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Popular Science: One more piece to the coronavirus puzzle?Dozens of millions of infected people all over the world, nearly two and a half million deaths, and normal life on hold… all because one virus, which obviously is the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causing the disease known as covid-19. In addition to the development of vaccines and drugs, the characterisation of individual parts of the virus particles is another very important part of research. This part of research was of interest to the team led by Václav Veverka and Evžen Bouřa from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB CAS) and the Faculty of Sciences of Charles University. They published an article with the main authors being Dhurvas Chandrasekaran Dinesh and Dominika Chalupská from IOCB CAS. Published Mar 15, 2021 |
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Stanislav Komárek’s Ukrainian OdysseyWinning the “Book of the Year” award in one of Europe’s largest countries is without a doubt a huge success, and not just for the author but also for Czech culture at large. When something like that happens again, it means that the country is, in a sense, obsessed with the author. This is exactly what is currently happening with Stanislav Komárek, an original scientist, essayist and writer and the Ukraine. Following “Man as an Evolutionary Innovation?”, his book “Europe at the Crossroads” has won the Book of the Year Award in the Sofiya category (Philosophy, Anthropology, Psychology). This was a good reason to speak to the author in person. That is, as much ‘in person’ as the present times allow. Published Mar 09, 2021 |
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Zentiva announces the winners of The Parc AwardsThe Centre for Applied Pharmaceutical Research (The Parc) is celebrating numerous successes again, summarizing its 2020 achievements and recognizing the participants with The Parc Awards for the third time. Initiated by Zentiva, The Parc was created in association with three academic partners: the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague; the Faculty of Science of Charles University; and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Published Mar 05, 2021 |
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Popular Science: One bear, please! or Bear trade in the Czech RepublicNo, it is not a mistake and it should not be beer, the Czech favourite alcoholic drink. It should not even be a teddy bear. Even though it may surprise you, in the Czech Republic, there exists quite a high demand for various bear species and/or their body parts originating from abroad. The details of the current il-/legal trade have been summarised in a study led by Chris R. Shepherd and co-authored by three members of the Institute of Environmental Studies of the Faculty of Science of the Charles University – Jitka Kufnerová, Tomáš Cajthaml and Jaroslava Frouzová. Published Feb 22, 2021 |
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(Almost) everyone will grow up eventuallyUntil recently, both laypeople and scientists believed that reptilians differed from other vertebrates (among other specificities) with one unique trait – the possibility of lifelong body growth. New research conducted by a team of Czech scientists led by experts from the Department of Zoology of Charles University’s Faculty of Science has shown that while this notion is not quite unfounded, it does not apply to all reptilian species by far. The scientists arrived at the ground-breaking finding using an original method that does not require many years of laborious measurements. The study was recently published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Published Feb 19, 2021 |
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Popular Science: The Ordovician struggle for a solid base in a sea of soft sediment: focused on the conulariids of the Prague BasinFor a large part of sessile animals, whether current or long-extinct, a hard base is a prerequisite for a full-fledged life. In ancient times, there was a bitter struggle for space to attach to on the seabed. Jana Bruthansová from the Department of Geology and Palaeontology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, has published an article in the prestigious journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology about sessile organisms on conulariids. Published Feb 09, 2021 |
Popular Science: A friend in the attic, an enemy on the ground floor – ozone: the challenge of man’s future?Stratospheric ozone – the ozone layer – is crucial for life on Earth. However, its occurrence in the troposphere, especially the ground-level ozone, has a highly adverse impact. Fundamentally, ambient ozone has harmful effects on human health, vegetation and entire ecosystems. Nowadays, it along with aerosol and benzo[a]pyrene are among the most serious pollutants for ambient air quality in the Czech Republic and in Europe. This is why Iva Hůnová from the Institute for Environmental Studies together with her team focused on detailed research into the occurrence of ambient ozone throughout the Czech Republic from a long-term perspective and in the context of seasonality. Published Feb 01, 2021 |
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Popular Science: Is an old killifish reproductively more proficient than a young one?Asking a similar question in humans would seem a nonsense, as everybody can imagine that the reproductive performance of an old man or woman is lower than when they were young. But the situation is different in organisms that still grow after reaching maturity, like fish for example. There, the evolutionary theory of aging predicts an increase of reproductive fitness with age. What is then, however, the situation in fish that live only for a short period, such as killifish? This is the question addressed by a two-person Czech team that included Jakub Žák from the Department of Zoology of our faculty. Published Jan 18, 2021 |
