National Institute of Biology has once again participated in the project called 'Researchers' Night'. We presented our Institute at the main event, which took place at the Congress Square in Ljubljana, where our two stands received a lot of interest by the visitors.

At the stand entitled 'Animal World in Miniature Version', prepared by the Department of Entomology and Department of Ecology of Freshwater and Terrestrial Ecosystems, visitors were able to listen to the calls of different species of insects which the human ear cannot naturally hear and see some of the representatives of these species. They became aware of the importance of insects to humans (pests, pollinators, food). Moreover, visitors could peek into the interesting world of flowing groundwater under a magnifying glass and learn about the most common animals that play a key role in the breakdown of substances. The biggest attraction were edible insects - grasshoppers with garlic, chilli, lemon or coated with chocolate and mealworms and bugs in chocolate. Visitors were delighted to taste them.

At the stand entitled 'Algae, Bacteria and Tissue Cultures' the Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology and Department of Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Biology were presented. Visitors were able to see plant tissue cultures in test tubes, bacteriophages and bacteria on cultivation surfaces. They could learn about various plants, observe algae and cyanobacteria under the microscope and see field equipment for sampling algae in lakes. In addition,  visitors were also  testing pH measurements and transferring colourful patterns of algae and cyanobacteria by pipettes with great interest and enthusiasm.

'Researchers' Night' is a project within the 'Horizon 2020' programme, which aims to present the profession and the life of a scientist. 'Researchers and Scientists at the Heart of Everyday Life' was the focus of all activities within the framework of this year's 'Researchers' Night 2014'. 'Researchers' Night' is a Europe-wide event, which took place in most European countries on the same day. In Slovenia, the event was held at four locations: Ljubljana, Novo mesto, Izola and Planica.

More about the event: http://www.zaznanost.si