The central event was be accompanied by an exhibition on cave life and a series of presentations in places where humans and human fish share the same underground water, which sustains both species.
The human fish or olm is well known in Slovenia but is still a mysterious and exotic animal. As a resident of karstic groundwater, it lives below the surface, hidden from view. It is the only cave amphibian and the biggest cave animal in Europe.
In the last two decades, new field research techniques and new molecular biology methods have contributed to exciting new discoveries.
New knowledge enables the counting of olms even though they are hidden underground. It has been found that some populations are so decimated and threatened that their very survival is at stake.
On the Researchers’ Night, the light of science will illuminate the eternal night of the olm’s life, and a multimedia demonstration will enable visitors to see what these animals look like from up close, whether they are really blind, whether they have teeth, whether they really live for a hundred years, how they orient themselves in total darkness and other interesting facts about their lives.
The soundscape of the cave environment was conjured by the artistic sound installation Black Drop. It was contributed by the internationally recognized and awarded artist Robertina Šebjanič (https://robertina.net/), who in her works transcends the boundaries between science and art and draws attention to the vulnerability of the underground environment in a very special way.
The multiple award-winning short film Proteus Hunters, authored by the well-known Slovenian underwater cameraman Ciril Mlinar Cic (https://www.cicfilm.com/), was also shown.
Coordinator: Peter Trontelj, PhD, and Hans Recknagel, PhD, Biotechnical Faculty
