Online publishing offers much more flexible forms of publishing. Even traditional book formats can be organized in new ways. Instead of a fixed sequence of chapters, paragraphs or blog entries, the sequence becomes a matter of choice. Either in the author’s hand or in the hands of readers, the cruising through content allows very individual experiences of what still is the same content. Just as learning, which is ultimately an individualized process, the reading or scrolling through content creates singular experiences with the content. Several choices of more in depth reading should keep the reader interesting to dig further along the personal knowledge trajectory according to own prior interests.
The motivation of a person to read depends on the reader’s own interests and current situation or context. The “state of mind” constitutes the willingness to stop at certain pages or entries. The search function, keywords or tags allow to deviate from an author’s intended sequence of chapters. An online textbook has easy entry and exit points. They are not predetermined. The risk, however, is that the reader stops at a point without loose ends, somehow in expectation of a conclusion of a succinct summary. That’s probably the easiest job for any AI system, based on a series of entries.
However, the joy of the journey through knowledge gets lost through the use of AI as a short cut. Just like physical exercise rewards you with additional strength, mental exercise keeps us healthy.
Traditional predefined sequences – like books, e-books or flip-books are also available on this webpage either through the post archive or the continuously growing books, e-books or flip-books page. 
Health Tech
Health technology assessment (HTA) is an interesting scientific field. The new digital opportunities allow people to participate in medical and medication trials in their homes or even in bed. Their health data and the administration of medication is also encouraged and sometimes supported through digital devices. The pharma and health industries have many devices ready to go. The differences to the traditional forms of medical trials, however, is an issue as we want to compare the results from both kinds of trials. Participants of trials, might prefer or struggle with these novel kinds of study designs. In any case the results will be impacted in several forms (Study Link). In the best of all worlds for the researcher the effects will cancel out each other, but is rather unlikely. Some participants will reach more positive effects with the use of digital tools, whereas others are challenged and might even abandon during the trial. Monitoring during the study (for example through digital inhalors) is another advantage of such distributed trials. Rather than taking adherence to a trial medication for granted, digital tools allow a more precise monitoring of subgroups as well. Data and effort invested in the trial is preserved through the easier access to person’s information, assuming continuous readiness to stay on in the trial.
Our own smartphones are still underexploited in terms of health monitoring and use in research designs. The possibilities to link data to other external data sources shall further advance the research potentials in many interesting ways. Data protection and data security become even more important with the ever smarter phones and connected devices.
Health data
2025 will be a crucial year for health data across the EU. Germany introduced the electronic patient card, which can store basic information to then access data in the health insurance cloud for medical doctors, hospitals and other related health services. Potentially this is a great step ahead as some tests do not have to be repeated if they had been completed recently before already.
In pseudomised form, research may draw samples from such databases to enhance our science based understanding of disease. The evaluation of public health interventions becomes easier and medium and long term efficiency of measures can be assessed in many instances.
The Belgian research using health data has met to discuss the potential and limitations to link health data to other data sources to allow more complete and more complex analyses of health and disease processes. Another extensive data source sits on our smartphone. Collection of steps walked, sleep patterns or heart beats give valuable insights into a person’s own contribution and care about personal health. Although data are frequently incomplete, researchers are used to estimate missing data on the basis of existing or comparable person’s data. The basis for improving health for all are quite promising, data handling and linking them will be a challenge to the competence of all stakeholders and everyone involved in better health. It will be stressful before it becomes a routine. 
Sociolegal Circularity
At times legal systems feel like going round in circles. Legal procedures move from one stage to the next and they may get referred back to the previous instance to resolve a particular issue or restart the procedure. This has good reasons with the aim of “doing justice”. Sociolegal circularity, however, begins before the, right at the beginning and negotiation of legislation on which all legal systems are based in democracies, that is. Hence, the legal definition of waste, recycling as part of the circular economy and society is rather crucial.
