News
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Supply Chain Resilience Center at Charles UniversityWith the participation of the Rector of Charles University and senior representatives of the Czech Republic and Taiwan, Charles University in cooperation with National Chengchi University in Taiwan launched a joint project and established the Supply Chain Resilience Center. The universities will jointly explore supply chain resilience in the semiconductor industry. The centre is part of the Taiwanese government's efforts to support the development of the semiconductor environment in the country and is 100% funded by the Taiwanese government. Four faculties of the Charles University, including experts on global production networks from the Research Centre of Economic Geography and Regional Development of the Charles University. Published Nov 27, 2023 |
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Two new ERC grants go to our facultyMatyáš Fendrych and Zuzana Musilová succeeded in the European Research Council call and received an ERC Consolidator grant. Zuzana Musilová (Department of Zoology) will investigate the unique vision of the deep sea fishes. Matyáš Fendrych's project (Department of Experimental Plant Biology) will focus on the rapid auxin responses in plant morphogenesis. Published Nov 23, 2023 |
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Faculty of Science will address “Geohazards”The Faculty of Science has succeeded in the call for proposals of the Programme Johannes Amos Comenius (OP JAK). The new project, under the leadership of Professor Vojtěch Ettler, will focus on natural and anthropogenic geohazards. Published Nov 06, 2023 |
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Unveiling a Novel Immune Response in the Intestinal EpitheliumResearchers from the Jan Dobeš laboratory have made a significant discovery uncovering a novel immune response in the intestinal epithelium. Furthermore, their study delineates a mechanism that controls this immune response. Their findings were recently published in the renowned Journal of Experimental Medicine in a paper authored by Tomáš Brabec and other members of Jan Dobeš's laboratory at the Faculty of Science, Charles University. The study was a collaborative effort involving scientists from Martin Schwarzer's and Dominik Filipp's laboratories at the Czech Academy of Sciences, as well as Jakub Abramson from the Weizmann Institute in Israel. Published Oct 30, 2023 |
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A protein that helps cells "eat themselves"Scientists from the Department of Experimental Plant Biology at the Faculty of Science of Charles University have published the results of their research in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Plants, which brings new insights into the function of the ARP2/3 protein complex in plant cells. It turns out that plant cells can use this component in a very different way than animal cells - it is important for cellular recycling of peroxisomes. Published Oct 25, 2023 |
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Deadline for applications to the 4EU+ Urban Health Case Challenge 2023Do you want to work in a multidisciplinary team and solve real urban challenges together with students from different universities across Europe? Then you still have the opportunity to apply for the 4EU+ Urban Health Case Challenge 2023 and represent Charles University in this exciting student competition! The challenge is open to Bachelor's, Master's and PhD students and the course is worth 3 ECTS. The deadline for applications is 15 October 2023. Published Oct 09, 2023 |
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Scientists' discovery of species diversity in Nature CommunicationsResearches from the Center for Theoretical Study and the Faculty of Science of Charles University used the mathematical models of evolution to confirm Darwin's assumptions that the rate of species diversification is higher in species and lineages with large geographic range. They also identified regions and taxa that form an exception to this rule, in which, paradoxically, small ranges are associated with rapid diversification of species. Their discovery has now been published by the world-renowned scientific journal Nature Communications. Published Oct 06, 2023 |
Last bite of an Ordovician trilobiteCzech trilobite in Nature! Palaeontologists from The Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and their colleagues (list below in this article) describe a 465-million-year-old trilobite with preserved gut contents in this top scientific journal. This unique fossil, three-dimensionally preserved in a so-called Rokycany ball, was found more than a hundred years ago. But it has revealed its secrets only now, thanks to the cutting-edge imaging methods of synchrotron tomography. The research fills a fundamental gap in our understanding of trilobite ecology and their role in Palaeozoic ecosystems. Published Sep 27, 2023 |
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Prestigious Azrieli International Postdoctoral FellowshipAre you just finishing your Ph.D. studies or are you three years away from receiving your degree? Then don't miss out on the prestigious Azrieli International postdoctoral fellowship. This fellowship allows you to engage in research for two years at one of eight top academic institutions in Israel. The fellowship starts in October 2024, and the application deadline is November 15, 2023. Published Sep 26, 2023 |
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Mathematical - Biological SeminarWe cordially invite all those interested to a series of mathematics and biology seminars, which will be held from the winter semester on Tuesdays in Viničná 7. Published Sep 18, 2023 |
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Welcome Day for New International Degree Students 2023You are cordially invited to the Welcome Day on 3 October 2023 at the Hybernská Campus. Its aim is to give new students the opportunity to meet freshmen from other faculties, to learn about student life in Prague, the functioning of the university and to experience a bit of Czech culture. Published Sep 14, 2023 |
