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Showing posts from November 6, 2016

Week 5 [7.11-13.11] GMO : Life or Death?

     Human ingenuity is limitless. Our creativity allowed us to manipulate the environment around us in any way we want. Is it good or bad? There is no simple answer to these questions. Our minds can create new things or can bring the end to the whole world. The most common example of the dualistic nature of human creativity is the usage of nuclear fission. Also, we are building new nuclear power plants and new ballistic missiles that can wipe out entire nations. Russian's ballistic missile called R-36M, in NATO terminology - SS-18 Satan (Sic!)      Another, in my opinion, good example is GMO. GMO stands for “Genetically modified organism”. GMO can be defined as organism, whose genetic material has been altered in some artificial way. One example of GMO is the GloFish. “GlowFish” is a brand for genetically modified fluorescent fish. It is the first genetically modified animal that can be bought, although only in USA. It was created from ze...

Week 5 [7.11-13.11] SpaceX and colonization of Mars

      Probably each of you has heard about Elon Musk and his grand space program. Is he a genius like Steve Jobs? Or maybe he is just another “legend” like S. Jobs? I think that we have to wait to judge him. We have, however, clues right now to believe that his name will be written in history books. Why?      The answer is: SpaceX. This is his most extraordinary company right now, and this company is mankind’s only hope. As you see, there is a reason why Elon Musk is the real life Iron Man! He has a reason to smile...       It is pretty obvious that humans have to explore not only the Earth but the rest of the Universe. Our home is doomed; there are limited resources for us to live long and prosperous. There will come a day when our planet will not be habitable any more. It looks like, the only real solution to this problem is to explore and colonize the rest of the Universe. Right now, the cl...

Week 5 [7.11-13.11] What happened to pandas?

The giant panda is naturally living in mountain forests of southwest China. They have got white and black fur. Adult pandas are about 150 cm from nose to rump, with a 10-15 cm tail and an adult panda can weigh up to 150 kg, with males 10% larger and 20% heavier than females. Where you can find panda In September 2016 panda was downgraded from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’ species on the global list of species at risk of extinction. Why are pandas endangered? One of the reasons why pandas are in danger of extinction is the destruction of their habitat. There are more and more people in China, so they need an area for themselves. A place to live for people is made by devastating forests and meadows, where animals live. Panda’s forests are also degraded because of gathering of wood and collecting herbs by local people. Other factor destructing panda’s habitat are tourists, who want to see pandas in their natural environment – irony, isn’t it? There is also a problem with poaching. ...

Week 5 [7.11 - 13.11] Dogs and their role

Dogs have always been a man’s best friend. They are family’s mascots and members. They have had many roles, depending on the breed. Mythology When Diomos, a farmer, was sacrificing meat a white dog appeared and stole the offering. The farmer thought it was a sign and he built a temple of Herakles in a place where the dog left stolen meat. This place was called kyos – dog. Service dogs Everyone knows service dogs, which help people. There are five groups of assistance dogs: - Guide dogs (seeing eye dogs) – assist the blind and the visually impaired - Hearing dogs (signal dogs) – assist the deaf and hard of hearing by pointing where the source of sounds is - Mobility assistance dog - assist a physically disabled by opening and closing doors, picking up things for its owner, helping with a wheelchair, operating light switches etc. - Medical response dog – react in case of an attack of the disease by informing its owner about upcoming attack of the disease, bringing phone or med...

Week 5 [7.11 - 13.11] Alternative Sources of Energy

The term "renewable energy" refers to hydro energy from biomass, solar, wind, geothermal and ocean. They cover only 2% of global energy consumption - although their development in recent years is extremely fast. The current state of development of each technology often does not allow them even to the competitive functioning on market, because profits from them are delayed. In addition, many conventional energy sources still receive subsidies, and do not take into account associated with their use of external costs (especially the environmental pollution). http://fs-unep-centre.org/sites/default/files/webbild_0.jpg The starting point for discussion of the "green energy" is global warming. Much attention is paid to such energy sources and technologies which acquisition and processing do not involve the emission of CO2. In addition, exploration and development of "green" energy technologies can resolve a number of other problems that conventional...

Week 5 [7.11 - 13.11] Work or talent - which one determines success?

https://seanwes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/talent-vs-hard-work.jpg Talent is innate skills, natural disposition with which we are born and that we must uncover. When working on it, it starts to bring a profit, but unrecognized, and an unsupported is useless. That would be the shortest summary of what talent is and how it helps us. And it is useful in achieving success in many fields, as long as it is properly cherished. "Issue" with talent is that it is manifested in many forms, two different talents are sometimes hard to compare. A little bit disappointing is that not every aptitude will help us to gain unimaginable fame and money. Certainly, however, it may be useful in everyday life and in overcoming daily difficulties As far as the question of whether the same talent is essential to succeed. it is no doubt about the role of the hard work in this process. The success of our endeavors depends precisely on our commitment to the tasks performed, and on h...