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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

ELE researchers Jean Hofstadler (PhD student) and Roos van Wees (postdoc) joined a BURGEON field campaign in the UNESCO Global Geopark Caminhos dos Cânions do Sul, Brazil. Using eDNA, the team is mapping aquatic biodiversity across Atlantic Forest canyon systems in a non-invasive way.

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

New book chapter co-authored by our PhD student Anouk-Lisa Taucher! 📚🌱 It explores how Citizen Science acts as a vital bridge between nature and society, empowering the public to research and protect biodiversity together. Read it here:

doi.org

Gemeinsam die biologische Vielfalt erforschen

Die Erhaltung der biologischen Vielfalt ist von existenzieller Bedeutung für das Leben und Wohlergehen der Menschheit. Der Mensch ist Teil komplexer Ökosysteme, die er selbst maßgeblich verändert.…

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

NOMIS fellow Antonin Affholder joined a unique interdisciplinary workshop at Basel University. He presented on "living interfaces," exploring how microbes interact with global environments and why geochemical models must look beyond the bulk ocean to map planetary cycling. #Astrobiology #UiT

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

New paper in Ecological Informatics! 📊 Co-authored by group leader Loic Pellissier, the study shows how multi-scale neural networks improve species distribution models for thousands of plants & animals by handling scale dependencies through deep learning. Read it here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ec...

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

New book co-authored by our PhD student Anouk-Lisa Taucher! 🦡📚 "Der Dachs" explores how badgers are adapting to urban environments, offering fresh insights into their biology and tips for conflict-free coexistence with humans. Order it from Haupt Verlag here:

haupt.ch

Der Dachs | 2329783258084381

Über Wurzeln und Asphalt - wie Dachse in unserer Nähe leben.Umfassendes Porträt des einheimischen Wildtiers.

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

New paper in Ecology and Evolution! 📝 Led by group head Loic Pellissier, with visiting PhD Song Zhang as first author and PhD Anna Lewkowicz as co-author. The team used eDNA to show how precipitation alters human impacts on river food webs. Read it here: doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

ELE group sends (belated) greetings from the European Geosciences Union (EGU) 2026 conference. We had a blast, and all got to present our research! Pictured (from the left): Jingyi Liu, Gayoung Yang, Antonin Affholder, Josephine Reek, Anna Lewkowicz, Roos van Wees.

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

New paper in Ecosphere by our PhD student Merlin Weiss! The study looks at how mammal communities respond to land use change in Neotropical dry forests using a trait-filtered lens. Vital insights for tropical conservation. Read the full open-access article: doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

The astrobiology hackathon HACK-4-SAGES organized by our PhD student Anna Lewkowicz was a huge success with nearly 200 participants worldwide. The three winning teams are now invited to come to Switzerland in September and present their winning projects. We can't wait to learn more about them!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

After 1586.9 NM on RV Helmer Hanssen, our Tromsø-Bergen cruise is ending. We got a gravity core using sedimentary ancient DNA to reconstruct past fish and mammal biodiversity. Vital context for modern ecosystem decline! Thanks Andreas Altenburger, Sanne Bergman, Vanessa Pitusi & crew. #fieldwork

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Environmental DNA – From Biodiversity Monitoring to Decision Making: A course involving summer and winter schools at ETH Zurich. The deadline for application is 07 June 2026. Here is the course description: ilc.enhanceuniversity.eu/opportunitie... FABIAN FOP_1; FABIAN FOP_2

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Second year of eDNA sampling at Drawaqa Island, Fiji, with the Crystal Blue Reef Safari team and postdoc Kerstin Glaus. This locally supported MPA is home to coral restoration, manta ray and elasmobranch research, and a community-enforced no-fishing zone driving clear gains in reef biodiversity.

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

New paper alert 🚀 Our NOMIS Fellow Antonin Affholder is a co-author on a new study exploring the potential for glycine fermentation to support life in Titan’s subsurface ocean. Congrats to Antonin and the team! 🔗

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

We’re excited to welcome Mélanie Burnette as a new Lab Technician in the ELE group! She’ll support Burgeon, WildinSync, and sediment aDNA projects, working on eDNA and aDNA processing through library prep. With a background in genetics and immunology, she brings strong expertise to the team.

