In September, Vykintas Matuzevičius, agate collector from Kaunas, once again donated 10 impressive specimens to the Museum of Minerals. Vykintas mentioned more than once that he would no longer collect minerals and would not donate specimens to the museum. However, his passion for collecting has not disappeared. He continues to visit fairs, buy online, and after keeping specimens at home for a while and enjoying them donate them to the museum. This time, the museum’s collections were supplemented with agates from the world-famous sites of Morocco (Asni,  Kerrouchen), Argentina (San Rafael), and an exceptionally beautiful Fluorapophyllite crystal accented by Stilbite from the Jalgaon quarry in India, famous for some of the most beautiful Fluorapophyllite crystals in the world.

V. Matuzevičius has already donated 1,150 specimens to the Museum of Minerals, most of which are agates from various parts of the world.

The Nature Research Centre (NRC) received a unique find from the Karpėnai limestone quarry (north-western Lithuania). This is possibly the largest piece of Jurassic wood ever found in Lithuania. It was found and presented to the NRC by Algirdas Rimkus, director of AB Kalcitas and honorary member of the Geological Society of Lithuania.

Description of the find: Papilė suite, Kelovė stage (lower), Middle Jurassic, 166–163 million years old. It probably belongs to conifers or ginkgoes.

During the Jurassic period, the territory of Lithuania was almost entirely covered by sea lagoons, and finding land plants or animals from that period is an exceptional event. This tree find is important evidence that there were areas of land where rivers flowed, vegetation flourished, and most likely reptiles and birds lived, although we still have no real evidence of their existence.

This find will be examined, preserved, and exhibited. If you are interested in this rare exhibit, please contact the NRC Collections Department.

Indrė Satkūnienė
NRC Collections Department

The data collected by scientists from Nature Research Centre (NRC) were used in the works exhibited at the upcoming international exhibition “Migration” created by American artist and professor Timothy Frerichs. The exhibition will be displayed at the Vilnius Academy of Arts Gallery “Akademija” in Vilnius.

The works created for this exhibition include graphic prints and artist’s books exploring bird migration. They focus on the White Stork, Lithuania’s national bird, and its long journey to South and Central Africa.

Cartographic images based on scientific data from NRC constitute an important highlight of the exhibition. Dr Mindaugas Dagys, Head of the Laboratory of Bird Ecology, provided access to White Stork migration tracking data collected on the Movebank platform. These scientifically based maps will become part of an artistic interpretation conveying migration processes in graphic works and in the artist’s books.

The cartographic images on display at the exhibition, as well as the flight routes of birds are integrated into Prof. Timothy Frerichs’ book.

This exhibition is a unique dialogue between science and art, revealing how scientific research can become a source of creative inspiration.

More information about the exhibition is available at: Timothy Frerichs | Migration | Graphic Art (LT, EN) | Vilnius Academy of Arts

More information about the artist is available at: Migration Fold book – Timothy Frerichs Artwork

Dr Raimondas Mozūraitis and Dr Rasa Čepulytė from NRC Laboratory of Chemical and Behavioural  Ecology  participated in the Joint Conference of the International Society of Chemical Ecology and the Asia-Pacific Association of Chemical Ecologists (ISCE-APACE 2025, 18–22 August) in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Dr R. Mozūraitis gave an oral presentation and introduced the audience to the search for natural chemical compounds to modify the behaviour of cherry fruit flies and to reduce the damage they cause. Dr R. Čepulytė presented the chemical compounds of natural origin that were identified in the Laboratory of Chemical and Behavioural Ecology for the first time as affecting the behaviour of entomopathogenic nematodes and as able to increase the effectiveness of these nematodes in combating economically important insect pests.

The ISCE-APACE 2025 conference brought together renowned chemical ecology researchers from around the world. It provided an excellent opportunity to share the latest scientific achievements and advanced research methodologies and became an important platform for further cooperation and exchange of ideas among scientists working in the fields of chemical ecology.

On 15–19 September 2025, the 17th International Symposium on Aquatic Plants: Back to the Future of Aquatic Plants and the Way Forward was held in Lisbon, Portugal. Researchers from the Laboratory of Flora and Geobotany participated in the conference.

