The extinction of the dinosaurs from space rock is possibly the most famous of all mass extinctions. This ~12 km wide asteroid, about twice as tall as Kilimanjaro, impacted a reef off the coast of the Yucatán peninsula and caused tsunamis, earthquakes, and seiches. Molten... click to read more

Thermodynamics initially developed as a framework for understanding and improving the performance of heat engines as they powered the industrial revolution. Since then, heat engines have gone on to play a pivotal role in modern society, as more than 90% of electricity today is generated... click to read more

Climate change and human activities impact living creatures in complex ways. In response, organisms may acclimate to those challenges during their lifetime or adapt over several generations, through genetic changes. Organisms with characteristics matching best their new environment, such as size at reproduction, will spread... click to read more

When you tension a guitar string, you change its resonant frequencies and tune the pitch of the notes you can play on it. Similarly, a nanoscale string will perform faster oscillations (in the radiofrequency, megahertz band) by increasing the tension. However, when the aspect ratio... click to read more

Illustration realized in the framework of a collaboration between the Image/Recit option of the HEAD (Haute École d'Art et de Design) - Genève and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Geneva.

Historically, the Earth has known periods that were both colder and warmer than... click to read more