ISSUE TOPIC

Gravitational waves - New horizons of cosmology

Our understanding of the universe is based on detecting and understanding waves. Electromagnetic waves provided us with most of the information. One narrow area of the spectrum, that for long was the only one available - visible light, gradually expanded, mainly during the twentieth century: infrared, radio, high-energy astronomy… Each of these new "windows" represented a revolution and provided a deeper insight into the nature of the universe. That new era of observation began five years ago with the discovery of gravitational waves, another successful test of Einstein's theory of gravity. The fourteenth of September 2015 is inscribed in the calendar of great dates of modern physics. On that day, scientists discovered for the first time gravitational waves, emitted during the collision of two black holes. Тhat was the crown of the "crazy idea" of brave researchers from Caltech University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who managed to gathered a large number of people, institutions and universities around the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Observatory for Gravitational Waves) project. And they reached the goal in an extremely thorny way. Almost five decades have passed from the idea of measurement to direct detection. One participant in the experiment described the success of the whole endeavor in an original way: "Everything I worked on is no longer science fiction." After the unexpected discovery of the accelerated expansion of the universe (1998) and the success of the hunt for the Higgs boson (2012) - the detection of gravitational waves is the third major discovery in the field of fundamental physical theories in the last twenty years.

MATHEMATICS

Are we discovering or creating science?

This year's month of mathematics, the ninth in a row in Belgrade, confirmed, more than ever before, the application of mathematics in informatics and communications. Thanks to its tool - new problem-solving technologies and in everyday life - mathematics has entered the homes of its loyal audience. The very rich and ambitious program included talks, lectures, online workshops, exhibits, scientific cafes. Tracking capabilities were also tailored to those who could not join the event tracking at the scheduled time. The recordings could be seen during the manifestation. In addition to lectures to a wider audience, guest lecturers gave short interviews in the science club of the Center for the Promotion of Science of Serbia.
 

MEDICINE

Modern interventional cardiology

Sudden chest pain and tightness may be a sign of a myocardial infarction, a life-threatening condition that requires a quick response. With a heart attack, every minute is important, so you should seek the help of a cardiologist as soon as possible. The shorter the time, the greater the chances that the endangered heart will be helped by non-surgical, minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic methods available to interventional cardiology. Instead of open surgery, the heart or coronary artery occlusion can be reached with a catheter, as part of one of the one-day procedures such as percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with or without a stent, pericardiocentesis, and others. One of our leading experts in this field, M.Sc. med. Dr. BojanIlisic, talks about the possibilities of modern interventional cardiology. as a leading cardiology specialist, head of the newly opened Center for Interventional Cardiology of the Belgrade General Hospital Bel Medic. Thanks to many years of international experience - clinical work in Monaco, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Kuwait - Dr. Ilisic has performed more than five thousand interventions in the field of interventional cardiology, and is an expert in accessing the heart through the arm artery (radial approach) and complex percutaneous coronary interventions and percutaneous aortic valve replacement.

INTERFACE

Human skin and "skin" of a machine

A unique system of robotic sensors has appeared that reacts a thousand times faster than the human sense of touch, which is unprecedented in the history of robotics development. Robots and prosthetic devices could soon have a more sensitive sense of touch than human skin. With the help of a new artificial nervous system, developed by scientists from the National University of Singapore (UXO), this idea is becoming a reality. The new robot skin system has an exceptional ability to react quickly as well as resistance to damage, so it can be paired with any type of sensory skin layer in the efficient function of electronically sensitive skin.

NIKOLA TESLA

The Mysteries of the "Blue Portrait"

The fate of Nikola Tesla's "Blue Portrait", the only portrait for which the great scientist agreed to pose, has long been a mystery to a wide range of people interested in Tesla's life and work. "Blue Portrait" was painted in early 1916 by Tesla's friend, painter and princess Elizabeth Wilma Lvov-Parlagy. Tesla, who did not have the habit of posing for artists, made an exception in this case, and in a certain way he was actively involved in the creation of portraits. The name "Blue Portrait" was created thanks to Tesla - since he did not like the light in the princess's studio, he decided to pose under the light of strong lamps, filtered through blue glass, thus simulating the northern lights. Under the same lighting, the princess exhibited a portrait in the studio on March 1, 1916. The portrait was sold only after the princess died, at an auction held in 1924, and since then it has been lost from public view for decades.
 

COSMONAUTICS

In the bubble of time and space

In the world of the movie "Star Trek", humanity begins to get to know the galaxy, on April 5, 2063, in the first voyage on a spaceship that moves faster than light. The new "warp drive", the most basic interstellar travel drive used by most crews in the famous science fiction film, not only gives humans the opportunity to explore space but also contributes to our first contact with extraterrestrial life. It has been 54 years since this idea was first introduced, and many futuristic technologies have been invented since then - from hand-held communicators to universal translators. "Warp drive" is the next choice because "Voyager 1", which traveled the furthest from the Earth, took 35 years to leave the solar system. Theoretical physicists are working hard on this problem. In May 2020, NASA scientist Harold White published an internal feasibility report that considers technology from the early mission planning phase.

ENERGY

Nano-probes with nano-motors

From the very beginning, space exploration was expensive due to the high cost of making large spacecraft (satellites) that were large in size; therefore, they required larger-diameter missiles that could be fitted with one or more powerful rocket engines with which to launch. Usually, a small satellite was considered to be any satellite weighing less than 300 kg, which requires a multi-stage rocket with a diameter of at least 1.3 m to be launched from the surface into a low orbit around the Earth. Therefore, space exploration strives to reduce the dimensions of spacecraft and their mass, which reduces the cost of their construction and launch. This further enables the reduction of other components of the rocket and propulsion system and increases the possibilities of realization of various missions.

ARCHITECTURE

New purpose of industrial facilities

Amsterdam is a city with many monuments of the past incorporated into the modern way of life. The significance of the tradition is great, which is reflected in the restoration and reconstruction of buildings whose architectural appearance has been preserved and adapted to new functions. Care is taken that the new architecture of the building does not disrupt the traditional construction in this ancient city. A good example was set since a several industrial facilities built in the past have got, after renovations and reconstructions, new functions and became a pumping station, gas tank and warehouses.

ARCHEOLOGY

On the mighty river - a monumental bridge

Drobeta, the most important Roman city on the Djerdap limes, was located on the left bank of the Danube, on the site of today's Romanian city of Drobeta-Turn Severin, and in Roman times on the border of two provinces, Dacia and Upper Moesia. Roman Drobeta originated in a strategically important place: at the most important of the three important Djerdap crossings over the Danube. From the earliest times until 1971, until the opening of the Djerdap I hydroelectric power plant, this was a sector of dangerous rapids and vortices that made navigating this part of the Danube extremely difficult and dangerous. The characteristics of the river in the part of the course where it breaks through the vertical mountain gorges are also indicated by the modern names of the 130 km long gorge. In Serbian, it is named after the Turkish word "jerdap" which means "vortex, torrent". In many languages, the gorge is called "Iron Gate", and the names for its composite parts are "Little Cauldron", "Big Cauldron", "Lady's whirpool".