The Science and Technology Festival Brno 2025 once again took place at the Brno Exhibition Centre, specifically in Pavilion A (A1 + A2). From Friday, September 5 to Sunday, September 7, visitors were welcomed into the world of science, technology, and history. The main organizer of the event was the Brno Observatory and Planetarium.
The RECETOX Centre participates in this popular science event every year. While last year’s booth program focused on water environments, this year all activities were dedicated to the topic of soil, its health, and sustainable management.
Our science communicators and researchers first introduced visitors to the chemical approach to examining soil contamination. They explained how soil samples are collected, how substances are extracted from them, and how they are subsequently analyzed. Visitors also learned about chromatography, which both children and adults could try out using paper and colored markers. In addition, biological approaches to testing the toxicity of substances on organisms were demonstrated. The booth featured five model organisms used in standardized bioassays: three animals – nematodes, earthworms, and springtails – and two plants – mustard and wheat. For the youngest visitors, a creative activity involving sand art was prepared.
Beyond the booth activities, RECETOX also contributed to the expert program. On Friday afternoon, a moderated discussion with Professor Jakub Hofman took place on the topic Soil: The Silent Giant Under Threat, focusing on soil health and the sustainability of human land use.
More than one hundred scientific and technical institutions, science outreach organizations, academic institutes, universities, and private companies gathered at the Brno Exhibition Centre. All of them prepared interactive demonstrations of their work for visitors of all ages – from the youngest to the oldest, from laypeople to experts. The festival once again proved that science is not just dry theory, but often practical, useful, and fun.
