19.03.2019 Nerd Nite #28
Agnieszka (Aga) Czeszumska: “The origins of cat memes, the universe, and everything”
Though cat memes have a relatively short history, looking much, much farther back and considering very elemental connections between universe, life, and our civilization offers an interesting perspective. The chemical elements that make up the physical world we perceive on a daily basis have a history of their own, their creation being termed nucleosynthesis, and their story begins with the Big Bang itself. For approximately half of elements heavier than iron, nucleosynthesis is thought to occur through supernova explosions, in a process that is a central puzzle in nuclear physics. Looking at how the experiments designed to solve this puzzle look like puts into context the connections between structure of the nucleus and the world we experience.
Aga is a former experimental nuclear physicist, and now an engineer in a hearables startup. Originally Polish, she recently moved to Berlin after many years in San Francisco Bay Area, California and some years in Osaka, Japan. In Osaka, she founded the Kansai branch of Nerd Nite that’s still going strong with great new bosses.
Dan Roizman: “Planet Biofilm”
When we think about Bacteria, probably the following picture comes to mind: An organism, a million times smaller than us, they swim around, multiplying, sometimes inside our bodies; occasionally they make us go to the doctor. Yes, bacteria do that, but in recent decades, it is becoming clearer that they can do so much more: Bacteria can communicate; they can form complex communities, called Biofilms. They work together to change their environment and protect themselves from stresses. A highly successful strategy: Biofilms are among the oldest clear signs of life on earth. The current understanding is quite more astonishing: more than 90% of organic matter of life is microbiological, of which bacteria constitute the majority, and of which about 50% are in a state of biofilm – in every environment, including ourselves. Statistically speaking, earth is their planet, planet Biofilm.
Dan Roizman is a recent Microbiology Ph.D. graduate from SCELSE institute at NTU Singapore. An Israeli that since one year can call Berlin his home. Maybe he heard the word “Bacteria” too many times for the last 5 years, so he needs to get it out of his system – badly.
Ātmikā Yani Noerren: “Musik ist Yoga des Klanges und der Vibration – Aber was hat Musik mit Yoga zu tun?“
In unserem Alltag sind wir stetig Klängen oder Geräuschen ausgesetzt. Klang hat eine kraftvolle Wirkung auf unseren Körper und Geist. Musik hat die Fähigkeit uns durch verschiedenste Facetten unserer Emotionen zu führen und lässt uns durch verschiedene Perioden der Zeit reisen oder sogar unsere eigenen Erinnerungen. Musik ist Yoga des Sounds. Der Zustand indem verschiedene Klänge und Töne miteinander verschmelzen und harmonisieren. Das Chanten von Sanskrit-Mantren, in der Yogapraxis, hat eine sehr kraftvolle und heilende Wirkung auf unseren Körper und Geist. Der Sound der Sprache Sanskrit, hat eine hohe Resonanz auf uns Menschen und ist ein essentieller Faktor in diesem Kontext.
Yani Nörren ist Yogalehrerin und Musikerin hier in Berlin. Ihr Fokus im Yoga ist vor allem Mantra Yoga, Yogaphilosophie und Meditation. Sie unterrichtet Workshops und Klassen und gibt Kirtankonzerte hier in Berlin und in vielen anderen Städten im In- und Ausland.
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