Circularity is a complex sociolegal issue as the example of PFAS in plastics demonstrate. In economic theory the existence of externalities invites profit seeking of the kind like: “the sea in large part is owned by us all and there is no price attached to the (ab)use of it. Dumb PFAS into the sea, because the costs of cleaning up will be shared by all of us”. In order to limit the extent of this economic logic, we have to rely on sociolegal processes. The precise definition of property rights and liabilities beyond the PFAS issue have to be well-defined. It is an intergenerational topic as well, not only in view of deferred payments.
Parliaments have to be rather competent to look through all the complex issues of producing and recycling of materials to make sound provisions in law including future generations. Going round in circles in parliament is yet another element of necessary condition of circularity in a rather broad sense.
The air we breathe and the water we drink have become part of this “economic externality”, which is a very internal, inside of our body kind of sociolegal affair. Who is responsible for the bad air we breathe and the contaminated water we drink? Air and water have for a long time become marketable products. The more your local water is polluted, the more we are forced to buy water. The more the air in inner cities is filled with fine dust particles, the more medical doctors, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities we need to construct.
For GDP calculations these are win-win-win situations, although they make us all worse off. Society and politics are in charge to define and redefine (yes, circles again) the legal basis with a lot of precision and scientific detail. Sociolegal circularity is key. You just have to turn it in the right direction.
(Image, Palais de Justice, Brussels view from Forest district).
Cupid at Work
The last 11 entries in this blog focus on conceptual thoughts as a contribution to the history of ideas with an extension to modern concepts. Our societies, management of companies and personal development are conceived under the conceptual framework of these concepts. Take the 1st letter of each term and it reads like “cupid at work“, easy to remember and enumerate.
Take each term as a prism through which you frame your life course, an enterprise or a society. The 3 levels by 11 concepts matrix is a starting point to scan empirical examples for substance.
Complexity, Uncertainty, Plurality, Intersectionality, Dosage.
Woke-ability, Organics, Resilience, Keys,
(Image: Peter van Lint, Jupiter embraces Cupid, 1636, MRBAB 2024) 
On Keys
Keys may open multiple doors. Even a single key can open many locks, if constructed in the appropriate way. The obverse of key is also key, at least in the function of keys to lock doors. Hence the trick of the key is its dialectic function (open/close) of access. We practice the functioning of this binary thinking (1= open, 0= closed) several times a day. Even binary thinking can become very complex in case you consider a bunch of keys or organized as a ring of keys. With a plurality of locations or rooms (home, work, leisure) the uncertainty to have the fitting key to the lock in question at your disposable becomes a bit of a puzzle. Here we are, trial and error enter the stage for most of us. Don’t worry, there are digital tools to solve the problem for you, but then the whole issue of trust comes into play more forcefully. Sharing is not only caring, but also daring. Transponders replace keys and passwords have become the new “passe partout”. This leads to the brave new world of encryption as the keyfactor for security. Encryption is key. Are you already encrypting or still turning keys?
Keys are key to understanding as well. Artists in Berlin-Schöneberg combined the portraits of persons and their bundles of keys next to each other. Keys seem to reveal key personality traits of a person. Life course researchers may investigate the “first ownership” of a key to a room, an apartment or the family home as a factor of independence, even freedom to move. Handing over the keys of a car or your home to a significant other may mark looming restrictions due to health issues.
Anyway, what is your favourite key in music? More a fan of serial music or 12-tone music? 
On Resilience
There are at least 2 definitions of resilience: (1) a material definition points at the “ability to return to an original form or position after being compressed, extended or curved, and (2) a immaterial or psychological definition. The latter one describes the ability to recover, be happy or successful anew having overcome a bad or challenging experience. The American psychological literature defines resilience in the shortest form as “positive adaptation despite adversity”. The psychological construct is linked to a positive life span perspective of personal development. Other areas of application range from “resilient investments”, “resilient industries” to single resilient societies or intergovernmental organizations like the European Union or NATO.
