PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
@psi.ch
📤 868
📥 565
📝 163
Switzerland’s largest research institute for natural and engineering sciences.
#ResearchAtPSI
From the PSI lab to the brew kettle: Luc van Loon brings together chemistry and beer culture. His “Sauvignon Ale” is among the best beers in the world.
www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-...
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Where analysis meets flavours
Some see brewing as an art, others as a science – Luc Van Loon combines both these virtues at his brewery. With the nose of a sommelier and the precision of a chemist, the former PSI researcher create...
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-stories/where-analysis-meets-flavours
7 days ago
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How can we time quantum events that unfold within mere tens of attoseconds? Physicists have now developed a method to do just this – using the Swiss Light Source SLS.
#QuantumPhysics
#FundamentalsOfNature
#FutureTechnologies
#SLS
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Measuring time at the quantum level
Physicists using the Swiss Light Source SLS have found a way to measure the time involved in quantum events and found it depends on the symmetry of the material.
https://www.psi.ch/de/news/science-features/measuring-time-at-the-quantum-level
9 days ago
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In Nature, a worldwide collaboration of scientists shines a light 💡 on a vitamin B12 photoreceptor in action – combining insights from SwissFEL, SACLA,
@esrf.fr
and Diamond Light Source.
Lightsources.org
#LifeSciences
#StructuralBiology
#ResearchInfrastructure
www.psi.ch/en/news/scie...
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Filming a vitamin B12 photoreceptor in action
SwissFEL shows the molecular events that occur when a vitamin B12 photoreceptor absorbs light
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/science-features/filming-a-vitamin-b12-photoreceptor-in-action
21 days ago
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Particle physics at CERN requires large-scale equipment. 2,000 silicon modules, each with half a million pixels, will form a new part of the CMS detector. 💫 A PSI research group is coordinating an international consortium for this purpose.
www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-...
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One thousand modules for CERN
At CERN near Geneva, tiny particles with extremely high energies are blasted at each other to answer big questions about the universe. The detectors that observe the collisions of these particles requ...
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-stories/one-thousand-modules-for-cern
about 1 month ago
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Research with muons at PSI is being further strengthened: President Parmelin has approved funding for the NCCR Muoniverse. The improvements will benefit research into quantum materials and superconductors, aid industrial applications, and even provide insights into art history and archaeology.
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Muons receive funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation
PSI gets an NCCR: The Muoniverse project will further expand research on the beamlines for elementary particles called muons – at the world’s leading facility for muon beams.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/media-releases/muons-receive-funding-from-the-swiss-national-science-foundation
about 1 month ago
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As part of the IMPACT project, PSI is increasing the intensity of its muon source by a factor of 100. Such intense beams and new detector technology open up ground-breaking possibilities for particle physics and materials research.
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“We’re pulling out all the stops”
PSI is increasing the intensity of its muon beams a hundredfold. This opens up entirely new possibilities for physics and materials research.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-stories/we-re-pulling-out-all-the-stops
about 1 month ago
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How do you bring a large research facility into the 21st century? Electrical engineer Lorenz Moser made a crucial measurement system of the Swiss Light Source SLS fit for the major upgrade SLS 2.0. 👉 More on his work here:
www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-...
about 1 month ago
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Air Pollution in Europe: A PSI study using mobile measurements shows: In Sarajevo, wood and coal heating systems are the main drivers of particulate matter pollution – especially in residential areas in the evenings. More on this 👉
www.psi.ch/en/news/medi...
about 1 month ago
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Researchers at PSI now present a fast and highly accurate modelling approach for mobile gamma-ray spectrometry. It enables near real-time analysis of complex measurement data acquired from helicopters, drones, or mobile ground-based systems.
journals.aps.org/prapplied/ab...
about 1 month ago
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🎂 2025 marked the 15-year anniversary of the Swiss TIMES Energy system Model, or STEM for short. ⚡ Today, the model covers the entire Swiss energy landscape, from electricity and transport to buildings and industry. 🚋🏭
www.psi.ch/en/news/medi...
