What do the ancient philosopher, one of the greatest speakers of ancient Greece, Gorgias, and Ludwik Fleck, a microbiologist, immune mechanism researcher and collaborator of Rudolf Weigl, the discoverer of a vaccine for typhus, who lived over twenty centuries later, have in common? Apart from the sphere of philosophical investigations, they are connected by the figure of an Italian scientist, professor of philosophy at the University of Catania, who, during his stay in Poland at the Polish Institute of Advanced Studies (PIASt), conducted research on both remarkable figures. Professor Francesco Coniglione has translated into Italian all of Ludwik Fleck's epistemological essays. At the same time, he conducted research on Gorgias which, in his own words, complemented Fleck's reflections, for whom what matters in science is not textbooks, but the concrete practice of scholars, initiation into a style of thinking, and thus belonging to a wider community. Similarly, for Gorgias, no rigid codification of rhetoric, let alone virtue, is possible; it can only be learned by practising good orators and studying their speeches. As for Fleck in relation to science, for Gorgias too, mastery of the rhetorical art, and above all the ability to seize the right moment to intervene, to adapt one's discourse to καιρός, i.e. to the most favourable circumstance, is what one learns through practical experience, by example, and is different from εἰκός, which belongs to oratorical theory and is therefore an intellectual order. Professor Coniglione's stay in Poland resulted in the volume 'Ludwik Fleck. Stili di pensiero. La conoscenza scientifica come creazione sociale' (ed. F. Coniglione, Mimesis, Milan-Udine), but not only. Also excellent scientific contacts and interpersonal relations. As Professor says "PIASt is an ideal place for research, concentration, intellectual discourse. The contacts I was able to establish with other scientists from the Polish Academy of Sciences, but also from universities, mean a lot to me. I hope that there will still be an opportunity to return to Poland and carry out further interesting scientific projects here.

The cyclical changes of day and night cause animals to exhibit rhythms in behaviour (specific sleep and activity times), physiological processes (blood pressure, blood hormone levels, etc.), as well as diurnal changes at the cellular level (changes in communication between cells, changes in cell shape) and molecular level (production levels of specific proteins). All these rhythms in living organisms are regulated by biological clocks, which are located in the brain and numerous peripheral tissues. Such oscillators can be synchronised by external conditions (light intensity, temperature, food availability), but can persist for long periods of time under constant conditions, e.g. in total darkness. Oscillator cells are characterised by the expression of several clock genes, the levels of which change cyclically throughout the day. The endogenous clock mechanism is controlled by light through the cryptochrome (CRY) protein, which is a blue light photoreceptor. Dr Milena Damulewicz from the Department of Cell Biology and Imaging at the Jagiellonian University is conducting research on the regulation of circadian rhythms in the visual system. The best model for such research is the fruit fly, drosophila melanogaster, in which the clock mechanism is well understood and at the same time similar to that described in mammals, so that the results obtained in insect studies allow us to better understand the mechanisms of regulation of circadian processes in humans. In a long-term collaboration with Prof Gabriella Mazzotta from the University of Padua, new functions of CRY in the regulation of synaptic plasticity as well as behavioural processes such as sleep have been described. Among other things, it was shown that in the visual system, the CRY protein can form complexes with the presynaptic protein BRP, so that it is degraded. This process occurs during the day when CRY is activated by light. Changes in BRP protein levels during the day affect the number and size of synapses at the retinal photoreceptor terminals, which in turn allows for precise regulation of the level of perception and transmission of visual stimuli to deeper parts of the brain. As a result, by regulating the activity of clock neurons throughout the day, the CRY protein influences the activity and sleep levels of insects. This result shows how important a role light plays in regulating physiological and behavioural processes. The knowledge gained about the influence of light on brain function is very important, as it suggests that excessive exposure to light may cause not only sleep disorders, but also normal visual processes. Polish-Italian cooperation in this research was made possible thanks to grants from the National Science Centre and the Bekker NAWA fellowship.

