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:

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.…

doi.org

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

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...

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:

Der Dachs | 2329783258084381

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

haupt.ch

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...

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.

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...

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!

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

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

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.

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! 🔗

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.

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!

In the recent ETH news, our PI, Prof.Loïc Pellissier wrote a perspective on how can we encourage companies to do a better job of protecting biodiversity. Check it out here:

Loïc Pellissier, how can we encourage companies to do a better job of protecting biodiversity?

Biodiversity has suffered greatly worldwide. Companies should also do more to protect it. However, they need reliable indicators that quantify the success of measures taken to benefit nature, writes…

ethz.ch

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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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.

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

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!

🚀 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

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

🌍 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

💪 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

🎉 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...

🌱 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...