Do humans cooperate with one another when facing extremely low survival chances? Do pre-existing social ties increase one's chances of survival in life-and-death situations? Štěpán Jurajda discusses recent findings in Talking Economics. 

March 14 is Pi Day, a day of celebrating mathematics worldwide. At Charles University, that means a pretty good reason to try either Slušné or Pěkný číslo referring to successful new beer brands referencing Pi at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics.

A joint seed-funding programme between Charles University and the University of St Andrews is an excellent means of bringing together top researchers, say Joseph North from the elite Scottish university and Jaromír Soukup from strategic partner Charles University. They outline the project in Forum.

To date more than 140 promising young scientists have already received Primus support, granting them independence and the chance to start new research groups at CU. On Thursday, 80 new “Primus” hopefuls met at the Primus Day conference.

We waste resources and throw away far too much food unnecessarily. The Smart Food educational project, aiming to improve pupils' knowledge about food waste, is being tested at five primary schools. The teaching materials should later be widely available.

When and why do national institutions change? In Talking Economics, Katarína Stehlíková and Sebastian Ottinger look back at European history and discuss its relevance for institutional change in today’s China or Russia.

Empires, nation states, and democracies: Perspectives on the war in Ukraine is what our anchor, Katarína Stehlíková, discussed with special guest, Professor Gérard Roland, in a recent episode of Talking Economics.

The Centre for Knowledge and Technology Transfer at CU brings together students from different faculties . Interdisciplinary approaches can inspire new solutions. The centre hosted an event capping a new course called Innovation in Humanitarian Aid.

Ivana Schnur graduated from the First Faculty of Medicine at Charles University and thought she would focus on pain management in oncology. But despite a few detours and “twists of fate”, she instead co-founded and runs Sensely a few years ago – a company that develops artificial intelligence to make nurses' and doctors' jobs easier.

The field of nursing within the medical profession has grown ever more varied. While in the past, a “one-size-fits-all” approach was sufficient, that is no longer the case. “The shortage of nurses,” says Ivana Dvořáčková of Hradec Králové University Hospital, “would be eased if we relieved them of tasks which could go to less qualified professionals.”