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The oldest technical university in Central Europe, the Czech Technical University, is celebrating its 300th anniversary this year. This Prague based institution is connected with such notable personalities as Frantisek Josef Gerstner, who constructed the first horse-driven railway in Austria, Christian Doppler, perhaps best-known for the discovery of the Doppler principle, and also Czech electrical engineer Frantiek Krizik and architect Josef Zitek.

Looking at old photos of quaint parts of downtown Prague that were demolished at the turn of the 19th century to make way for fashionable apartment blocks, one easily gets nostalgic. But thanks to modern technologies, one day soon it will be possible to walk through the streets and lanes of the old Jewish quarter of Prague - but of course, only in virtual reality.

Have you been to Prague a few times and think you've seen it all but you would still like to return? Then you are one of those people that the Prague authorities had in mind when they came up with a new project aimed at both foreign and domestic tourists. Prague is soon going to open its technological heritage to visitors and there is indeed a lot to see.

Who doesn't like the comforting smell of a bakery in the morning, a mixture of coffee and freshly baked bread, crisp rolls and crunchy cakes? But according to a European research project, in which Czech scientists are also taking part, the tasty golden brown pastries with a thick and crisp crust may not be such a good idea after all.

The North and South Poles are not exactly the world's most popular destinations for tourists, but their rich mineral deposits and unspoiled environments make them a godsend for scientists. A number of Czech researchers will be going to these remote outposts in the coming months as part of the International Polar Year, which is dedicated to coordinated polar research. This project will actually last a full two years starting from March 2007 until March 2009 and many Czech scientists from different fields will be participating in the studies.

Many generations of Czech children have dreamt of finding this item underneath their Christmas tree. It was true for decades that when you said the word Merkur to a child in this country the first thing they thought of was not the planet Mercury, nor the Roman god, but a metal construction set, similar to the British Meccano or the American Erector Set.

Fifteen-year old Anna Jicinska, a high school student from the city of Brno, was the first girl in the Czech Republic to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus - the primary cause of cervical cancer which kills around 500 women every year in this country.

The Academy of Sciences has announced that two of its institutes, the Institute of Experimental Medicine and the Institute of Molecular Genetics, are planning to open a joint biotechnology research centre just outside Prague in a village called Vestec. The ambitious project is to combine their research in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of serious diseases. The 71-million-euro campus will be equipped with state of the art labs and employ 400 first-rate specialists.

Cats are known to have lived with humans for a few thousand years. People keep and love cats for many reasons but the relationship is not without dangers. Cats can carry a parasite called Toxoplasma which can be easily transmitted to humans. According to recent studies by Czech scientists, the parasite can cause significant changes to our personalities and believe it or not, even influence whether infected women give birth to baby boys or girls.

In today's Czech Science we take you back to Prehistory. Right from the hustle and bustle of contemporary Prague we step into a prehistoric settlement from some 25,000 years ago, complete with the sounds and authentic smells.