Czech Science | All stories

So-called "invasive" species include plants and animals that have been brought from other parts of the world and harm native species, sometimes to the point of extinction. In today's Czech Science we look at two such aliens in the Czech Republic, the giant hogweed and the American mink, and at what exactly science can do to help tackle the problem.

Some thirteen years ago the Czech National Library first started a pioneering project in which it turns rare documents into digital form. Its experts even devised a special format for the digitisation which was later adopted as a UNESCO standard. For its preservation efforts, the library was given a UNESCO award earlier this year. In this edition of Czech Science, we take you to the historic building of the Czech National Library in Prague where the oldest manuscripts meet with the most advanced technology.

Is life on Earth a product of "blind evolution" or is the world as we know it the work of an omnipotent creator? Hundreds of supporters of the theory of "intelligent design" gathered in Prague at the weekend to discuss, as they said "errors in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and alternatives to it".

It's been more than three years since massive floods wreaked havoc in Prague. Although all the visible marks have been cleaned up and repaired in the city, the restoration work is far from finished: there are still tonnes and tonnes of paper documents from flooded archives waiting in refrigeration plants. In Czech Science today we visit one of the drying and rescue centres.

Ancient Egypt never ceases to fascinate people the world over. Czech Egyptology has an international reputation and its history goes back to the late 19th century when the Czech lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Last week a conference in Prague looked at the links between Czech and Austrian Egyptology.

In Czech Science today we travel to the Northeast of England for a look at a successful example of Czech industrial design.

Last Friday was European Researchers' Night - an event involving a variety of science-oriented programmes for the public which ran late into the night. In Prague, one of the topics discussed was sleep.

For twelve years, Czech archaeologists have been helping their Bulgarian colleagues in the excavations of an Ancient Greek market town in central Bulgaria. The twelve years of work has yielded valuable results, including a hoard of coins, and discovered a surprising connection between the ancient town and the Czech Lands.

In possible cases of bio-terrorist attacks or leaks of dangerous substances into the environment, efficient detection and early-warning systems could save many lives. Czech scientists have developed a special optical sensor, a device which can detect dangerous biological substances in the environment.

As we reported last week, Czech Radio has launched another of its digital projects, a station specialising in science and nature, called Leonardo. In this week's Czech Science we look at what Leonardo's all about.