Robert Langer (73) has saved millions of lives with his research: His work with messenger RNA provides genetic blueprints with which the human body can produce antiviral proteins itself. This research forms the basis for the most successful Covid 19 vaccines, such as the vaccine produced by the manufacturer Moderna. Langer is a co-founder of the company and has become a billionaire since the Corona pandemic.

For AI systems, learning in “superposition” pays off. It allows them to simultaneously pursue multiple paths and thus learn faster.

To slow down climate change, a new type of plant in Iceland filters CO2 from the air. This is then mixed with water and injected into basalt. There it petrifies.

An algorithm confirms what yodelers have been telling each other for a long time: Northwestern Swiss and Central Swiss yodels can be distinguished.

Thanks to a navigation algorithm, drones are learning to autonomously perform acrobatic maneuvers. Using simulations, the autonomous aircraft are trained to become faster, more agile, and more efficient.

Fiber optic cables offer seismologists new possibilities to investigate the interior of glaciers. One day, this method may even make it possible to predict glacial collapse.

Shalev Lifshitz is the world’s youngest AI researcher. In this interview he explains how conflicts between humankind and machines can be solved.

Identifying fish species in a river using DNA traces: This method was tested in Switzerland. It proved to be simpler and more reliable than the electrofishing method used to date.

Decisions made by machines based on AI have already been shown to be discriminatory or racist. This is due to the fact that the algorithms draw on data originating from humans, and this data is frequently biased – among other things with sexist prejudices.