A spring morning by the sea. The air is fragrant with blooming flowers, the sun glistens on the water, but something’s off. The sea appears... yellow?  Each year, between March and June, walkers, sailors, and swimmers along the Croatian coast, from Kvarner to Dubrovnik, witness a curious sight: yellow patches spreading across the surface of the sea. 

Pollution, climate change, ocean acidification, disappearing algae, and invasive species are just some of the mounting threats facing our seas. These issues lie at the heart of research carried out by scientists at the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI), who have spent decades closely monitoring changes in the Adriatic, from microscopic organisms to tsunamis triggered by volcanic eruptions, all with the goal of safeguarding this vital ecosystem.

This year’s World Environment Day, celebrated worldwide on 5 June, is dedicated to the fight against plastic pollution under the campaign slogan #BeatPlasticPollution.

The Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI) took part in the 2025 EU-LIFE Community Meeting, the annual gathering of one of Europe’s most influential alliances of life sciences research institutes.

For more than three decades, the Croatian scientific community — including numerous researchers from the Ruđer Bošković Institute (IRB) — has actively participated in a range of prestigious projects at CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. From developing advanced detectors and materials capable of withstanding extreme conditions to contributing to research on the Higgs boson and theoretical models of the universe, Croatian scientists have played a significant role.

With a symbolic laying of the foundation stone in Escúzar, Spain, the construction of the IFMIF-DONES infrastructure has officially begun.

Petra Maleš has been named one of the recipients of this year’s distinguished National L'Oréal – UNESCO “For Women in Science” Fellowship.

Bacteria play key roles in degrading organic matter, both in the soil and in aquatic ecosystems.

Jakov Rukavina, Mario Tropčić, and Marko Domagoj Benković – the minds behind Team JMM – took first place in the 2025 AI4Health.Cro Innovation Challenge.

In the heart of the Hutovo Blato Nature Park, a collaborative initiative was recently unveiled that could reshape the way we monitor and safeguard our freshwater ecosystems. The SMART-Water project—spearheaded by the Ruđer Bošković Institute (IRB) in collaboration with partners from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro—introduces a cutting-edge approach to water quality monitoring by harnessing artificial intelligence and satellite imaging.