The challenges to resilience increase with complexity of societies and social as well as technical systems. As supply chains have become longer in time and travelling longer distances as well, the improvement of resilience has become a steep challenge for globalization. Reorganizing supply chains with “own sourcing” as in countries which are cut-off from international trade will have huge consequences on sending and receiving countries.
Last, but not least, countries like Ukraine demonstrate the fact and virtue of resilience after more than 1000 days of the massive Russian invasion of its country, which threatened its survival. Resilience works best in networks of organizations and countries. Solidarity is a fundamental building block of resilience as well. Donations and funds support activities that foster resilience. 
On Organics
Organics are the new hype. Organics are everywhere. It is true in organic chemistry, biochemistry or pharmaceutical biochemistry we start from organic compounds as the basis for various forms of classification systems, structures and reaction chains. A search for organics brings you to Organic Farming and to lots of other applications of organic production as well as organic design.
The extended definitions highlight the foundation in biology and chemistry to then include any processes which integrate cyclical reproduction or resources and conservation of biodiversity. Based on the plurality of forms and connectivity of organic compounds this leads to a vast and diversified basis of carbon- and hydrogen-based life on earth. The ensuing complexity (variety of species) has been the basis for mankind to come into being. It is likely to determine also our survival in the long run. Organics is based on open as well as closed forms and therefore has an encompassing nature. Depending on time and space constellations (temporality) evolution has taken one or the other path. We are certainly not at the end of this evolution, although we through the loss of biodiversity we narrow down new potentials in an unprecedented way. Rethinking life on earth from a cell-based perspective of plastics and chloroplasts is a challenge, but it will lead us on towards the “organic turn” in the 21st century. 
On Temporality
Time is passing, or is it? We tend to confound time, with passing of time or an occurrence at a specific point in time. Time has a static use, which refers to a date of birth or date of death. Time refers to durations like the lifetime or time in office of a person or a political leader. In most such cases time is considered as a continuous and linear process. The concept of temporality questions these common perspectives on time to allow additional time perspectives in the description and understanding of time.
Temporality is linked to a more flexible view on the periodization of history. The time before and after the 12 years of Nazi-terror will then be part of the extended periodization of the Nazi-Regime in Germany and Europe. Similarly, temporality widens the perspective on social phenomena by linking historical events to the time before and maybe even to what follows, seen as a consequence of the temporal and spacial co-evolution.
A deviation from the static view of time and a rigid periodization of fascism allows to study the Russian male dominated political authoritarianism as a new wave of fascism in Europe, which negates the right of existence of the state of Ukraine in its neighborhood.
Temporality expresses the need to go beyond a simplel periodization to include a spacial dimension in the defintion of time, much like modern physics does in relativity theory. Temporality, therefore, opens up a “thought space” beyond just the timing of events, which may challenge many of our day-to-day experiences. Cultures with a different understanding of time or the pace of time become a “sound board” for our way of considering and being captured in a time space. Probably many artists are forerunners in playing with time and the way time is “treating” them. Most of them face(d) hardship during their lifetime, but have an extended “after life” in terms of reputation. Some contribute to the perodization in the arts and of their time. They all shape(d) temporality.
(Image: extract from Hans Bol, 1593 Ring Jousing in front of a pond inan imaginary city, MRBAB, Brussels)
On ambiguity
Ambiguity is defines as something which can have more than precisely defined meaning. In legal affairs or other domains this may cause confusion and invites discussions or clarification. It has become even a personality trait and a competence to endure ambiguity. If a manager distributes tasks, ambiguity creates a potential for misunderstanding. However, ambiguity may also leave room for self-organization that people might like or be afraid of. Hence. handling of ambiguity is something of a skill that you are able to operate in less well or even undefined situations or circumstances. In such cases you have make decisions yourself and take responsibility later on for your decision. Creating ambiguity or ambiguous situations is a technique in art as well. To throw into doubt what previously was the received wisdom challenges people and institutions. The ways to handle ambiguity become a challenge to the performance of individuals or institutions. In dialectic thinking you think of something as well as the opposite. The result is an ambiguity which you might want to resolve. Quantum physics created a similar challenge to classical physics as more than one kind of behavior of particles is possible. Ambiguity might be more the rule than the exception despite our continuous efforts to disentangle ambiguity. 
