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What are the CAS institutes currently working on, and how are their employees faring? These are just some of the questions being explored firsthand by the CAS President, Radomír Pánek. At the end of January, he launched a series of visits during which he’s been meeting with CAS institute leadership as well as other colleagues, with whom he’s been discussing his vision of closer cooperation and strengthening the unity of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

The icy moon recently stunned the world by meeting key conditions for extraterrestrial life. A new international study, involving researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the CAS, has brought further findings. It shows that this tiny celestial body also exerts an unexpectedly strong influence on the entire magnetic field of the giant planet Saturn.

Wastewater contains large amounts of antibiotics. Researchers from the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS have now come up with a new idea for removing them more effectively by harnessing the power of light – photocatalysis. They shared their findings in the A / Magazine, published by the Czech Academy of Sciences.

The Czech Academy of Sciences is the country’s leading research institution and a powerhouse of basic research. Increasingly, however, it is also working to translate research results into real-world practice. In recent years, a number of spin-off companies and start-ups have emerged from its institutes. Promising instances of knowledge and technology transfer were presented at the conference Top Research in Practice, held on 25 February 2026 at the CAS headquarters in Prague.

The CAS is establishing a joint-stock company designed to bring scientists and investors together and accelerate the path from lab to marketplace, making it easier to translate research results into real-world applications. Eight CAS institutes are among the first shareholders, with additional partners expected to join from across the Academy’s total of 54 institutes. The new subsidiary company plans to introduce transparent procedures for founding tech companies and to define clear rules for bringing external capital into CAS projects. The initiative was presented to the media on 25 February 2026 by CAS President Radomír Pánek and Vice President Ilona Müllerová.

As a child, Barbara Zitová loved to draw and do math. Her affection for both mathematics and images of all kinds has stayed with her ever since. In digital images, she detects what the naked eye misses – whether traces of crime, symptoms of disease, or the brushstrokes of old masters. Barbara Zitová from the Institute of Information Theory and Automation of the Czech Academy of Sciences invited A / Magazine to peek into the realm beyond the image.

European Research Council grants are not rewards for playing it safe. They demand bold ideas, enough time to prepare, and institutional backing that supports researchers at just the right moment. This January, the Czech Academy of Sciences launched the ERC Incubator. As its scientific coordinator Luděk Brož explains, the aim is to help researchers enter ERC grant competitions as well-prepared as possible.

Efforts to present research findings in clear, accessible language are becoming a standard part of scientific work, but new challenges keep emerging – like how to communicate science in a society that is growing ever more polarized. Or how a scientist should react when their media appearance triggers a wave of hateful reactions. These and other issues were discussed at the Science Communication 360° conference held on 5 February 2026 in Prague. The keynote talks were given by Christina Beck, Head of Communication at the Max Planck Society, and philosopher of language Tomáš Koblížek from the Czech Academy of Sciences.

A bold name, a clear goal – to raise the prestige of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) and make it more attractive to researchers from the Czech Republic and abroad. The Academy of the Future program is now getting under way and will soon support its first scientists and their institutes. Its objectives are outlined below by Petr Baldrian, Member of the Academy Council of the CAS, responsible for research excellence and career support.

Sometimes the abilities of action-movie heroes are enough to make your jaw drop. They can see through walls, shoot around corners, and seem completely immune to gravity. Which movie blunders are guaranteed to make scientists groan? We took a look at some of them with Jan Kaufman from the Institute of Physics of the CAS in the following article, first published in Czech in A / Easy.