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Let's welcome Julia Gnägi as our new lab technician! She is an alumni from the FHNW where she did her BSc in Life Science with a focus on bioanalytics and cellbiology. At our group, she's going to support the WildinSync and sediment ancient DNA projects by processing DNA samples. We're so excited!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Hands-on eDNA sampling training was conducted to the forest officials from Bhutan on 11/2/2026 in collaboration with Department of Forest & Park Services of Bhutan, WWF Bhutan, WWF US, College of Natural Resources, Bhutan and ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Check out the pictures!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Gordian joined ELE group in September from Tanzania. His research is focusing on how eDNA can be availed to monitor vectors and pathogens of human and veterinary diseases. Welcome!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Our new PhD student, Jean Lucca, is using eDNA to understand how geological dynamics in mountains relate to speciation across some of the richest and most endemic landscapes around the globe. Welcome to the group!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Yu Yi a visiting PhD student joined the ELE group in November. Her work focuses on eDNA as a tool to monitor fish biodiversity in Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. Welcome in the group!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Zhong Shuo calls for everybody to join his team to advance science by participating in their visual challenge. It takes just one minute. 👉 lab.citizenscience.ch/en/project/942

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Liu Jingyi joined the ELE group in November bringing in her work that evaluates multi-decadal environmental impacts of mariculture in China. Welcome!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

In August Meret Jucker collected eDNA and plankton net samples on R/V FOREL for the Greenfjord project to compare marine biodiversity in two fjords in SW Greenland.

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

🎄🎅❄ Merry Christmas from the ELE group! 🎄🎅❄

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

From 11 to 24 September 2025, our team deployed an environmental DNA (eDNA) autosampler in Alptal, right next to the WSL experimental infrastructure. Check out the pictures!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

🚀 Applications are open for HACK-4-SAGES, a digital twin in astrobiology hackathon 🗓️ 9 to 13 March 2026 🌍 Join online or in person 🏆 Win an all-expenses-paid trip to ETH Zurich ⏳ Deadline: 16 January 2026 🔗 hack-4-sages.org 💡 We also welcome mentors: tinyurl.com/5bpnxn2y

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

The WSL’s new exhibition “Breaking the Code” highlights ELE group research, revealing new insights into biodiversity. Check it out!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

🌍 New publication alert! In Ecography, we show how landscape connectivity and climate dynamics shape plant endemism hotspots in the Hengduan Mountains. Endemism peaks at ~3,000–4,000 m, highlighting the complex interplay of geography and biodiversity. Read the article here: buff.ly/AfI5xOk

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

💪 Check this out! The head of our group, Loïc Pellissier, was recently featured on Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia Instagram! Here's the link: buff.ly/45HiX64

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

🎉 We did it — 500+ followers on LinkedIn! A huge thank-you to everyone who supports ELE Group. Your energy keeps us moving forward! Join our LinkedIn community here: www.linkedin.com/company/ecos...

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

🌱 Fieldwork in Colombia! Together with Fundación Universitaria de Popayán, Fundación Biodiversa de Colombia, and Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, our group carried out a pilot eDNA project in Puracé National Park. Read more: fup.edu.co/impulsamos-i...

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

🚀 Our guest Nikita Zychowska was a recent speaker at the COPL Lunch Seminar. She's a BSc student in AI at Johannes Kepler Universität Linz and the co-founder of the Astroyouth society. She'll stay in our group for two more weeks to work on the co-evolution of planets and life project.

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

In the recent publication, we show that combining multispecies primers with CRISPR-Dx—a workflow dubbed ampliscanning—matches the effectiveness of metabarcoding for detecting terrestrial mammals via eDNA in remote, high-alpine catchments. Read the article: buff.ly/9rVajwt

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

🌋 Let's welcome Roos van Wees, a new postdoctoral researcher in our group. Roos's background is in geomorphology, having examined how erosion shapes volcanic landscapes over time. In BurGeoN project, she will investigate how geomorphological dynamics influence biodiversity in mountain regions.

