Ep. 16: Knowledge of Russian language significantly accelerates activation of Polish language among foreigners

The aim of the project conducted by dr. Jacopo Saturno in cooperation with prof. Przemysław Gębal is to empirically document the process of acquisition of Polish as a foreign language by speakers of Russian. This identification identifies two important groups, i.e. contemporary Slavic immigration to Poland (Ukrainians, Belarusians, Russians) and foreign students of Russian as a foreign language (unlike Polish, Russian is offered as a foreign language by most European universities). Of course, these two groups differ from each other in various respects, but they also have a lot in common. First of all, it is the knowledge of Russian, which is relatively close to Polish in terms of the grammatical and lexical system. The similarity makes it easier to recognise words and grammatical structures of the Polish language, but it may also result in so-called "interference" errors or (especially in the case of Eastern Slavs) the impression that the Polish language does not need to be learnt seriously, because "it can be understood without difficulty". The first results, pending publication, show that knowledge of Russian significantly speeds up and facilitates the process of Polish language acquisition. An innovative didactic-methodical concept is currently being developed to promote Polish as a foreign language among non-Slavic students with knowledge of Russian, in line with the assumptions of the European language policy supporting multilingualism.

Ep. 15: Engineering an artificial skeletal muscle

At the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Dr. Marco Costantini, in collaboration with Dr. Cesare Gargioli from the Tor Vergata University in Rome, are working on solutions for producing a muscle substitute on the basis of a biocompatible gel, the structure of which resembles spaghetti noodles. To obtain this aim, they developed a 3D bioprinting technique to process inks containing precursor muscle cells of the animal or patient origin and precursor hydrogel biopolymers. Similar to the increasingly popular 3D printers of today, three-dimensional constructs with biomimetic structures were produced, which, after a short in vitro maturation period, demonstrated the ability to produce an artificial muscle capable of contracting, i.e. developing force. In particular, the constructs showed a high capacity for regeneration in vivo. Within just 20 days of implantation, they were able to regenerate the damaged tibialis anterior muscle in a mouse model to 90% of its volume, both in terms of mass and strength.

Ep. 14: Between Faith and Reason. On the significance of groundbreaking religious thought for the birth of modernity in Europe.

The Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences is excellent proof that internationalisation in the humanities is not only possible, but necessary, and that it results in excellent publications and prestigious grants. Professor Danilo Facca, who cooperates with Polish scientists at IFiS PAN, but also with Italian researcher prof. Valentina Lepri, emphasizes that joint research, apart from recognizable publications, also results in the creation of a solid network of personal and intellectual exchange.