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Fish Conference in PragueLast week the XVII European Congress of Ichthyology took place in Prague. The main co-organizer was Zuzana Musilová from the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, who organized the conference together with colleagues from the Czech University of Life Sciences and the Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Published Sep 13, 2023 |
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A new way to understand animals: "Bioacoustic AI" to make sense of their soundsMachine learning, often called "AI", makes it possible to uncover the mysterious world of animal communication, analysing their sounds that convey so much information. A new project called Bioacoustic AI is going to make this happen, and will use that information to monitor and protect wildlife. Tereza Petrusková from the Department of Ecology is participating in the project on behalf of our faculty. Published Sep 01, 2023 |
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An Interesting Collaboration RevealedIn a new study, researchers from the Faculty of Science of Charles University, in collaboration with researchers from Max-Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and European Molecular Biology Laboratory from Heidelberg, have delved into the intricate partnership between anaerobic amoebae from the genus Pelomyxa and their prokaryotic companions. Pelomyxa, known for their unique symbiotic relationships with multiple prokaryotic endosymbionts, has long mystified scientists regarding the role these symbionts play in their host's metabolism. The study was published in the prestigious ISME Journal. Published Aug 29, 2023 |
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Visit of the Korean delegation to our facultyOn Friday, 18th August, a delegation from the Korean Jeonbuk National University visited our faculty (and other faculties of Charles University). The visit, which was interested in the ways of teaching and establishing possible cooperation, was welcomed at the faculty by the vice-dean for the biology section, Prof. Petr Horák. Together, they visited several specialized laboratories in Viničná 7 and finally the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science. Published Aug 18, 2023 |
How Trypanosoma escaped the immunityTrypanosoma brucei gambiense is responsible for over 95 % of sleeping sickness cases – a disease that threatens many inhabitants of Africa. Like any parasite, Trypanosoma is trying to escape the human immune system quite successfully, despite being exposed to the hostile environment of the intravascular system. Its elaborate mechanisms against adaptive immunity have been described but how does this parasite outsmart the early stages of immune response? An international research group, joined by Martin Zoltner from the Faculty of Science, Charles University, tried to answer that question. Published Aug 14, 2023 |
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Doctoral Summer School 2023We are happy to inform you that the registration for the second Doctoral Summer School 2023 in Prague is now open for Early-Career Researchers in the Czech Republic. This summer school will take place in Prague on 15-16 September 2023. The aim of the PhD summer school is to improve the skills of early career researchers in three important areas. Each participant will receive a certificate and the official language of the event is English. More information can be found in this newsletter. Published Aug 14, 2023 |
How much do cities affect bird lives?You have probably already noticed the decline of insects in nature, either through the media or even from your own experience. Now, an international European research group has investigated how disappearing insects can affect bird populations. Professor Jiří Reif, from the Faculty of Science at Charles University, was involved in this research too, particularly in the planning of the project. According to the authors, insectivorous birds could be negatively affected by the depletion of insect communities. Published Aug 13, 2023 |
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Sensory evolution: Fish smelling well in the water and in the airSome fish do come ashore at night have an unusually high number of olfactory receptor genes that might allow them to smell in the air. Analysis of two hundred fishes, including some that are able to move overland, suggests that the sense of smell in some amphibious fishes has adapted to their new way of life. Zuzana Musilová, Demian Burguera and from the Fish Evolution Biology group and Pavel Němec, Francesco Dionigi, Kristina Kverková and Yicheng Zhang from the Sensory and Evolutionary Neurobiology group at the Faculty of Science of Charles University present a new study published in BMC Biology addressing this topic. Published Aug 11, 2023 |
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Peculiarities of the germline-restricted chromosome of songbirdIn multicellular organisms, all cells of an individual normally contain the same genetic information and cell differentiation is achieved through regulation of gene expression. There are exceptions, however, where, instead of silencing, certain sequences are permanently deleted from the genome. An interesting example of this programmed DNA elimination has been described in songbirds, where a whole chromosome is lost from somatic cells early on in embryo development and is maintained only in the germ cells. In a paper, which has just been published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, the team of Radka Reifová from the Department of Zoology, with Stephen Schlebusch as the first author, together with other researchers sequenced this chromosome in two closely related songbird species, providing one of the first insights into the importance and evolutionary dynamics of this peculiar chromosome. Published Aug 02, 2023 |