News archive

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

September 17, 2015After alewife migration had been blocked by the damming of rivers in the Northeastern US, not only did new types of alewife emerge in coastal lakes but a distinct form of pickerel evolved which is specialized for alewife predation.

September 2, 2015Microplastics – plastic particles less than five millimetres in diameter – can be found in oceans, lakes and rivers worldwide. It has been estimated that over 21,000 tonnes of microplastics are floating in the world’s seas.

June 25, 2015When recreational boats are transported overland, they are often accompanied by zebra mussels, attached to the hull. This alien species, which first appeared in Switzerland in 1960, can thus invade other natural waters.

June 25, 2015The use of fracking for gas extraction is widely opposed in Switzerland. Despite the almost complete lack of concrete projects, certain cantons have already imposed bans.

June 23, 2015The creation of gravel islands can contribute to the success of river restoration projects, as these structures have positive effects on exchanges between groundwater and surface water.

March 18, 2015In many regions of Asia, Africa and South America, consumption of groundwater contaminated with arsenic or fluoride causes severe health problems.

March 18, 2015An international research team led by Eawag, Bern University and the Bern Natural History Museum has shed light on the depths of alpine and prealpine lakes.

March 3, 2015Methane emissions are strongly reduced in lakes with anoxic bottom waters. But here – contrary to what has previously been assumed – methane removal is not due to archaea or anaerobic bacteria. A new study on Lake Cadagno in Canton Ticino shows that the microorganisms responsible are aerobic proteobacteria. The oxygen they require is produced in situ by photosynthetic algae.

January 15, 2015Mandated by the Federal Council, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is launching two National Research Programmes (NRPs) to explore the scientific and technological as well as the social and economic aspects of implementing Energy Strategy 2050.