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

🌍 New publication alert! In our latest piece in Nature Cities, we highlight how biodiversity modeling can support urban planning by balancing human well-being with nature. This helps cities meet biodiversity targets while ensuring access to healthy ecosystems. Read the article: buff.ly/zeRBrYh

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

🎉 Warm welcome to Antonin Affholder, a new NOMIS fellow and postdoc in our group. He will research the dynamical mechanisms that caused the oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere to occur hundreds of millions of years after the emergence of photosynthesis. Exciting research is coming, stay tuned!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

New publication alert! Together with colleagues, we show how combining eDNA with remote sensing can improve models of fish biodiversity in tropical rivers. 🔗 Read the article here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

🌱 We’ve just completed the first sampling mission of Project Burgeon, supported by the SNSF. Over the summer, we explored multiple locations across the Puracé National Park to map the rich plant diversity of the Andean forest. We aim to uncover how geological dynamics shape mountain biodiversity.

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Proud to see our work showcased at the Swiss Pavilion of the Expo 2025 in Osaka! Over the years, we have co-designed robotic and eDNA technologies that can reveal the hidden presence of species and provide an early warning against invasive ones. Image credits: © FDFA, Presence Switzerland

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

🌱 This summer, we kicked off our first biodiversity monitoring initiative at ETH Zentrum and Hönggerberg using eDNA sampling. A big shoutout to everyone who made this day such a success!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Our PhD student Anna Lewkowicz is part of a team that recently raised nearly 13,000 CHF to organize an innovative astrobiology-themed hackathon. They're currently looking for hackathon co-hosts. DM us or write them an email if you'd like to get involved!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

🌍 Congratulations to our PhD student Anna Lewkowicz for receiving an ESA Academy scholarship, which allowed her to participate in the XXI International School of Astrobiology ‘Josep Comas i Solà’: Origins to Organisms: Understanding Life’s Beginnings. Great job!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

👨‍🎓 Let's welcome our new PhD student, Merlin Weiß! He works on the BiOcean5D project to understand how marine biodiversity changes across space, time, and environmental gradients. Welcome, and we hope you'll have a wonderful time here!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

📚 For his MSc thesis at ETH Zurich, David Racine is developing a rapid biodiversity assessment method across various land uses. He uses eDNA swabbing to detect insects and mammals, and automated plant ID via the FlorID and Pl@ntNet APIs. David, we are so proud of you and wish you all the best!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Our MSc student, Deniz Imir, is trying to better understand the relationship between landscape perception and biodiversity. He conducted eDNA-based biodiversity monitoring in various catchments across Switzerland (see the map) to assess the presence of mammals and insects in the region. Good luck!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Exciting to see biodiversity indicators now publicly available, a major step toward data-driven conservation. We are proud that members of ELE contributed to this important effort. Learn more here:

doi.org

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Congratulations to Monika Goralczyk, who recently defended her PhD thesis "Uncovering mammal diversity patterns and tropical forest dynamics with environmental DNA". We are very proud of you and wish you all the best in the future!

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

📢 New research published in Ecological Modelling explores sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) forecasting of thermal stress for Swiss river fishes. The study aims to enhance our understanding of thermal stress impacts on freshwater ecosystems. Read the full paper here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ec... #S2S

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Reposted by ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social

Merin Reji Chacko @merinrejichacko.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

🚨 Hot off the press! We show that species loss from key habitats (like wetlands) accelerates secondary extinction in regional multi-habitat food webs. Also, we show the importance of common species to regional food web robustness. doi.org/10.1038/s420... #Ecology #FoodWebs #Biodiversity #Metaweb

doi.org

Species loss in key habitats accelerates regional food web disruption - Communications Biology

Simulating extinctions across regional food webs reveals that losing species from one habitat— especially wetlands—can cascade to others, accelerating multi-habitat food web collapse, highlighting the...

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ELE-ETHWSL.bsky.social @ele-ethwsl.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Shuo Zong for defending his PhD thesis, "Combining remote sensing and eDNA for fish diversity monitoring in large river corridors". It was a pleasure having you on our team, and we wish you all the best in the future!

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