News
Gabriel Giger awarded Origins Federation PhD Prize
We congratulate Dr. Gabriel Giger on being awarded the 2025 PhD Prize by the Origins Federation for his outstanding doctoral research conducted at ETH Zurich under the supervision of COPL member Prof. Julia Vorholt.
How urea forms spontaneously
Urea is considered a possible key molecule in the origin of life. ETH researchers have discovered a previously unknown way in which this building block can form spontaneously on aqueous surfaces without the need for any additional energy.
ERC Advanced Grants for COPL Researchers Julia Vorholt and Jérôme Faist
The Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life congratulates Professors Julia Vorholt and Jérôme Faist, both COPL members, on receiving ERC Advanced Grants. These highly competitive grants are the first to be awarded to Swiss-based researchers since Switzerland regained partial access to the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.
Bacteria fight and feast with the same tool
Many types of bacteria produce a protein complex that injects toxins into neighbouring cells to eliminate competitors. For the first time, researchers at ETH Zurich and Eawag discovered that these killer bacteria also use this weapon to feed on their neighbours.
How trace elements are recycled in the deep sea
Trace metals such as iron or zinc that are stored in deep-sea sediments are lost forever to phytoplankton on the ocean surface. This is what geochemists believed for a long time about the cycle of micronutrients in seawater. Now, researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered that this is not the case.
ETH microbiologist honoured with prestigious European medical award
Chemist and microbiologist Jörn Piel combs through the vast world of bacteria for new natural substances to combat the antibiotic crisis. The ETH professor has now been honoured for his research with one of Europe’s most highly endowed medical prizes.