Kate in National Geographic: Life at the End of the World

In early 2025, our colleague Kateřina Kopalová returned to Antarctica for another scientific expedition, this time to the Argentinian research station Esperanza. Together with science communicator and photographer Petr Jan Juračka, she collected samples of diatoms which, thanks to their silica shells and ecological specificity, offer unique insights into both past climate change and present-day ecosystem functioning.

In an interview for National Geographic Czechia, Kate described Antarctica as a “giant lab surrounded by ocean,” emphasizing how the continent’s isolation makes it an ideal place to study simplified ecosystems and ecological processes. For her, returning south is not just about science – it’s also about the overwhelming sense of freedom this frozen continent provides.

📖 Watch the full interview here (in Czech): National Geographic – June 5, 2025