The series Æther is both, a teaching format that promotes students’ research and creative writing skills, and a hybrid (web/print) publication format, showcasing the results. As such, each individual issue is the outcome of a year-long research seminar dealing with a specific theme, object, place, and/or archive – and of a collective of students tapping into complex social issues in the areas of science, technology and society with the aim of communicating them to a wider audience. Originally developed as a joint project by ETH (Chair for Science Studies) and ZHdK (Visual Communication), Æther research and writing seminars have so far been held at ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich, the University of Basel and the University of Vienna.