Ornithologists swoon as great bustard chick is spotted near Bratislava
A selection of short feel-good stories from Slovakia.
Every week The Slovak Spectator brings you a selection of three short stories from across Slovakia from which pessimism and negativity are absent.
Great news for great bustards
It's been a sensational summer in the Sysľovské Polia area near Rusovce, a village on the south bank of the Danube near Bratislava.
A female great bustard was spotted on a mowed alfalfa field accompanied by a small chick. Apart from the mother and child, five other adult birds were spotted.
Great bustards, which are among the world's heaviest flying aninmals, could once be found commonly in Slovakia, but the species is now among the most endangered worldwide. Back in September 2022, ornithologists here discovered a great bustard nest for the first time in 12 years.
“The nesting of a great bustard is extremely rare in Slovakia, and its confirmation is not easy, as the hen and chicks start to move very soon, and do not stay on the nest,” the Raptor Protection of Slovakia non-governmental organisation, whose main aim is to help birds of prey and owls to safely nest and fly in Slovakia, wrote on Facebook.
The great bustards were also spotted at other areas created as part of the LIFE Steppe on border project, on which also the city of Bratislava, the SOS/BirdLife Slovensko non-governmental organisation, and the Štátna Ochrana Prírody SR, a state body which protects natural areas, cooperated.
“It’s proof that great bustards find here food that contains insects in addition to various parts of plants and seeds,” SOS/BirdLife Slovensko added. “Insects are an important part of the diet of bustard chicks, which need protein for their growth.”
Sensors made from kitchen biowaste
Kitchen biowaste might be used in an interesting way. (Source: SAV)Slovak scientists are working on a method that might turn kitchen waste into sensory applications to detect diseases like diabetes.
Research by a team from the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) and the Slovak University of Technology (STU) is focusing on applying various physical and chemical treatments and activation methods on biowaste generated by the agro-food industry, transforming it into a carbonised biomass, called “biochar”.
“Biochar belongs to the materials used to modify screen-printed carbon electrochemical sensors, mainly due to properties such as electrical conductivity, high surface porosity, the presence of functional groups with different surface charges, and high absorption capacity,” said Alenka Opálková Šišková of SAV, as quoted in a press release. “Its advantage lies in the possibility of simple preparation from renewable biomass.”
To stay up to date with what scientists in Slovakia or Slovak scientists around the world are doing, subscribe to the Slovak Science newsletter, which is sent to readers free of charge four times a year.
The sensors modified with biochar have been successfully used in the electrochemical detection of heavy metals, pesticides, residues of veterinary drugs, as well as various biomolecules, such as glucose, vitamin C or dopamine. The application potential of the proposed solution is comparable in sensitivity to that of commercially used sensors for the detection of so-called diseases of civilisation.
“Sensors made using the aforementioned type of carbonaceous material are suitable for the detection of various target analytes/biomolecules at a very low concentration level with high sensitivity and selectivity,” Opálková Šišková added. “It’s a complex solution that begins with the use of kitchen waste as an input material, through the development of printing composite dispersions, to the mass production printing of sensors.”
The scientists have already submitted an application to the patent authority.
Silver medal at the para-karate youth championship
Lucia Vlková and her coach Oľga Bodnárová. (Source: karatecity.sk)Slovak para-karate fighter Lucia Vlková has scored a major success, winning a silver medal at the WKF Cup – Para-Karate event, in the Intellectually Impaired Female K22 category.
The competition was held in the town of Poreč, Croatia, in late June, as part of the WKF Youth League event, organised by the World Karate Federation. Both the WKF Youth League and the WKF Kids Cup & Para Karate Cup attracted 3,724 karate fighters from across the globe, the City Sport Club Karate Žilina wrote on its website.
It was the only medal won by the delegation, which comprised members of the north-Slovak club.
“The first time I was afraid of what karate is, but after the first training I decided to continue, it won me over,” 22-year-old Vlková, who has Down syndrome, told the MY Žilina regional newspaper in an interview. “I would like to compete at the Paralympics one day.”
Five feel-good stories published by The Slovak Spectator to read:
- A long-awaited new bistro, Ferdinand, has officially opened in the renovated premises of a former strip club in Petržalka’s Sad Janka Kráľa public park.
- The basic distinguishing features of well-known Spiš sausages, or Spišské párky in Slovak, include a mildly spicy paprika flavour, juiciness, and a crisp sausage casing. Currently, 14 producers make them in Slovakia.
- Seventeen-year-old tennis player Renáta Jamrichová became a Junior Wimbledon champion. She is the first Slovak to win a Wimbledon junior singles trophy.
- English-American Vanessa O’Brien holds multiple Guinness World Records. She says she has managed to achieve them, at least in part, because of her Slovak roots.
- The Roman-Germanic settlement discovered near the village of Cífer, western Slovakia, shows how imperial soldiers built a manor for the nobleman of a local tribe.
Political meme of the week
Creative boom (Source: SME/Mikuláš Sliacky)Caption: After you once again amend the amended amendment to the amended amendment, it becomes a mature novel.
Caricaturist Mikuláš Sliacky alludes to the fact that not even the amended amendment to the Penal Code, approved via a fast-track procedure on July 16 to avert the chances of Slovakia losing access to EU funds, has satisfied the European Commission. Media reports suggest that the EC has sent yet another critical letter to Slovakia, indicating that the fifth change to the code was still not enough to ensure that funds would not be lost. The original amendment to the Penal Code was adopted via fast-tracked procedure in early February, avoiding any public and expert discussion about the changes which, among other things, cancelled the Special Prosecutor’s Office and significantly reduced punishments for financial crimes.
You can send me your tips on good news stories about Slovakia or funny memes at: radka.minarechova@spectator.sk. Thank you!
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
