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It’s all around us, yet it evades conventional detection. The neutrino is an elementary particle – smaller than an atom, proton, or even electron. Its mass is so infinitesimal, in fact, that it can’t be precisely “weighed.” Instead, scientists determine its upper mass limit. Previously, this value stood at 0.8 electronvolts. The international KATRIN experiment has now demonstrated that the neutrino is even lighter: 0.45 electronvolts – approximately one million times less than the mass of an electron. A team of researchers from the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences played a pivotal role in this record measurement. The results were published in Science.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the little owl (Athene noctua) was one of the most common birds of prey in the Czech landscape. Today, it is on the brink of extinction. Over the past few decades, its population has plummeted by a staggering 94%, leaving only about 100 breeding pairs in the entire country. Scientists and enthusiasts from the Czech Society for Ornithology and the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences are working to save the species. In April and June 2024, we had a unique opportunity to take part in two field expeditions in search of the little owl with biologist Martin Šálek.

As a child, Tomáš Čermák couldn’t look people in the eye or easily form relationships. He spent nearly three years in the hospital. But the eighteen-year-old has come a long way since then. Now a graduating high school senior, he is working with the Czech Academy of Sciences, preparing to go study abroad, and racking up one award after another. Most recently, Čermák and nineteen-year-old Anna Podmanická were named European winners of The Earth Prize 2025 for their project PURA, the innovative technology they developed for water purification. On this occasion, we’re showcasing our interview with Tomáš Čermák, first published (in Czech) in the autumn 2024 issue of the popular science magazine of the CAS, A / Easy.

The President of the CAS, Radomír Pánek, has named new Vice Presidents for all three research areas: Ilona Müllerová, Miroslava Anděrová, and Ondřej Beránek. Additionally, Jiří Kotek and Ján Matejka have been elected as members of the Academy Council Presidium via a secret ballot, along with Pavel Baran, who serves as the President of the Science Council of the CAS. The newly formed Academy Council convened for the first time on 1 April 2025.

A deeper subtext often lies beneath the seemingly innocent stories of literary works written during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Understanding it, however, requires more than just knowledge of literature. “The line between interpretation and misinterpretation is a very thin one,” says Pavel Janoušek from the Institute of Czech Literature of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS). In an article first published in the quarterly A / Magazine of the CAS, the literary historian reveals how deciphering historical context can enrich our insight into literary works.

Just before turning fifty, he became the youngest President of the Czech Academy of Sciences in six decades. Radomír Pánek, who spent ten years leading the Tokamak Department at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the CAS, and then another decade as the institute’s director, has extensive experience in managing international institutions. Though he isn’t planning any revolutions during his first term as President, he does intend to significantly strengthen the Academy’s ties with the public sector. “We need to show that the Academy’s role in our society is vital,” Pánek says. Why does the physicist know Forrest Gump by heart and how does he feel about stepping into the unknown?

Spring awakens with a surge of life-giving energy – an idea people have believed in for centuries, and one that scientists at the Biology Center of the CAS now confirm. Unlike flower buds, leaf buds contain the full genetic blueprint for an entirely new plant, making them a rich source of biologically active compounds. Gemmotherapy harnesses this potential. We’ve previously explored how gemmotherapy works and what gemmo actually means in an article published in the quarterly A / Magazine of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Individuals with diabetes face an elevated risk of fractures. A promising new compound that not only enhances insulin sensitivity, but also safeguards bones, could be the answer. The experimental compound known as MSDC-0602K, initially developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, is being tested by the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS, and CarDia, the National Institute for Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disease Research. The study was published in Metabolism.

Have you ever seen a wire that “remembers” its shape? Even if you stretch it out, it returns to its original form when heated. At the Czech Academy of Sciences, you can not only see it but also try it out for yourself. This remarkable wire is just one of the exhibits featured at the Genius Material interactive exhibition that reveals the surprising properties of everyday materials and their often unexpected applications. The exhibition is open to visitors free of charge at the Science and Art Gallery at the CAS headquarters on Národní Street (Prague) until 14 June 2025.

Plants cannot outrun drought, flooding, or hungry herbivores. And yet, they survive, thrive, and reproduce. Their secret? A finely tuned survival strategy – phytohormones. “The adaptability of plants fascinates me. They develop mechanisms to spread and ensure the next generation,” says Ondřej Novák, head of the Laboratory of Growth Regulators. Together with his team, he has mastered the art of detecting even the tiniest concentrations of plant hormones – making them world leaders in the field. This article was first published in A / Magazine, the official quarterly of the Czech Academy of Sciences.