Professor Tim Flannery, a renowned scientist, climatologist and explorer, is coming to České Budějovice at the invitation of the Biology Centre of the CAS and the Faculty of Science of the USB. On 11 and 12 November, he will meet students and experts from both institutions and give two talks to which the general public is invited, too.
Danny Haelewaters, a mycologist originally from Belgium, focuses on multitrophic symbiosis, which involves relationships at multiple levels of the food chain. In his group's biodiversity monitoring project, he will investigate the symbiosis between bats, flies that live on the bodies of bats and fungi that parasitise flies.
The President of the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) Petr Baldrian awarded the five best scientific projects this evening at the Strahov Monastery. The awarded basic research has significantly contributed to the deepening of knowledge in the given disciplines and opened the way to further practical application.
Ecdysteroids represent an interesting group of polyhydroxylated steroids produced by many plants as well as arthropods, where regulate their molting, development and reproduction. Additionally, their anabolic properties have been observed in humans and domestic animals, and their use as dietary supplements has received much attention in athletes, horse racing and livestock nutrition. In our...
In the 18th year of L'Oréal-UNESCO's prestigious For Women in Science programme, the jury was most impressed by three female experts focusing on physics and microbial and systems ecology. Among them is Kateřina Sam from the Biology Centre of the CAS. The programme focuses on supporting talented women scientists at the start of their research careers and aims to recognise the work they do...
We produced a library of DNA barcodes for the butterfly fauna of the Czech Republic. We found out which intraspecific genetic lineages are inhabiting the area of the country and what is the role of individual species’ traits. The results were published in Journal of Biogeography.
Scientists of the Institute of Entomology, BC CAS, in collaboration with University of Liverpool have found the genetic mechanism which determines whether individuals of the butterfly species Bicyclus anynana become male or female. They also discovered that if individuals with the same variant of the sex-determining gene mate, the embryos will not survive. This can have critical consequences in...
The New Guinea region is known for being one of the most species-rich places in the world. Located north of Australia and south-east of Asia, New Guinea’s topographical complexity and geographic isolation has given rise to a huge diversity of life, much of it endemic. The island is home to at least 40 small mammal species found nowhere else on earth. However, small mammals in this region are...
Scientists found evidence that termites which lived millions of years ago engaged in the same mating behaviors described in their living relatives today. Approximately 40 million years ago two termites were in the middle of courtship behavior when they got entrapped by tree resin and preserved in fossilized amber. This so far oldest and only known fossil of an Electrotermes affinis termite pair...
Warming climate, eutrophication and species invasions are major threats to the biodiversity and stability of aquatic and terrestrial communities. Their importance is likely to increase as we continue to change the Earth’s environment. Most regions of the world are experiencing rapid climate change and an increasing trend of species invasions in response to global change. Many alien...
