News
2025 Cohort of the NOMIS-ETH Fellows
The Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life announces the 2025 cohort of NOMIS-ETH Fellows. Between April and September, two postdoctoral fellows are joining the COPL, thanks to the generous support of the NOMIS Foundation.
Were large soda lakes the cradle of life?
Life needs sufficient phosphorus. However, the element is scarce, not only today but also at the time of the origin of life. So where was there sufficient phosphorus four billion years ago for life to emerge? A team of origin-of-life researchers has an answer.
Origin of Life: How microbes laid the foundation for complex cells
Who were our earliest ancestors? The answer could lie in a special group of single-celled organisms with a cytoskeleton similar to that of complex organisms, such as animals and plants. ETH researchers made these findings in a new study.
Julia Vorholt receives the 2025 Novonesis Biotechnology Prize
Julia Vorholt, Professor of Microbiology at the Department of Biology, has been awarded the 2025 Novonesis Biotechnology Prize by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
The search for life on Venus
As the speaker of the third edition of the COPL Colloquia, Sara Seager presented her current research on the atmosphere of Venus, showing how its chemistry and cloud characteristics are compatible with Venusian life.
Short-term visitors for Spring 2025
Four researchers have been selected for the short-term visitor programme this spring.