Dr Lukas Petrulaitis made an oral presentation on improving the macrophyte index of Lithuanian rivers and on new methods for modernizing and optimizing the index.

Doctoral student Liucija Kamaitytė-Bukelskienė delivered a poster presentation on research on the bank of rare aquatic plant seeds and how they contribute to species conservation.

During the symposium, a meeting was also held with colleagues from the early career network EUPHORIA (European Plant Phenology Research In Aquatic Systems), which includes researchers from the Laboratory of Flora and Geobotany. This initiative collects phenological data on aquatic plants from across Europe.

The State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre joined the Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination Programme of the Research Council of Lithuania 2025-2030. On 1 September, the project “K. Brundza’s unpublished research on marshes in the context of the development of natural  sciences and ecosystem changes in Lithuania” (GABIJAURA) (2025–2029) (headed by Dr Ilona Jukonienė) was launched.

The research team also includes Dr Aurika Ričkienė, Dr Miglė Stančikaitė, Dr Vaida Šeirienė, and doctoral student Monika Kalvaitienė. This is an interdisciplinary project combining the history of science and ideas with ecosystem change and anthropocene processes. The research planned for the project will reveal the development and improvement of methods in specific fields of Lithuanian science (marsh research, phytocenology, paleobotany) and will include an assessment of long-term changes in marsh vegetation in the agricultural landscape.

The State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre signed a cooperation agreement with Klaipėda University. At a meeting held on 11 September, Prof. Sigitas Podėnas, Director of Nature Research Centre, and Prof. Artūras Razbadauskas, Rector of Klaipėda University, discussed areas of cooperation and ways to combine the scientific potential of both institutions. This agreement opens up opportunities to jointly implement interdisciplinary projects, promote cooperation between scientists, especially young researchers, and develop research that is relevant to both the academic community and society.

The parties to the agreement believe that the partnership will become a solid foundation for new ideas and scientific progress.

🌍From September 1–5, 2025, three members of the Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Hydrobionts took part in the International Colloquium on Amphipoda in Lodz, Poland! 🦐

🔹Dr. Kęstutis Arbačiauskas showed how glacial relict amphipods, once common in large and deep Lithuanian lakes, are now vanishing due to lake eutrophication, habitat degradation and warming waters.

🔹Dr. Denis Copilaș-Ciocianu took us millions of years back in time, revealing how Ponto-Caspian amphipods radiated when the ancient Paratethys Sea broke apart. Their shapes and lifestyles evolved in surprising ways.

🔹Dr. Krzysztof Podwysocki explored the “killer shrimp” Dikerogammarus villosus and discovered something remarkable: different populations actually inherit different feeding habits – which may explain why this species is such a successful invader.

The conference was a wonderful chance to reconnect with old friends, meet new colleagues, and spark fresh collaborations for the future.

The spread of novel viruses substantiates the need for alternative antiviral agents. Plant-based extracts, such as essential oils (EOs), are highly relevant due to their generally human-friendly nature and broad spectrum of bioactive properties. Most EO antiviral activity is targeting enveloped viruses. Orthototiviridae family yeast virus ScV-L-A offers a novel, safe, non-enveloped virus model system for antiviral substance evaluation.

This study aimed to investigate the antiviral efficacy of EOs and their constituents against non-enveloped ScV-L-A totivirus.

The composition of EOs was determined using GC-MS. Native ScV-L-A viral particles were prepared from yeast cells via cesium chloride gradient ultracentrifugation. The antiviral effect of EOs and their principal components was evaluated by following the synthesis of radio-labeled viral transcripts. TEM was employed to investigate the impact of target substances on ScV-L-A capsid integrity.

Tested EOs inhibited viral RNA polymerase activity in both liquid and vapor phases. Citral-rich EOs exhibited the strongest antiviral action, with lemon myrtle EO possessing the lowest half-maximal inhibitory concentration and highest timewise efficacy. Coriander and mandarin EOs showed the lowest polymerase-inhibiting capacity. EOs were more efficient compared to the action of single compounds. All EOs except for that of mandarin, dominated by limonene, were more effective in the liquid rather than the vapor phase. Tea tree and mandarin EOs were found to damage ScV-L-A capsid structure.