Increasing the efficiency of industrial production, customised products, collaboration between IT systems and production lines, efficient cooperation between machines and people... Are we still in the laboratory or already in a science fiction movie? The answer is: in the laboratory, or more precisely, in the Digital Manufacturing Laboratory of the Department of Economics and Management “Marco Fanno” of the University of Padua. It was here that dr Wojciech Dyba of Adam Mickiewicz University conducted research into the digital transformation of industrial enterprises in Europe and their readiness to implement solutions as part of Industry 4.0. Are you also wondering what Industry 4.0 is? In a nutshell - another industrial revolution. After the spread of breakthrough technologies connected with mechanisation (Industry 1.0), electrification (Industry 2.0), digitisation (Industry 3.0), the time has come for another breakthrough - process, organisational and marketing innovations implemented in production companies thanks to the progress in digital technologies using ever newer applications of the Internet. By networking and sharing data, companies can produce more economically and respond more quickly to individual customer needs. Will this not lead to factories where people are replaced by robots? Well, no! The idea is that Industry 4.0 will transform factories into better workplaces and provide their employees with new tools tailored to their needs and skills.Dr Dyba, with the support of prof. Valentina de Marchi and prof. Eleonora di Maria from Padua, conducted international comparative research in various European regions renowned for their strong manufacturing sector, primarily Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy and Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) in Poland. The research showed that European regions are characterised by different conditions for the creation and implementation of Industry 4.0 innovations in companies. Both in Italy and Poland, the activities of authorities and regional organisations related to industry aim to disseminate information on the opportunities offered by new technologies and to identify and overcome barriers to their implementation, not least of which is the lack of knowledge of their potential. In turn, the analysis of good practices of production companies that have implemented selected innovations of Industry 4.0 allows us to look with great optimism at the further evolution and dissemination of the discussed solutions. We will be curious to conduct participatory observation of this new phenomenon.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common disease of motoneurons, or motor neurons, in adults. It affects 6-7 people per 100,000 in Europe and 2-3 people per 100,000 worldwide. ALS is characterised by progressive damage to the motor neurons that are responsible for muscle function. So far, it has not been possible to develop a treatment that can significantly prolong the time and improve the quality of life of people with ALS. As a consequence, most patients die within 2-5 years of the first symptoms of the disease, and 50% survive only 30 months after the onset of clinical symptoms. In this situation, new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of ALS are being sought.This problem was tackled by Dr Sylwia Dąbrowska from the Mossakowski Medical Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, carrying out the Bekker NAWA project at the University of Verona in collaboration with prof. Raffaella Mariotti's group. The researchers investigated the therapeutic effect of exosomes, structures derived from stem cells, in the treatment of ALS. In particular, the immunomodulatory and neuroprotective properties of exosomes derived from adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells were analysed in in vitro and in vivo models of ALS. The study demonstrated that exosomes decreased inflammatory responses and increased neuronal survival in in vitro models of ALS. Furthermore, the experiments showed that exosomes improved motor performance in mice, protected motoneurons from degeneration and reduced inflammation in the mouse spinal cord in an in vivo model of ALS. The results obtained demonstrated that stem cell-derived exosomes exhibit neuroprotective and immunomodulatory effects in in vitro and in vivo models of ALS; these results may serve to develop innovative therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in the future.

The coal industry in Poland has been a pillar of the national economy for years. Being at the centre of economic as well as political relations, it has to some extent imposed the framework of the discourse on decarbonisation and responsibility for climate change. Dr Marco Grasso from the University of Milano - Bicocca, among other reasons, decided to carry out a research project at the Polish Institute of Advanced Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, which was to contribute to answering the question on the moral responsibility of, inter alia, this sector for the climate crisis. Dr Grasso tried to understand how the Polish fossil fuel regime can be exogenously ‘destabilised’ in order to increase the chances that Polish coal companies – at least the largest – move towards the satisfaction of the duties of decarbonisation and of reparation as demanded by their moral responsibility for climate change, in spite of their enduring extensive coal mining activities and of the future planned coal-fired plants.

In a book published, among others, as a result of the project “From Big Oil to Big Green” examines the responsibility of the oil and gas industry for the climate crisis and develops a moral framework that lays out its duties of reparation and decarbonization to allay the harm it has done. By framing climate change as a moral issue and outlining the industry's obligation to tackle it, Grasso shows that Big Oil is a central, yet overlooked, agent of climate ethics and policy. After making the moral case for climate reparations and their implementation, Grasso develops Big Oil's duty of decarbonization, which entails its transformation into Big Green by phasing out carbon emissions from its processes and, especially, its products.