I am intrigued by how new technologies can improve the world and our society. Quite seriously. I want to tell stories about this and meet people with new ideas and concepts. My main interests: sustainable development and anything associated with sociology – even though I’m no sociologist. Apart from this, I love French cheese, thick American novels, and cats.

Researchers want to harness the unusual wear resistance of limpet teeth for new types of materials.

The hand is our ultimate multi-purpose tool. Accordingly, a prosthesis designed to replace it must be extremely sophisticated. But this does not necessarily have to be the case. As a solution developed by a start-up in Zurich shows: A simpler approach is possible.

Life without your right hand? Michael Fornasier from Switzerland was born this way. Thanks to his bionic hand prosthesis, he is not only able to master his everyday life – he has even become a superhero. In this interview, “Bionicman” tells us his story and why he sometimes misplaced his hand.

Lamborghini is famous for its full-throated, powerful gasoline engines. But this Italian maker of super sports cars wants to be ready for a future that will be electric. Lamborghini engineers teamed up with researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to develop the concept car Terzo Millennio, an all-electric super sports car that runs entirely without batteries.

Thomas Crowther believes that data is key to combating climate change. The British ecologist found out that there are many more trees on earth than scientists previously believed. But still, 3 trillion are not enough. The potential for reforestation is enormous, says the renowned expert. At the Crowther Lab in Zurich, he is developing nature-based solutions to restore the global ecosystem.

Changing the world. The three switches on the TS-808, an effects pedal for guitars, used to be all it took. It sparked enthusiasm: for technology and its impact. “What happens if...” also interests me as a journalist. For example, the question regarding how new technologies are changing our world.

Researchers have created a reference database of a blood marker that can be used to measure the disease state of patients with multiple sclerosis. They hope this will open the way to more targeted and personalised therapies.

A research team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) has presented a prototype of a low-cost filter that efficiently decontaminates water using only sunlight. The device is intended to provide clean drinking water for people in regions with little electricity.

More and more people are flocking to cities, and urban planners are facing major challenges. Are cities growing upwards or outwards? Do they have to be completely rethought? In this interview, Sacha Menz, ETH professor and co-founder of the Future Cities Lab Global Program, explains what the city of the future could look like and why cultural factors will play an important role.