Popularization at the FoS CU

An international team of scientists, including experts from the Department of Zoology at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, the National Museum, and the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, has rewritten the evolutionary history of bats. The most comprehensive genetic and paleontological bat study to date, published in the journal Nature, reveals that the only flying mammals originated 65 million years ago in Europe. Furthermore, the findings help explain their extraordinary longevity and high resistance to infectious diseases.

Glacier retreat in the Indian Himalayas is causing the rapid expansion of glacial lakes and creating dozens of new ones. Research by Dr. Aayushi Pandey from the Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology of the Faculty of Science, Charles University, combines 30 years of satellite data with field surveys at high-risk Lake Balbala. Warning of catastrophic floods, the study resonated across more than 30 global media outlets.

An international research team with the participation of botanists from Charles University has disproved an influential scientific assumption. Extensive research on 42,000 samples of alpine plants showed that species with duplicated DNA content (so-called polyploids) do not grow more frequently at higher elevations. Their current occurrence is determined by historical dispersal following the retreat of glaciers rather than by today's extreme mountain conditions.

A review article recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Reviews Genetics (IF 2025=51.4), co-authored by Radka Reifová from the Department of Zoology, describes another phenomenon contributing to the complexity of multicellular organisms-programmed DNA elimination. Through this process, organisms can discard larger or smaller portions of the genome in certain cells.

Our student Natalie Salem, who is currently completing her 1st year of Bachelor's studies in Biology, has achieved a fantastic international success. From the global science competition CASTIC 2026 in China, she brings back a Special Award from the organization SOLACYT, which has also earned her a direct nomination for INFOMATRIX Iberoamerica 2027 in Mexico! She laid the groundwork for this success in her project for the High School Students' Professional Activities (Středoškolská odborná činnost – SOČ). Congratulations!

Czech researchers from Charles University, Prague, led by Pavla Eliášová, have developed an advanced photocathode that helps convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into pure ethanol using sunlight. The new technology solves a long-standing problem of material degradation in water, achieves record conversion efficiency, and opens the way toward sustainable production of green fuels.

How do animals adapt to life in environments dominated by eternal darkness and cold, or in waters with minimal oxygen? A research project led by Mgr. Zuzana Musilová, Ph.D., from the Department of Zoology at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, has unveiled the molecular secrets behind the evolution of vision and blood in deep-sea and freshwater fish. The project resulted in a series of discoveries published in prestigious journals, a unique methodological breakthrough, and a follow-up prestigious ERC grant. The Czech Science Foundation (GA ČR) officially evaluated its results with the highest rating, “Excellent”.

A team led by Professor Petr Volf from the Faculty of Science, Charles University has achieved an extraordinary milestone: within three months, they co-authored two groundbreaking studies on Leishmania parasites in the prestigious journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). The Prague-based researchers studied key molecules that the parasite uses to anchor itself inside the vector's body and, together with international colleagues, demonstrated that these parasites routinely hybridize in nature.

An international team of scientists, including a representative from the Faculty of Science, Charles University, has uncovered the hidden history of the famous Santorini volcano. An analysis of 3,500-year-old marine sediments revealed that submarine hot springs spewed vast quantities of heavy metals in pulses over a period of 1,100 years. For the first time, the research combines geology with the DNA analysis of microbes that managed to successfully adapt to life in this extreme and toxic environment.