Some say that back pain is the price we pay for walking upright. Others claim that the problem only really started when humankind sat down to reflect and contemplate. Thanks to a collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh and Balgrist University Hospital, Empa is beginning to decode the mechanics of the lower vertebrae. Researchers soon will be able to reveal how wear and tear comes about on vertebral bodies and spinal disks. This will make choosing the appropriate therapy much easier.

Using adhesive tape and graphite as it is found in pencil lead, two physicists proved that graphene, the “miracle material of the future”, actually exists – and won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work only a few years later. Scientists are also researching the properties of graphene at Empa. For instance, they are investigating how molecules can be used to produce well-defined graphene nanostructures that could one day serve as electronic components.

CFCs are still harming the ozone layer; industrial gases with a high greenhouse potential heat up the atmosphere. The polluters don't go undiscovered, though. Empa scientists are tracking the trace gases with highly sensitive instruments and identify the sources of pollution with the help of meteorological data.

Empa is in the midst of establishing the Future Mobility Demonstrator on ist Dübendorf campus. This ambitious Projekt should reveal how excess electricity, generated by solar and wind-power, can be converted to fuel in the most sensible way. After all, this could slash Switzerland's carbon dioxide emissions by over 4 million tons – which would match perfectly the Swiss contribution to the Kyoto protocol. Empa will evaluate methods to fuel electric vehicles, hydrogen powered vehicles as well as natural gas cars.

For some time, Empa has settled between university and the market and, together with its industrial partners, endeavored to get new technologies “on the road” – highly successfully, too, as the examples in the current issue of EmpaNews on the topic of technology transfer demonstrate.

And also in this issue: Programmable materials: Phononic crystals – a revolution in mechanical engineering? --- Air cushions can save lives: Insulating gear for extreme conditions. --- Diamonds are poor kissers: A failed experiment as cover story.

Around half of the energy demand in Switzerland is generated by buildings and every year ten tons of construction materials per capita are being used up. If we want to import fewer fossil fuels and reduce raw material consumption, we simply have to develop and test novel buildings in practice. The Empa research platform NEST has been conceived to do just this.

And also in this issue: Hightech for soft skin: Swiss entepreneur manufactures Lingerie made of pure gold. --- Hangover for the "cat": Bioethanol in gasoline damages catalytic converters. --- Interim storage for green electricity: Excess power is converted into climate-neutral natural gas.

Empa physicist René Rossi conducts research into the clothing of the future. What is it supposed to do? What is feasible? And how can 1.8 square meters of human skin be used to transfer data? One of the projects aiming in this direction is the "Weight-watcher-T-shirt": a tailor-made vest, which helps overweight people to watch their waistlines.

And also in this issue: The death knell for joints: compliant mechanisms – lighter, cheaper and more hygienic. --- "Lifejackets" for deep-sea drills: special ceramics help to tap into new crude oil and gas sources.

50 years ago the Empa campus was literally carved out of a green field in Dübendorf on the outskirts of Zurich. The exterior of the buildings has hardly changed. However, inside the walls it is a completely different story. A metamorphosis has taken place...

And also in this issue: Shaken, not stirred: Vibration tests on a wooden house provide data for architects. --- Dioxin from the particle filter: Diesel engines sometimes generate Seveso toxin. Why? --- Blood pressure measurement ‘round the clock: A wrist sensor makes blood pressure monitoring easy.

Many chemical reactions and chemical processes take place on surfaces or within boundary layers. In order to understand this, the layers must be analyzed in as much detail as possible. We show, how Empa examines microstructures down to the atomic level, using self-designed "super-microscopes" – and how these scientific results lead to the construction of new surfaces.

Besides fundamental research Empa regularily tackles practical problems: How come, that an electrical threewheeler used for postal delivery suffers spontaneous self-combustion during the night? Empa scientists analyzed the problem and found a solution.

And also in this issue: Shower now, ventilate later: a new moisture buffering plaster by Empa. --- Mercury in energy-saving lamps – a sword of damocles?

Industrialized countries face two problems: noise and airborne pollution. Empa researchers use facilities such as comprehensive 3D computer models and simulations to detect noise sources. The resulting noise maps then reveal where it is loudest in Switzerland i.e. where the situation is most critical. Besides noise, our quality of life is also being affected by greenhouse gases and airborne pollutants. Empa researchers are examining their spread in the atmosphere with analytical instruments and computer models.

And also in this issue: Acid from the A/C: Car cooling agent is harming the environment. --- An interview with nanocrystal expert and ERC award winner Maksym Kovalenko.