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It is the most thoroughly examined forest in the Czech Republic. The Žofín Primeval Forest in the Novohradské hory (Gratzen Mountains) is one of the few forests that has resisted human intervention, sawmills, and chainsaws. Here, nature has reigned supreme for almost 200 years, allowing researchers a glimpse into a unique world. Thousands of trees, among other flora, are being monitored by experts here. What has the forest ecosystem revealed to CAS researchers, and what are they currently working on?

Scientists can find and isolate dozens of foreign substances in a single glass of water. The concentration of each of them is minimal, but the problem is that water contains such a variety of them in the first place. Environmental pollutants are substances that pollute our environment and can survive in nature for years or even decades. Jiří Henych from the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the CAS has developed a nanocomposite which neutralises such pollutants and works on synthetic warfare agents in addition to pesticides. Read our interview with him below.

Threatened by drought and the bark beetle, disappearing before our very eyes, they are in crisis – just a few things people say about forests. But perhaps it is actually our view of forests as we have created them in our imaginations which is in crisis. Read on for the main topic of the current Czech issue of the CAS A / Věda a výzkum magazine.

The number of COVID-19 infections in the Czech Republic is on the rise again. The Omicron subvariant known as BA.5 is to blame. Why is it spreading, even though the warmer summer weather should be slowing it down? “The COVID-19 virus in its current subvariants is ten times more infectious than the original one was two years ago,” says Jan Pačes from the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the CAS. He says the number of hospitalisations will increase in the coming weeks, but severe cases should be rare. However, he expects a new subvariant to replace BA.5 in autumn, and the course of the subsequent wave could be more dramatic. More below.

The Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) endorses the statement of the Czech Rectors Conference and the Learned Society condemning the Russian missile strike that hit the two largest universities in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on 15 July 2022. Eva Zažímalová, President of the CAS, considers the actions of the Russian troops to be completely unacceptable.

The small town of Liběchov is located just over fifty kilometres north of Prague. At first glance, it has a calm ambiance, much like the surfaces of rivers and streams in the nearby region of Kokořín. At the bottom of these bodies of water found in this protected landscape area, we can find spotted fish of the genus Cobitis. These inconspicuous animals are of particular interest to researchers at the Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the CAS due to their mode of reproduction: they clone themselves and thus constitute ideal model organisms for evolutionary studies.

On Friday, 1 July, the Czech Republic is assuming the role of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Its task will be to lead the Council meetings during the following six months, set the agenda, and seek compromises among the 27 EU countries. The Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) will also take part by focusing on the priorities of the presidency. It will develop three main areas of interest: food security including GMOs, low-emission energy, and a resilient society.

Sometimes, saving disappearing insect species can seem like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. But Czech entomologists aren’t losing hope or giving up on the protection of rare beetles and butterflies, one of which is the clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne), a butterfly that the Czech Entomological Society named Insect of the Year 2021. Why are the numbers of certain insect species dropping to critical levels and what solutions are experts proposing and implementing?

The COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out more than two years ago, clearly demonstrated the critical importance of science and research. It also revealed how important active communication and information sharing between research institutions is. In order to better manage future emergencies related to sudden infections, the National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology (NIVB) is being established in the Czech Republic.

Hana Hanzlíková from the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the CAS is paving the way for new cancer treatment. With her international team, the researcher discovered which sites in the DNA molecule inside tumour cells represent the basis of the effect of anticancer drugs (so-called PARP inhibitors). These are used to treat certain types of cancer, such as breast and prostate cancer. Thanks to new research findings, it is possible PARP inhibitors may soon be used to treat other types of cancer as well.