NUMBER THEME

Megastructures

Throughout history, people have strived to build larger, wider, and higher structures, reaching for the stars or delving into the depths of the sea. These megastructures demonstrate human inventiveness and ambition. From technical marvels to religious monuments and geological formations, Earth hosts a wide variety of megastructures. Examples include the Pyramids, Hadrian's Wall, Angkor Wat, Bernal Sphere, Hughes Airplane, Stratolaunch, Yunnan Elevated Highway, Kariba Lake, Kotrocheni Palace, Linear City, Orbital Ring, and the Panama Canal, all sharing the common goal of being larger and more functional. This enduring ambition reflects humanity's timeless pursuit of reaching for the heavens.

TESLA
Columbus's egg

Bright pictures of the great inventor

While preparing with George Westinghouse for a joint appearance at the World Exhibition in Chicago in 1893, which was dedicated to the 400th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of America, Nikola Tesla came up with the ingenious idea of turning the famous legend of "Columbus's egg" into a concrete experiment. In this experiment, he would demonstrate the same concept that the renowned Italian sailor did four centuries earlier. Tesla aimed to show how his greatest life discovery, a rotating magnetic field, works.

ASTROBIOLOGY
Hypothetical forms of existence
in the universe

An unimaginable state

Due to the significant interest in researching the existence of other forms of life in space, there arose a need to establish a special science to address the biological aspects and the nature of consciousness of potential extraterrestrial life forms, as well as their origin, evolution, and distribution. This led to the birth of a field known as astrobiology (or exobiology, xenobiology), a scientific discipline aiming to determine whether life is exclusive to Earth or if intelligent life also exists beyond our planet. If life does exist in space, what form does it take, and is it capable of communicating with humans on Earth? The founder of this branch of biology and astronomy is the renowned American astrophysicist, philosopher, and writer Carl Sagan.

AI AND COSMIC ANOMALIES

Training Algorithms

Artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning, has been increasingly utilized for analyzing astronomical data collected by radio and space telescopes to identify anomalies and new phenomena in space. The number of active telescopes of various types is growing, both on Earth and in orbit, generating massive amounts of new data. A single observation can produce as much as one terabyte of data. The process of detailed data analysis, aimed at making discoveries, can be overwhelming for a limited number of experts with restricted time. Fortunately, advancements in machine learning algorithms have coincided with this data deluge. Thanks to machine learning, data can be analyzed faster and more comprehensive.

MEDICINE

Six decades since the discovery of the Epstein-Barr virus

The very widespread herpes virus that almost everyone carries is the first discovered oncogenic virus. Moreover, in addition to tumours, it can also cause autoimmune diseases, among them multiple sclerosis (MS). In recent years, intensive work has been done on the development of a preventive vaccine that could eradicate MS, as well as therapeutic vaccines that could significantly reduce the incidence of several types of cancer.
As part of the recent celebration of World Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Day on May 30, it was announced that more than 2.8 million people are currently living with this immune-mediated and progressive neurological disease and that every five minutes a person, somewhere in the world, is diagnosed with MS. Little is known, however, that the "trigger" for the appearance of this multifunctional disease can be a viral infection, namely an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

MEDICINE
Why and how we age

A pandemic affecting a billion people

The aging process is a result of the genetic makeup of humans, which has evolved to prioritize reproduction over longevity. As we age, external factors start to play a more significant role in our health. It's important to acknowledge that we have the potential to make substantial improvements to our health from this perspective.
Biological aging is a very complex natural process that affects all living organisms. It involves the gradual deterioration of physiological functions, ultimately leading to death. At the core of this process is the genetically programmed weakening and failure of organic systems that maintain the body’s internal balance and stability in response to changing environmental conditions - a concept known as homeostasis. Nowadays, age is the most common risk factor for serious diseases.

THE DANUBE FOR EVERYONE

"Lighthouse" for the Restoration
of European Rivers

In Belgrade, at the end of May, the second meeting of the consortium, consisting of 48 partners from 14 European countries, took place. These partners collaborate within the project "DANUBE4all" (HORIZON-MISS-2021-OCEAN-02-02 Restoration of the Danube river basin waters for Ecosystems and People from Mountains to Coast - "DANUBE4all" https://www.danube4allproject.eu/). Their goal is to develop an integrated action plan for the restoration of the Danube River based on scientific research, with active involvement from citizens, local communities, managers, and other stakeholders.
This EU-supported project aims to serve as a model for the restoration of other European rivers. The Action Plan for the Restoration of the Danube Basin (DBRAP) resulting from the "DANUBE4all" project will build upon existing scientific knowledge and findings. Its objective is to enhance ecological status and biodiversity and contribute to the connectivity of river ecosystems.

STURGEON

Migration paths for migratory species

The hydrotechnical works on the Danube in the 19th century significantly altered the habitat required for the life of sturgeon species of fish. Sturgeon migrations, which used to travel from the Black Sea further than Vienna, were interrupted by the construction of HPP "Đerdap 1."
Migratory routes that fish use to move from rivers to the sea and vice versa are hindered by natural and artificial obstacles. Hydropower plants act as an almost impassable obstacle for all fish, mainly because such artificial barriers are too high. "Fishways" are designed on dams or along them to enable upstream and downstream migrations. Fishways are important not only for migrating fish, but also for all other fish as they search for food, reproduce, and hide from predators.
The international project "Pilot project: Facilitating the passability of Djerdap dams for the migration of sturgeon fish species (WE PASS)" has brought together engineers and biologists working to find solutions for creating effective fish paths in the area of the "Đerdap 1" and "Đerdap 2" dams. .

PLANT PROTECTION

Against the spiral of disappearance

Man poses a threat to forests not only through unplanned cutting and burning, but also by using chemical agents to protect them from natural enemies. The European Union has set a goal to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by fifty per cent by 2030 compared to the period prior to June 2022. Currently, only some chemical pesticides are used to combat ineffective grubs. There are no registered effective pesticides, either chemical or biological, for controlling Phytophthora species in natural forests. Therefore, the primary form of protection is prevention, specifically avoiding the introduction of these species into uninfected areas. Achieving such a significant reduction in chemical pesticide use will require the development of new strategies to safeguard plants from pests.