about 2 months ago
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New X-ray technique at SwissFEL, published in Nature, reveals how electrons act together – with the potential to show why quantum information slips so easily away.
www.psi.ch/en/news/medi...
about 2 months ago
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E-mobility in Africa could catch on sooner than expected. A new study by ETH Zurich and PSI shows that electric vehicles could already be economically competitive in many countries before 2040.
www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-...
about 2 months ago
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Finishing your Bachelor's or enrolled in a Master's? Unlock your future in science! 🚀 Apply for the PSI Summer Student Programme by Jan 31, 2026! 🔬✨
#STEM
#Research
#Internship
www.psi.ch/en/summerstu...
about 2 months ago
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The next generation of batteries Lithium metal all-solid-state batteries are no longer a thing of the future. PSI researchers have developed a new manufacturing process that makes industrial production of these batteries realistic for the first time.
www.psi.ch/en/news/medi...
about 2 months ago
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Researchers at PSI have now demonstrated a new approach to synchronise ultrashort X-ray pulses at SwissFEL. This improved control is a crucial step for future experiments at attosecond timescales! 👉Read the science feature:
www.psi.ch/de/news/scie...
about 2 months ago
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#YearInReview
2025 was a year full of exciting research at PSI: From boosting battery performance and simulating quantum systems, to mapping brain architecture and fighting cancer.
#ResearchAtPSI
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PSI Year in Review 2025
Twelve PSI research highlights in 2025
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-stories/psi-year-in-review-2025
2 months ago
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📩 PSI users: our quarterly Facility Newsletter is out! Get important information, an overview of the latest scientific highlights, upcoming calls for proposals and news from the PSI facilities: SLS, SINQ, SμS, CHRISP and SwissFEL.
www.psi.ch/de/node/7201...
3 months ago
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A laser in the PSI cleanroom writes spirals, circles & snowflakes – but not for fun: the process creates new magnetic structures with enormous application potential.
@ethz.ch
#Magnetics
#Nanotech
#ResearchAtPSI
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Laser draws made-to-order magnetic landscapes
Researchers at PSI have found a surprisingly inexpensive and fast method to make localised alterations in magnetic materials.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/media-releases/laser-draws-made-to-order-magnetic-landscapes
3 months ago
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reposted by
PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
Department of Biomedicine🔬🧪
3 months ago
New Cell publication! A joint effort between
@psich.bsky.social
and collaborators reveals how microtubules act as spatiotemporal signal sensors regulating signaling proteins. Mechanistic immune insights from the Zippelius Lab
@biomedizin.unibas.ch
. 👏
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Structural basis of microtubule-mediated signal transduction
Microtubules have long been recognized as upstream mediators of intracellular signaling, but the mechanisms underlying this fundamental function remai…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867425013078?via%3Dihub
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Without signal transmission via the cytoskeleton, cells could not divide or mount immune responses. Researchers at PSI and the University of Basel
@biomedizin.unibas.ch
have now shown how microtubules pass on such signals at the molecular level.
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How microtubules take part in cellular signal processing
Researchers at PSI have investigated on the molecular level how the cytoskeleton transmits commands within the cell. Their findings could provide the medical field with new options for intervention in...
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/media-releases/how-microtubules-take-part-in-cellular-signal-processing
3 months ago
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Since its launch 30 years ago, the STIP programme at PSI has become a globally unique and indispensable resource for understanding radiation damage in materials, helping to ensure the safe operation of nuclear facilities. Full story 👇
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Predicting component lifetimes in nuclear facilities
For 30 years, experiments have been providing unique insight into how metals and ceramics degrade under high-energy proton bombardment.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/science-features/predicting-component-lifetimes-in-nuclear-facilities
3 months ago
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reposted by
PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
Nature Methods
3 months ago
An optimized X-ray nanotomography method offers an attractive alternative to volume EM for connectomics.
