News

ETH Zurich has opened the 2026 call for the NOMIS–ETH Fellowship Program, inviting outstanding early-career researchers to pursue independent, interdisciplinary projects on one of science’s most fundamental questions: how life begins and where it may exist. Applications for fellowships within the Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life (COPL) are open until Nov. 6, 2026.

Why do people turn to magic for healing, divination or other high-stakes decisions, even when its practical effects are uncertain? A new interdisciplinary paper by NOMIS researcher Ryan McKay and colleagues argues that the answer is more complex than simply believing or not believing. People may approach magical practices with a shifting mix of conviction, […]

Set against the inspiring backdrop of the Swiss Alps, the inaugural NOMIS Fellows Symposium recently brought together an international, interdisciplinary group of current and former fellows for three days of keynotes, workshops and collaborative exchange. Under the theme “Embracing Uncertainty,” the event offered researchers space to broaden their horizons, challenge their assumptions, and discover unexpected […]

NOMIS Awardee Ronald Evans and fellow Salk Institute scientists uncover an unexpected role for HDAC enzymes in DNA damage repair and use their insights to develop new treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer. Their findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Breakthroughs in science emerge when we dare to connect the seemingly unrelated. Just as Leonardo da Vinci drew on art, anatomy and engineering to reveal an interconnected world, solving today’s greatest mysteries demands the same boundary-crossing vision. In this spirit, the 2026 NOMIS Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award honors three pioneering researchers whose bold ideas […]

Why do global crises become background noise, and how do our genetics and environment shape complex human traits? Researchers Rachit Dubey and Jiacheng Miao crossed scientific boundaries to answer these fundamental questions. Their bold, innovative work earned them the 2025/26 NOMIS & Science Young Explorer Award, which was presented on June 11 at a ceremony […]

NOMIS researcher Janelle Ayres and scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered that, contrary to dogma, naked mole rats are capable of peaceful queen succession, demonstrating unappreciated flexibility in their social order. The study, published in Science Advances, illuminates a new layer of social complexity for naked mole rats, which are important models in biomedical research on socialization, aging, […]

While fears of AI replacing jobs are widespread, a new NBER working paper led by NOMIS Awardee David Autor and colleagues reveals that the creation of novel occupations acts as a powerful economic defense. Their research demonstrates that this “new work” demands scarce, specialized expertise, allowing workers who transition into these roles to earn significantly […]

Emilie Skoog and Sarah Joiret have joined the ranks of NOMIS–ETH Fellows at the Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life at ETH Zurich. This 2026 cohort of fellows will explore viruses as both key drivers and "archives" of microbial evolution and the origin of the volatile inventory that sustains life, and particularly water.

NOMIS researcher Gerald Shadel has been elected as a 2025 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow. He is one of two Salk Institute scientists to receive the honor this year.  Salk Institute molecular biologist Gerald Shadel, PhD, and neuroscientist Tatyana Sharpee, PhD, have been elected as 2025 American Association for the Advancement of Science […]

How do habits influence lifespan? In a study monitoring the lives of African turquoise killifish, NOMIS Awardees Anne Brunet and Karl Deisseroth and colleagues at Stanford University have found that basic behaviors even early in life, such as activity level and sleep patterns, can predict future lifespan. Aging is not a gradual decline, but rather a sequence of distinct […]

When do voters actually think for themselves? A new study sheds light on when and why people follow their political party’s lead — and what it takes to break the “follow the leader” mentality. NOMIS researcher Ryan McKay and a colleague at Royal Holloway, University of London, found that when people are given clear policy […]