Michaela Musilová (source: TASR)
Every week The Slovak Spectator brings you a selection of three short stories from across Slovakia from which pessimism and negativity are absent.
Slovak astrobiologist heads for the highest peak in Antarctica
Slovak astrobiologist Michaela Musilová plans to climb the highest peaks of North America and Antarctica this year. She is among a small group of scientists who examine the origins and future of life in the universe, including beyond Earth.
The expeditions to the summit of Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) in Alaska (6,190 metres) and Mount Vinson (4,897 metres) in Antarctica are part of the Astro Crown of the Earth project, prepared in cooperation with NASA and various universities and companies from across the globe.
The aim is to climb the highest peaks on each continent. Part of these expeditions is research linked to space and climate change. It is also part of the preparation for Musilová’s further space projects and collaborations.
So far, the astrobiologist has led expeditions to the highest peaks in Africa – Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres) – and South America – Aconcagua (6,961 metres).
“We collected many samples for NASA and Comenius University, as well as other European and American institutions,” Musilová said, as quoted by the TASR newswire, when talking about the expedition to South America. This included samples of extremophiles, organisms that are able to live in extreme environments, and various geological samples that are of interest to NASA. “They want to find out in what conditions some extreme forms of life can survive, and compare these to the geology on Mars.”
At the same time, she announced a cooperation with the Slovak space company Space scAvengers, which is exploring a new way of handling and eliminating space debris. The aim of their collaboration is to promote space science and research via popular science lectures and discussions, said Tomáš Balog, co-founder of Space scAvengers, as reported by the TASR newswire.
Aurora visible in Slovakia again
The aurora borealis as seen above the village of Domadice, near Levice in southern Slovakia, on March 3. (source: Tadeáš Valent)
People in Slovakia got to see an unusual show recently, after the aurora borealis lit up the skies in the evening of March 3.
It was visible particularly in areas with a nearly cloudless sky, the iMeteo.sk website reported.
Apart from Slovakia, the effect, also known as the northern lights, could be observed in Poland, Czechia, Hungary, the UK, and other parts of Europe.
Seeing the northern lights in these areas is quite rare, and it's hard to predict when it will happen. Even though the forecasters knew a geomagnetic storm was coming, they thought it would be weaker, iMeteo.sk wrote.
People in Slovakia were able to glimpse the aurora borealis a couple of times last year too, in April and November.
Grannies' blankets for newborns
Two women in their 90s, who are currently living in the retirement home in Senec, western Slovakia, are knitting woollen blankets for babies born at the recently established Bory Hospital, near Bratislava.
The blankets are given to newborns during their stay in hospital.
Five feel-good stories published by The Slovak Spectator to read:
Business magazine Forbes Slovakia has published a list of individuals that it characterises as ‘changemakers’, who it says are transforming Slovakia for the better.
Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, successfully launched its own service centre, whose operation is inspired by a similar approach used in the business world to centralise and professionalise provision of things like legal, IT and procurement services. It could serve as an example for other local authorities in Slovakia.
Košice Region has noticed a rise in interest for stays by less demanding travellers in low-tech cottages and homes in the mountains.
The skeletal remains of a soldier from WWII, along with trenches from the period, were found by archaeologists in Senica, western Slovakia, during a dig at a building site.
In the spirit of philanthropy, the International Women’s Club in Bratislava (IWCB) has been making waves with its various charity initiatives, spearheaded by a dedicated Charity Committee.
Political meme of the week
(source: Zomri.online)
Caption: Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala: “So we won’t be meeting...” Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico: “Then I’ll fire you...”
The meme published by the satirical website Zomri.online on its Facebook profile reacts to the recent deterioration in Slovak-Czech relations. Czech premier Petr Fiala recently decided to suspend informal joint sessions of the Slovak and Czech governments for the foreseeable future following changes to Slovakia’s foreign policy and provocative public moves made by Slovak representatives, most notably a meeting between Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Russia is continuing to wage a war against Slovakia's neighbour, Ukraine, which has costs the lives of tens of thousands of innocent Ukrainian civilians.
You can send me your tips on good news stories about Slovakia or funny memes at: radka.minarechova@spectator.sk. Thank you!