@crick.ac.uk
@psich.bsky.social
psich.bsky.social
@adrianawanner.bsky.social
@andreas-t-schaefer.bsky.social
@ucl.ac.uk
@uclnpp.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Nondestructive X-ray tomography of brain tissue ultrastructure - Nature Methods
Optimizations of X-ray nanotomography including the choice of resin allows high-resolution imaging of mouse brain tissue, approaching the resolution of volume electron microscopy. Since it does not re...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-025-02891-0
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reposted by
PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
Adrian Wanner
3 months ago
Happy to share the first paper from my journey at
@psich.bsky.social
towards X-ray connectomics, now out in
@natmethods.nature.com
:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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reposted by
PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
The Francis Crick Institute
3 months ago
Researchers at the Crick,
@psich.bsky.social
and
@esrf.fr
have developed a new way to look deeper into brain cell connections by using a particle accelerator and a kind of resin borrowed from the aerospace industry.
www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-11...
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From aerospace to neuroscience: new imaging tech captures the brain’s intricate connections
Inspired by technologies used in aerospace engineering, scientists have developed a way to capture the brain’s intricate structures using X-rays without destroying the samples.
https://www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-11-27_from-aerospace-to-neuroscience-new-imaging-tech-captures-the-brains-intricate-connections
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Scientists at the Swiss Light Source
#SLS
and
@crick.ac.uk
have succeeded in mapping a piece of brain tissue 🧠 in 3D at unprecedented resolution using X-rays – non-destructively. The breakthrough overcomes a long-standing technological barrier that had limited the use of X-rays for such studies.
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X-rays bring high-resolution brain mapping within reach
A new imaging breakthrough could reveal brain connectivity in 3D detail never before accessible.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/science-features/x-rays-bring-high-resolution-brain-mapping-within-reach
3 months ago
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reposted by
PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
Philip Donoghue
3 months ago
Just back from a few days scanning tiny fossils
@psich.bsky.social
Swiss Light Source. TOMCAT is still in commissioning phase but sub micron resolution scans are down to 90 seconds!
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New PSI method detects tiny amounts of critical impurities in biogas. Even small-scale plants can use the method without requiring large-scale investment. An important step towards clean biogas and the energy transition!
#Biogas
#EnergyTransition
#PSI
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Clean biogas – measurable everywhere
A new analytical method can detect even tiny amounts of critical impurities.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/media-releases/clean-biogas-measurable-everywhere
3 months ago
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✨ An important step for the Swiss
#photonics
industry: the technology transfer centre Swiss PIC has celebrated its inauguration at Park Innovaare – and opened a manufacturing centre for light-based microchips.
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Swiss PIC technology transfer centre is inaugurated
Jointly founded by scientific and industrial partners with PSI researchers: the Swiss Photonics Integration Center celebrated its inauguration on 24 November 2025.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/media-releases/swiss-pic-technology-transfer-centre-is-inaugurated
3 months ago
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The molecule spermine, which occurs naturally in the body, could help treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. A team at PSI has uncovered mechanisms that support the body's defenses.
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How the cheese-noodle principle could help counter Alzheimer's
PSI researchers have discovered cellular mechanisms that could help to mitigate diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/media-releases/spermine-against-alzheimer
4 months ago
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reposted by
PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
Swiss Nanoscience Institute, University of Basel
4 months ago
Researchers from the SNIunibas network use a
#diphtheria
toxin domain to fuse lipid vesicles at neutral pH, achieving gentle, controlled membrane fusion for
#bio-inspired
technologies. More information at:
nanoscience.unibas.ch/en/news/deta...
