicals that can be present in plastics. (Image: Adobe Stock)
News
Identifying chemicals of concern in plastics – and ...
July 10, 2025

To curb global plastic pollution and to make plastics safer and more sustainable, countries are currently negotiating a global treaty. A new study with participation from Eawag and Empa published in Nature provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of all chemicals that can be present in plastics, their properties, uses, and hazards. Moreover, the study also provides a scientific approach for identifying chemicals of concern. This allows scientists and manufacturers to develop safer plastics and policy makers to promote a non-toxic circular economy.

Excursion during the workshop on urban development and biodiversity with experts from cantons and municipalities. (Photo: Tural Aliyev)
Publication
The cities of the future are blue-green
July 3, 2025

Two workshops on urban development and biodiversity with participants from research and politics show how cities can be designed to be biodiversity-friendly, inclusive and resilient.

News
How much water is left for nature? – The search for the ...
July 2, 2025

After water is diverted for hydropower, rivers are often left with very little streamflow for nature. A new report provides an overview.

The thermal spa in Lavey-les-Bains uses naturally warm groundwater (Photo: Alain Baschenis).
News
Underground microbial life more stable than expected
July 1, 2025

Microbial communities living deep underground in the groundwater of Lavey-les-Bains remain surprisingly stable throughout the year, even though the composition of the water changes seasonally. This is the finding of a study by Eawag researchers that contributes to a better understanding of geothermal systems and microbial life deep underground.