The Topic of this Issue

Geological development of the Earth

The story about the creation of our planet, some 4.65 billion years ago, is practically unbelievable – starting from the Big Bang, the formation of the primordial atmosphere, and the sudden development of living organisms during the Cambium, to the many changes which led to massive extinction of certain species and the evolution of new ones. The Earth, much like other planets, has gone through different stages of development within the Solar system, estimated to be about 15 billion years old. But, since the time when life began, it was only on the Earth that living world has evolved!
For science, the evolution of the Earth remains one of the greatest mysteries, and many conclusions are merely assumptions. This is true especially of the very beginning of the creation of planets and the creation of some major rocks which over time resulted in developing the primeval co0ntinents.

Astrobiology

„The Big Silence“ and other civilisations

The Foreword to the Peter Ulmschneider's „Intelligent Life in the Universe“ attempts to deal with the issue of the “big silence”, or the Fermi paradox which is related to the absence of contact with developed civilisations in the Universe. Specifically, given the age of the Universe, there has been sufficient time foe certain civilisations to develop technologies of inter-stellar or inter-galactic travel. Since the number of developed intelligent civilisations is not ZERO, the question is: why there has been no contact with another civilisation yet?

Tesla Global Forum

The Secret Connection Summit at Iriški Venac

For two consecutive years, from 11 to 14 July, at mount Iriški Venac near Novi Sad, an international multimedia festival is taking place titled „Nikola Tesla - Secret Connection Summit“. The Summit resulted from following up on the legacy of the great scientist and inventor without whom the present world of electricity would not have been possible. In contrast to the summit of the previous year, everything revolved around the 10 th July, Tesla's birthday and the Serbian Day of Science.
The interest of the general public, the great number of outstanding scientists and guests, the number of lectures and round tables held, the music performances, exhibitions, films and the cyber-camp with about 150 talented national and international students were the platform which tries to shed light on Tesla's contribution to modern civilisation in the field of energy, telecommunications and technical innovations, and a platform to assess his contribution to environmental awareness, art and philosophy.

Aeronautics

A Squadron under a Crystal Ball

The Aviation Museum in Belgrade , located within the „Nikola Tesla“ Airport, was established in 1957, with the ambition to preserve the material evidence on the development of aviation in Yugoslavia. The founders of the Museum were motivated by the rich aviation tradition – this year is marking one century of aviation in Serbia. Many decades of work on collecting and protecting historical material has given this institution great international reputation.
In terms of the number and value of exhibits, the Museum is among ten leading institutions of its kind globally. The collections and archives consist of more than 200 aircrafts, 130 aircraft engines, numerous radars and rockets, and diverse aircraft equipment, more than 20,000 books and technical documents and over 200,000 photographs.

Medicine

The Most Frequent Congenital Cardiac Disorder in Adults

Despite the fact that bicuspid aorta valve (BAV) can go unnoticed for years, as patients can for many years feel no cardiac difficulties or problems, this disorder permanently exerts pressure on the cardiovascular system. The disorder is most often diagnosed in adults, once that sclerosis happens and aorta valves become narrowed. Dr Branko Biberdžić, a specialist of internal medicine of the General Hospital Bel Medic in Belgrade, is warning that in patients with BAV unfavourable cardiovascular changes are found more frequently than was previously believed. About 2% of the total population is born with this congenital deformity.

Medicine

Releasing an Arrested Nerve

Compressive neuropathies – entramped peripheral nerves – are very frequent in medical practice. In many cases they are mild and disappear after conservative treatment – but they can also develop into more serious conditions, with severe pain and neurological deficit. Dr Marko Čvorović, specialist of orthopaedic surgery and traumatology at the Bel Medic General Hospital, is talking about contemporary surgical therapies for compressive neuropathies.

Mycology

New Fungi Species for Serbia

Among interesting fungi species, the Morchella is outstanding, and is found in Serbia and Montenegro under different names. Mycologists state that present day forms of this fungi grow only in early spring and that this is a habit developed already back in the Great Ice Age, which lasted for about half a million years on the Earth. Science states that there are about 30 types of Morchella. So far in Serbia and Montenegro 6 types and 6 varieties have been registered.

Insects

Useful Nuisance

This year many people have noticed an increase in the number of different insects. The media has reported on the presence of numerous domestic and a number of species which allegedly were not present in Serbia until now. Is this a result of climate change or simply a matter of the season favourable to insects, or is it something still unknown?
It is officially believed that on Earth there is about one million types of insects, although some scientific estimates go far further and state between 5 and 30 million of species of these animals! They are a dominant animal group on our planet with a great reproductive potential and practically unlimited power to adapt to life on land.

Lost Species

Dragonfly the Size of Eagle

Meganeura is a genus of strangely big carnivorous insects, related to a genus of dragonflies. Fossiles of this extinct giant have been found in 1886, in Cimantrtie, France. They lived in the Carboniferous age, meaning that it has been more than 300 million years since these gigantic insects flew over the land.

Monastic Law

How and by Whom is the Holly Mountain Ruled? .

Byzantine emperors in their decrees set down permanent guarantees for freedom and unconditional autonomy of the monastic community in Mount Athos. Tsar John I Tzimiskesin his decrees “codified” the existing rules and recognised the “independent monastic state “.
The centre of the self-rule of this globally unique community since the middle of the 10 th century has been in Karyes, the capital of the Holy Mountain. There, everything is different: from scenery to history, art, measurement of time, and manner of life, to administration of the peninsula. According to the Greek Constitution and its legally of privileged status, it is presently an autonomous and integral part of Greece, and in church terms it is under the Constantinople Patriarchy. The administration consists of the rules of 20 monasteries (17 Greek and one Serbian, Russian and Bulgarian), the hierarchy of which was established in the 16 th century.