WEEK 4 [04.05 - 10.05] Viruss

Do you remember the WinCIH virus, also popularly known as Chernobyl? A lot of myths grew up about it, some of which were obviously not true. The virus itself is almost forgotten today - only older computer users have heard about it or even had the unpleasantness to experience it on their own equipment. The most interesting thing in its history is that it was never intended to spread and cause the damage it did.

1. Were you a victim of some kind of virus?

2. What types of virus do you think are the most dangerous?

3. What new types of viruses will emerge in the future? How and what will they attack?

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/04/26/20-years-ago-today-what-we-can-learn-from-the-cih-virus

WEEK 4 [04.05 - 10.05] COVID -19 origin

I would like to present the article about coronavirus. The topic of coronavirus is essential part of our life in times of pandemic. I found article describing the origin of COVID-19. The presented results show that COVID-19 is not a laboratory construct or a manipulated virus. The article includes the review what can be deducted about coronavirus origin and conduct comparative analyze of genomic data. The possible scenarios of appearing of the SARS-CoV-2 genome were presented. The features of COVIC-19 were presented and basing on these features the authors explain that the genetic data show that coronavirus is not based on any virus backbone used before. Authors give two possible origin of coronavirus: natural selection in an animal host before zoonotic transfer, natural selection in humans following zoonotic transfer and selection during passage. If the researchers understand how an animal virus jumped the species boundary, it allows to prevent the future zoonic events. The genomes described in the articles explain in part the infectiousness and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 in humans. The authors sum up the article concluding, that it is currently impossible to prove or disprove the other theories of COVID-19 origin.

Here, you can find the link to article https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9

1. What is your opinion about the origin of coronavirus?

2. During the COVID pandemic did you do anything that you had not had time for before, if so, what was it?

3. What do you miss most of the things, you could do before pandemic of coronavirus and why?

4. What do you think about prohibition  of using cars during Sunday and other holidays? Please explain your point of view. I watched how the quarantine looks like in others countries. People are not allowed to use the cars during Sunday and other holidays for example in Kazakhstan and Beirut.

Week 4 [04-10.05.2020] A tree with 40 fruits

On one tree 40 different kinds of stone fruit grow harmoniously.

The tree created by Aken is a hybrid on which 40 different kinds of stone fruit grow simultaneously. The name of the initiative is "Tree with 40 fruits". The process is also very time-consuming and lengthy. The grafting of a sprouting branch of one species takes 8 to 9 years.

The grafting process consists of cutting a piece of a branch with a donut from a tree of one of the varieties and inserting it into a crack in the branch in a living tree, then wrapping the wound with tape until it heals and the donut starts to grow into a new branch. Although it originally began with a slight fascination, over the years the project has developed on a much wider scale.

https://youtu.be/ik3l4U_17bI

Did you know that such hybrids are possible?

What are the main reasons for grafting trees?

Are you not afraid to eat fruit from such a tree?

Are you interested in gardening?

Week 4 [04-10.05.2020] Education 4.0

Hello!

Today I would like to present an article on education 4.0. We have been dealing with the 4th generation industry for nearly 10 years, Which is so automated and computerized that there is a lack of suitably qualified staff to handle it. School 4.0 is to be the answer to deficiencies in the 4th generation industry.

Please read the article below and watch two videos from the YT website about education 4.0, and then give short answers to the following questions:

1. What is education 4.0?
2. Why is it so important in the 4th generation education to prepare the young people for living and functioning in the world of industrial technology 4.0?
3. Have you ever met school 4.0? If so, please share your opinion.

Article:
Technology trends, Education 4.0 and beyond

YT movies:
1. What is 4.0?
2. Education 4.0 – transforming the future of education (through advanced technology)

Week 3 [14-19.04.2020] - Is it ready?

Hello!

I've stumbled upon this short article, an opinion piece: "How to Tell When a Digital Technology Is Not Ready for You" ( https://www.cell.com/patterns/fulltext/S2666-3899(20)30001-5 )

The author presents his insights into judging the readiness of given digital technology for specific usage.

1. Do you think the long time between inception and given technology being widely used/hyped is specific to digital, or can be extended to all kinds of technologies? If it's specific, why do You think is that so?

2. For each example of evaluated technology, author presents short historic context, and asks couple of important questions. Those questions seems highly specific, but can You see any patterns? Is it possible to somehow learn how to ask such questions, or all is needed is just 40 years of experience? 

3. In final section, author points to specialized organizations offering advice, Royal Society being one of examples. Do You know any of Polish organizations whose advice You value?

Week 3 [14-19.04.2020]
I've got a discussion topic for you that ignores the ones that are currently in the top...
The article describes a new approach to creating rules to describe the universe. I hope you'll find it interesting!

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/stephen-wolfram-hypergraph-project-fundamental-theory-physics

1) Are you convinced by the idea that the whole universe is one big network connected by the relations of the laws of physics?
2) Do you think it is possible to create new rules that describe the universe during the simulation?
3) What else can a Wolfram hypergraph be used for?
4) Wolfram wants to find a rule to describe the universe that combines several different theories (superstring theory, loop quantum gravity, causal sets). Do you think it's possible at all?

Week 3 [14-19.04.2020] Depressive ...

Dear Friends;

The disease I'm talking about below has affected many of our friends. In my opinion, this's one of the major problems of the 21st century. I don't know if children affect parents that way, but the article interested me. It may also interest you. I hope.

Read "Depressive symptoms in parents are associated with reduced empathy toward their young children" https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230636 , think and answer a few questions ...

1) Do you think that depression outside COVID-19 is a 21st century disease?
2) Do you know people who have suffered depression?
3) Some of our friends have imaginary depression, have you met such?
4) How do you think how many undiagnosed cases of depression walk on the ground?
5) Do children really depress their parents so much ;-)?

Best regards