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Popular Science: How do women react when confronted with the threat of infidelity, and does this correlate with the quality of their relationships?That is the question that Jitka Lindová, Kateřina Klapilová, Adéla Vobořilová and Barbora Chlápková from the Faculty of Humanities and the National institute of mental health (NUDZ) and Jan Havlíček from our Faculty attempted to answer in their study. Published Jan 11, 2021 |
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Dear colleagues and students,thank you for all the work you have done at the Faculty of Science during last year, be it teaching or studying. We would like to wish you Merry Christmas and all the best for the new year - good health above all. Published Dec 23, 2020 |
Popular Science: Who lives in birds’ feathers?An international scientific team including a member of our faculty described new host relationships between Mallophaga (taxon Ischnocera: Philopteridae) and birds. New observations show that life and evolutionary relationships of Mallophaga are much more complicated than we could conceive before. Published Dec 14, 2020 |
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Jan Havlicek co-edited special issue of PTRS B devoted to olfactory communications in humansRecently published special issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B ‘Olfactory communication in humans’ which was co-edited by Jan Havlicek of Department of Zoology of our Faculty. The Special issue is based on Royal Society Theo Murphy meeting organized by S. Craig Roberts, Benoist Schaal and Jan Havlíček. Published Dec 10, 2020 |
Popular Science: Snow cover, tell me how much water will there be in the summer?Dry periods that have been observed not only in our country, but also in other Central European countries in recent years, have several causes. They are associated mainly with higher air temperatures and lower precipitation or its different distribution during the year. However, the accumulation of snow cover also plays a crucial role. These changes have been studied in more detail by hydrology experts together with members of the Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology from our faculty. Published Dec 07, 2020 |
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Popular Science: Testosterone does not make big fighters – at least in chameleons?While body size is one of the biggest differences between sexes (i.e. sexual dimorphism) in chameleons, little is still known about the mechanism of its evolution. Scientists assumed that male sex hormones play a major role in the ontogeny, as it is thought to be in most vertebrates. However, a study done in geckos suggested otherwise. Three scientists from the Department of Ecology of Charles University’s Faculty of Science led by prof. Lukáš Kratochvíl have carried out a study in chameleons to find out how male gonadal androgens impact the ontogeny of sexual dimorphism. Published Nov 30, 2020 |
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History and development of analytical chemistry at Charles University before 1920"History and development of analytical chemistry at Charles University before 1920" is the article by Karel Nesmerak Ph.D. and Radek Chalupa, MSc. from Department of Analytical Chemistry, published in the november issue of journal Montshefte für Chemie – Chemical Monthly. The article is dedicated to the centenary of the establishment of the independent Faculty of Science of the Charles University, in particular, it provides an overview of the history of analytical chemistry at this university from its founding in 1348 to 1920. Published Nov 27, 2020 |
Popular Science: The Devil’s OwnScratchy eyes, irritated skin, eczema, headaches, asthma, cancer and even death. These are the main health risks caused by formaldehyde. This organic compound is extensively produced industrially worldwide, as it is part of a large number of products. If you have any of the symptoms mentioned above and would like to find out if the cause is, for example, new furniture, look at the new methods of rapid detection of formaldehyde in wood-based products, which were developed with contributions from Pavel Dvořák and Vlastimil Vyskočil from the Department of Analytical Chemistry. Published Nov 23, 2020 |
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Integration course WELCOME TO THE CZECH REPUBLICWe would like to invite all international full-degree students to the ONLINE integration course WELCOME TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC (for non-EU students only). Published Nov 13, 2020 |
Popular Science: Education and Research in the Pandemic TimesHow did the lock-down affect the life of scientists? We asked several questions of two members of our Faculty – Petr Tureček (theoretical biologist, postdoctoral researcher) and Lukáš Kratochvíl (evolution biologist, professor). Published Nov 09, 2020 |
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How to convert teaching from in-class to online environmentAre you struggling with teaching via Zoom or other online platforms? Are you exhausted after every class taught online? Are your students less engaged online than in-class? Are you unable to cover all the planned material while teaching online? This two-session interactive course is tailored-made for lecturers who are in the process of converting their in-class courses to the online environment. It provides basic tips about what to do and will help you feel more confident about teaching online. Published Nov 03, 2020 |
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Popular Science: No more bottles of beer? Czech adolescents drink less alcoholAlcohol has been relatively accessible and attractive for teens in the past. In the last decade, however, alcohol consumption among adolescents in Europe has begun to decline. Ladislav Kážmér from the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, together with Pavla Chomynová from the National Institute of Mental Health, analysed the main causes of this decline. Published Nov 02, 2020 |