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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.

In his youth, he considered becoming a professional trombonist, but ultimately, volcanoes triumphed over the brass instrument. Today, Lukáš Krmíček from the Institute of Geology of the CAS is the only Czech scientist studying active eruptions all over the world. Read our interview with the researcher, which first came out in the quarterly A / Magazine of the CAS, below.

Sharing knowledge and collaboration are the basis for scientific progress. Developing the Open Science principles, which emphasise the accessibility and reusability of research results, is crucial for the Czech Academy of Sciences. The CAS management has therefore approved a set of recommendations for institutes called the Open Science Principles of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

What does the Silene latifolia plant have in common with humans? Separate sexes. One white campion growing between fields might be male, while just a few steps away, another will be female. Scientists from the Institute of Experimental Botany of the CAS and the Institute of Biophysics of the CAS, along with international colleagues, have cracked the DNA of the Y chromosome responsible for shaping the stamens and producing pollen in the male flowers of Silene latifolia. They even uncovered how this plant developed what is known as dioecy – the evolution of distinct unisexual individuals in a species. These insights into the evolution of sexual reproduction in plants may also shed light on human biology. The research was published in Science.

As a teen, Veronika Pehe dreamed of becoming a filmmaker. Now, though, the researcher from the Institute of Contemporary History of the CAS doesn’t direct films nor TV shows – she studies them. According to Pehe, they function in many ways as testimonies of their time. What can Czech post-Velvet Revolution productions reveal about how our society changed after 1989? Find out below in our interview with the researcher, which first came out (in Czech) in the quarterly A / Magazine of the CAS.

A total of 37 graves from the Migration Period have been uncovered in the cadaster of Prague–Dubeč by researchers from the Institute of Archaeology of the CAS, Prague. These researchers are tasked with investigating the area designated for the planned extension of the Prague Ring Road. Though only the largest and deepest of the discovered graves remained unlooted, this particular grave turned out to be a small archaeological treasure trove.

Nearly four hundred cemeteries, thousands of tombstones, and centuries of remembrance. Jewish identity has shaped the history of the Czech lands and was an integral part of our society until the tragedy of the Holocaust. The majority of Czech Jews did not survive the Second World War, and Jewish communities disbanded, with no one left to tend to the memory of their ancestors. The gradual restoration of cemeteries in the Czech Republic only became possible after the fall of communism. The Matana company, affiliated with the Jewish Community of Prague, focuses on documenting and restoring Jewish heritage, with the Institute of Art History of the CAS conducting research in this field.

Draparnaldia erecta – that’s the name of a multicellular green alga that Lenka Caisová from the Biology Center of the CAS happened upon during her vacation in Sardinia. This previously unknown plant immediately captured the scientist’s attention, leading her to begin an in-depth investigation. She quickly recognized its potential. According to Caisová, this alga could help answer fundamental questions in evolutionary research, such as how plants transitioned from aquatic to terrestrial environments. The significance of the discovery has been acknowledged by the German Society for Plant Scientists, which declared Draparnaldia erecta “Alga of the Year” for 2025.

In orthopedics, bones sometimes have to be stabilized using metal screws, plates, or wires, which are later surgically removed. But what if these materials could simply dissolve inside the body instead? Jan Pinc from the Institute of Physics of the CAS focuses on biodegradable metals that could be used for this very purpose. The article was first published in Czech in the A / Magazine of the CAS.

Photovoltaics have become increasingly popular in recent years. People are looking for ways to save on energy costs, while environmental considerations also play a role. But in this field, there is still room for improvement. Researchers from the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the CAS, working together with scientists from Linköping University in Sweden, have made significant progress in the development of eco-friendly solar cells. They have created organic solar cells that offer a more sustainable alternative to traditional silicon-based panels. The results of their research were published in Nature Energy.