@unibas.ch
bas.ch
@psich.bsky.social
#nanoscience
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A Toxin with a Useful Twist
https://nanoscience.unibas.ch/en/news/details/ein-toxin-mit-ueberraschender-eigenschaft/
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How do quantum materials really respond to light? 🤔 The answer is complex – and a new study from SwissFEL by
@au.dk
reveals it’s even more so than previously thought.💡 Curious to learn more? Check out the full article here 👇#ResearchAtPSI
#QuantumMaterials
#UltrafastScience
#QuantumTech
#IYQS
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Disorder begins at the surface of quantum materials
Ultrafast X-rays from SwissFEL reveal unexpected light responses in quantum materials.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/science-features/disorder-begins-at-the-surface-of-quantum-materials
4 months ago
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Qubits are sensitive. 🫠 PSI researchers are developing ways to make them more stable and longer-lasting - working with ion pairs and optical tweezers. 👉 Full story:
www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-...
#ResearchAtPSI
#QuantumResearch
#Quantum
#QuantumWave
#QuantumFuture
#IYQ2025
#QuantumCurious
#QuantumYear
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Terbium duet and other quantum art
To create more stable qubits, PSI researchers make terbium ions perform in pairs. Elsewhere, they are using optical tweezers to position atoms with high precision.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-stories/terbium-duet-and-other-quantum-art
4 months ago
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🏆 Congrats to Laura Heyderman, winner of the 2026 Charpak-Ritz Prize by the French & Swiss Physical Societies for pioneering innovations in mesoscopic magnetic systems and synchrotron X-ray studies at PSI &
@ethz.ch
! 👏
#Physics
#CharpakRitzPrize
#ResearchAtPSI
4 months ago
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PSI researcher Cornelius Hempel performs calculations on quantum phenomena using quanta.⚛️He uses ion traps to effectively slow down time and thus study ultra-fast chemical reactions – e.g. molecules in the retina of the eye.👀 Full story: 👇
#ResearchAtPSI
#QuantumResearch
#QuantumFuture
#Quantum
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Zeitbremse und Ionenfallen
Cornelius Hempel berechnet Quantenphänomene mit Quanten. Klingt logisch, ist aber hochkomplex. Sein neuester Coup: ein Quantensimulator, der die Zeit verlangsamt.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-stories/slowing-time-and-trapping-ions
4 months ago
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reposted by
PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
Kanton BL
5 months ago
Regierungsrat besucht Paul-Scherrer-Institut PSI in Villigen: Mit 2300 MA ist das PSI das grösste Forschungsinstitut für Natur- und Ingenieurwissenschaften in der Schweiz. Es arbeitet eng mit der Uni Basel und der FHNW zusammen.
#Forschung
#PSI
#KantonBL
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🎃💡 Power off… Power on! Am PSI wird’s hell! Entdecke Energieforschung, interaktive Exponate und Energiespiele zur Energiewende. 👉 Führung mit Anmeldung | Spiele & Exponate frei zugänglich
www.psi.ch/de/visit/pub...
✨ Energiewissen entfacht – in der Hellen Nacht!
#industrieweltaargau
#hellenacht
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5 months ago
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🏅PSI’s Head of the Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences, Prof. Marc Janoschek, has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society – one of the most highly regarded honours in physics. 🎉Congrats on this well-deserved recognition of outstanding research!
#Physics
#APSFellow
#ResearchAtPSI
5 months ago
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#5232, the magazine of the PSI, is out! ✨ This issue is all about the art of quantum physics. 📖 Our magazine is available online: English:
www.psi.ch/en/news/5232...
German:
www.psi.ch/de/news/5232...
French:
www.psi.ch/fr/news/5232...
#Quantum
#ResearchAtPSI
#FutureTechnologies
5 months ago
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PSI researchers have created a dynamic database for the vanadium industry. 💡 It provides reliable data on deposits, demand and prices – aiming to promote investment and the use of vanadium electricity storage systems.
#ResearchAPSI
#Vanadium
#PSI
#BatteryResearch
www.psi.ch/en/news/medi...
5 months ago
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📩 PSI users: our quarterly Facility Newsletter is out! Get important information, an overview of the latest scientific highlights, upcoming calls for proposals and news from the PSI facilities: SLS, SINQ, SμS, CHRISP and SwissFEL.
www.psi.ch/en/node/7077...
