News Portal

March 10, 2023Film is a powerful medium to tell stories, communicate information and inspire audiences. At the 5th Global Science Film Festival, global politics and science meet on the big screen, also with contributions from Eawag.

March 8, 2023The hydrogeologist Mario Schirmer has been appointed as adjunct professor by Canada’s Laval University. He tells us why he is committed to teaching, research and society.

March 6, 2023Researchers have for the first time estimated how probable the accidental release of nanomaterials will be in the future.

March 2, 2023The updated Red List of fish documents a further endangerment. Prof. Ole Seehausen explains why.

February 27, 2023Where is there still untapped potential in the use of water bodies for energy generation and what are the associated risks for water systems?

February 21, 2023Wastewater treatment plants can do more than just wastewater treatment. In the future, they should also recover resources. One approach that researchers at Eawag are pursuing is the conversion of the organic carbon contained in wastewater into bioplastics with the help of bacteria.

February 16, 2023A new “Theory of Change” shows which psychological factors influence the use of decentralised water treatment technologies and which measures can support their introduction.

February 14, 2023Environmental chemist Kathrin Fenner was promoted by the University of Zurich to full professor ad personam of environmental chemistry. She explains what motivates her to teach.

February 10, 2023Tomorrow, 11 February, is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, an initiative supported by UNESCO encouraging women and girls to pursue a career in science and promoting diversity in research.

February 2, 2023Biologists at Eawag have identified ten species of whitefish in the lakes of the Reuss river system. Of these, seven have been described as distinct species for the first time – although in two cases this required inspection of specimens from historical collections, since eutrophication of lakes in the 20th century also led to the extinction of fish species in Central Switzerland.

January 27, 2023Switzerland's groundwater is home to a multitude of hitherto unknown organisms. An Eawag research project is shining a light into the darkness and revealing this habitat’s exceptional biodiversity.

January 26, 2023Where do the toxic metals come from at the bottom of Lake Zurich near Horn Richterswil? With analyses of sediment cores, researchers at Eawag were able to solve the mystery.

January 23, 2023Too much nitrogen enters many water bodies. The anammox process co-developed by Eawag can contribute to reducing outputs from wastewater treatment plants.

January 20, 2023Environmental DNA analysis of microbial communities can help us understand how a particular region’s water cycle works. Oliver Schilling, Professor at Eawag and the University of Basel, recently used this method to examine the water cycle on Mount Fuji. His results have implications for Switzerland as well.

January 17, 2023At the start of the year, Martin Ackermann took over as Director of Eawag. In our "Three Questions"-interview, he reveals how he got off to a successful start and what he plans for the Swiss water research institute.

January 17, 2023A new integrative approach to biodiversity research shows how ecosystems on land and in freshwaters can be better protected by considering fundamental ecological processes.

January 10, 2023Eawag researcher and EPFL professor, Urs von Gunten has been awarded a prize for outstanding services by the journal Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T).

January 9, 2023The genetic diversity of populations should decrease as they expand across space – but this is not the case with bacteria. Fungi play a role here.

December 15, 2022Work is currently underway in Montreal at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) to negotiate a framework agreement to preserve biodiversity. In addition to pesticides, nutrients and plastic waste, certain other chemicals ought to be restricted in their production and use, or replaced by less problematic substances, according to a recommendation by a group of scientists, including an environmental toxicologist from Eawag.

December 15, 2022Prof. Dr Janet Hering has headed Eawag as Director since 2007. She has left a lasting mark on the aquatic research institute. Now she is retiring at the end of 2022. In this interview, she explains what the “virtuous cycle” is, why she considers networking to be enormously important and what continues to challenge water research today.

December 13, 2022The Aqua Urbanica symposium, co-organised by Eawag, explored the question of what is needed to implement the sponge city concept. With the help of this concept, cities should be able to mitigate the consequences of climate change.

December 6, 2022Currently, the first Swiss wastewater treatment plants are being upgraded with an additional treatment stage for the removal of micropollutants using granulated activated carbon (GAC), including the WWTP at Muri. Eawag provided technical support for the design of the installation and is also investigating unresolved issues.

December 2, 2022How can the use of scientific knowledge be promoted in policy and practice to make plant protection more sustainable?