Beaches covered with tons of PET bottles, seabirds with stomachs full of plastic, fish suffocating in a free-floating plastic bag. Human waste decimates not only nature but also its originators. Microplastics pose a significant problem, with these small fragments contaminating four-fifths of all drinking water. This year, in response to the “planetary crisis”, the UN has launched a “decade of ecosystem restoration”, during which it will try to “save the earth”. Paradoxically, the smallest seaweed may contribute to solving this gigantic problem.
Kristýna Jankůjová, from the CEITEC research centre in Brno, is currently addressing the question of how to “reprogram” seaweed to decompose plastics.
MF DNES 15. 2. 2021 (only in Czech)
Ten graduates from the MU Faculty of Science, along with their supervisors and consultants, have received Masaryk University Vice-Rector’s Awards for excellent results in their doctoral studies. Congratulations.
The Rudolf Lukeš Prize, awarded by the Czech Chemical Society in cooperation with the Experientia Foundation, goes this year to Martin Marek from the Faculty of Science at Masaryk University in Brno for his significant contributions to the field of bioorganic chemistry related to marine luminescence. In his work, the award-winning scientist focuses on protein catalysts responsible for the production of light by living organisms, a phenomenon known as bioluminescence.