6 months ago
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Net Zero by 2050? 🛤️POLIZERO, a project of PSI and the University of Piraeus, has investigated model pathways for how Switzerland can become climate-neutral. More on this 👇
#NetZero
#ClimatePolicy
#EnergyTransition
#ResearchAtPSI
#POLIZERO
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POLIZERO: PSI project shows paths to climate neutrality
The net-zero target is achievable – if Switzerland sets the right political course now.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/media-releases/psi-project-shows-paths-to-climate-neutrality
6 months ago
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PSI is now computing with Merlin-7 – a virtual cluster on the Alps supercomputer at CSCS in Lugano. Flexible, energy-efficient, and ideal for AI, materials research, and more. 💻💧
#PSI
#Merlin7
www.psi.ch/en/news/medi...
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Merlin-7: New model for high-performance computing
An innovative computing cluster is ushering in a new era of computer-aided research at PSI.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/media-releases/merlin-7-new-model-for-high-performance-computing
6 months ago
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Concrete is boring? PSI researcher John Provis can convince you otherwise! He studies how cement, aggregates and water are transformed into a high-tech building material. “Watching concrete set is more exciting than you might think!”
#Research
#Concrete
www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-...
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PSI’s cement whisperer
John Provis has dedicated his research career to a building material that is far more exciting than you might think.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-stories/watching-concrete-set-is-a-lot-more-exciting-than-you-might-think
6 months ago
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We’ve cut the ribbon! ✂️🎀 🎉 The Swiss Light Source SLS is officially inaugurated! On 21 August, guests including Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin and Martina Bircher celebrated the successful upgrade.
www.psi.ch/en/news/medi...
7 months ago
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An ichthyosaur sliced silently through the Jurassic seas. Its stealth strategy has been revealed by means of tomography at the
#SwissLightSource
#SLS
at PSI. Study with Lund University now in Nature.
@lightsources.bsky.social
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X-rays reveal fossil stealth technology
PSI imaging helps to uncover the hunting strategy of a prehistoric predator.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-stories/x-rays-reveal-fossil-stealth-technology
7 months ago
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Genetically different, structurally visible: Not all ciliopathies are the same. PSI demonstrates how advanced imaging enables the differentiated diagnosis of a rare disease.
#PCD
#PSI
#RareDiseases
#EarlyDetection
#SwissScience
www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-...
7 months ago
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Detective work for safe syringes 🕵️♀️ A team from ANAXAM & PSI has shown that zinc from the needle shield could in rare cases contribute to the clogging of pre-filled syringes. State-of-the-art imaging techniques available at PSI were used to look inside the needle. 💉🔬
#MedTech
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Zinc detected in clogged syringes
With the help of researchers at PSI, ANAXAM has been investigating, on behalf of the pharmaceutical company MSD, whether zinc may contribute to clogging of pre-filled syringes.
https://www.psi.ch/en/news/media-releases/zinc-detected-in-clogged-syringes
7 months ago
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The quantum revolution is just beginning. ✨ 100 years after the first breakthroughs, 2025 marks the UNESCO Year of Quantum Science. We asked PSI expert Gabriel Aeppli what we can expect from this second quantum era—where we don't just observe, but control.
#Quantum2025
8 months ago
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We’re excited to launch the first call for proposals following the restart of the Swiss Light Source SLS, after the successful completion of the pioneering SLS 2.0 upgrade. Submission deadline: 20 August 2025, 12:00 noon (CET). All info here:
www.psi.ch/en/sls/calls
8 months ago
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🔬 From research to real-world impact: Stephanie Smit earned her PhD at PSI’s Swiss Light Source – now she secures patents at ASML for some of the world’s most advanced chipmaking machines. Read her story in the 5232 magazine:👉
www.psi.ch/en/news/psi-...
#PSIAlumni
#ASML
8 months ago
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