Experts from 23 countries including Brazil, the USA and Australia have gathered in Košice to attend the 21st International Conference on Subterranean Biology, the TASR reported on Tuesday, September 4.
The event, which is running between September 2 and 7, includes a visit to the unique Dobšina Ice Cave (in Košice Region) and the Cave of Freedom in Demänovská Dolina (Žilina Region).
"We still know very little about what organisms live in caves across the world, so acquiring knowledge of this great diversity is the first step," said Ľubomír Kováč of the Faculty of Science at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, which is organising the conference. The event will also feature a presentation of new findings from cave explorations in Slovakia, including the discovery of a new species of cave-dwelling springtail (an insect-like creature) found only in Slovakia.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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