The Sun, our closest star and source of life, has been under systematic study for only the past several hundred years. Research shows that it is not as stable as once thought, and also not always benign to mankind. Nowadays we keep close tabs on solar activity to try to predict what lies in store for the Earth and its inhabitants.
The processes of soil compaction and erosion, while seemingly opposite in nature, in fact lead to similar consequences: significant soil impoverishment, lower ground water quality, and environmental pollution.
The science festival concept originated in the US and Western Europe, but in Poland, due to great passion and goodwill shown by scientists, such festivals have grown into grand-scale events with unprecedented flair.
Białowieża forest has survived to the modern day retaining a broad diversity of animal and plant species, while at the same time hosting a centuries-old human presence.
The beautiful, intricate shells produced by foraminifera with astounding complexity turn out to be governed by simple mathematic rules. Once the underlying principles are discovered, foraminifera shapes can be "grown" on a computer screen.
The UN has declared 2008 the International Year of Planet Earth, an opportunity for pursuing ground- breaking research and promoting greater Earth-science awareness.
Although the possible existence of extrasolar planets, similar to the Earth or different, has intrigued astronomers for centuries, it was only in the early 1980s that the technical capacity to discover them emerged.
Fallow wasteland, seemingly worthless for agriculture, may in fact be of great natural value. We need to be very cautious when using it for cultivating energy plants.
Poland's accession to the EU has focused attention on the need for industry and science to work together - something the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research has always prioritized.
Drawing up graphical archeołogical documentation is a very time-consuming endeavor, although new applications of digital technologies are now helping to make it much less so - even under adverse field conditions.
Over the next 20 years, Poland's most important developmental objectives should be to create a knowledge-based economy and to curtail the scope of unemployment and poverty.
Though rightfully acclaimed in the world as the devoted researcher of a sensational archeological find - the oldest biblical manuscripts from the Dead Sea, dating back more than 2,000 years - Professor Józef Tadeusz Milik remains relatively little known in Poland. His life and work comprise an extraordinary story, illustrating the kind of contributions Polish researchers have made to world science.
Underground methane can be highly lethal, appearing suddenly and mixing with air to form a strongly explosive gas. Dealing with methane quickly and safely requires an efficient system of ventilation and monitoring, ready for any scenario.
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