On Dosage
- Dosage is key. We all know it from everyday expériences. Certainly from drinking alcohol we know the tricks that dosage can have on us. Consumption in small doses is fine and enjoyable, but larger amounts cause all sorts of trouble. In pharmacology the effect of dosage is applied with particular virtue. Small doses even of a poison can have beneficial effects. More of rhe same might well kill you. The same rationale applies to other fields as well. Physiological training effects depend a lot on the right amount of training and the timings or intervals between training sessions. In managerial, economic or social applications the question is not only about what is the right remedy, but also how much of it. The interest rate decisions of central bankers are mostly concerned with dosage rather than « whatever it takes ». A minimum wage increase is equally about dosage and we all have additional examples.
Even in art, take painting or music, dose and pose, that is the question. It is quite surprising that such an overarching issue has received rather little attention, comparatively or only among specialists in each field.
It appears strange, but it is possible to have only a little bit of war, as opposed to comprehensive conflict. The applications of dosage are manifold.
Learning about dosage might prevent binge learning at first and binge viewing later on. In the age of tiktok and social media, dosage has become a key competence. (Image Extract of Gustave Courbet Die Welle 1870, Alte Nationalgalerie Berlin).
On Intersectionality
Society deals with individualization or individualism in various forms. One way is to take each social group as a specific singular case. This is reasonable and justified in many instances. There are cases where this form of dealing with specific social groups comes to limits. Following the rationale of plurality and individualism it has become common practice to address each target group in a specific manner. Intersectionality, however, acknowledges the overlapping of target groups, which necessitates a more specialized approach to intersecting (social) phenomena. Gender might not be the single most important factor to describe a person, just as age is a concept of various intersections. Chronological age versus age defined through biomarkers demonstrate the variety and potential for intersectionality. The Paralympics 2024 in Paris gave another positive example of intersectionality as extraordinary persons achieved previously unimaginable world records in specicialized disciplines. Individualization and classification is only a first step in the scientific endeavour, the analysis of intersectionality is an additional step to consider in a broad range of fields beyond the social sciences.
(Image: Exposition Isa Genzken 75/75 in Neue Nationalgalerie 2023) 
On Complexity
The famous quote from Marc Bloch on complexity with reference to history states that history is always more complex than a single perspective or interpretation suggests. Therefore, it is advisable to consider several perspectives on the same subject and, maybe, add another one. In maths the term complexity is probably primarily understood in the sense of complex numbers that go well beyond the arithmetic of counting. Many dimensions of a complex problem might, first of all, necessitate a thick description of the problem to then identify (scientific) disciplines that might contribute to disentangle the intermingled lot. Most of the time it is assumed that a single discipline could resolve the issue, but as in the example from Marc Bloch on complexity in historical research, different perspectives like the cubist art movement practiced a complex approach to painting and depicting a figure. Accept complexity as the rule rather than the exception and here we are in the middle of today. Unfortunately, too many people want to escape from the complexity around us by pretending to have easy answers to complex issues. (Image: Le Penseur by Rodin, background paintings by Monet, Berlin Alte Nationalgalerie, 2024)
Science Fraud
It is a big issue if publications in science in high reputation journals have managed to pass a rather lengthy and thorough peer review process and still contain evidence based on fraudulent data. The worst case scenario that based on this wrong evidence tests of useless drugs are performed on patients in hope of an honest concern for their health. In fact the financial rewards and even academic rewards have been achieved only through the successful publication of a bias introduced into the data and/or analyses of the data. The fraudulent researcher became subsequently Director of the institute of agingwhoch is part of the American National Institute of Health (NIH) and an academic reference in health sciences far beyond the USA. It is the merit of Charles Piller and his team to persist in challenging the treatment recommendations which were concerning Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases. The checks and balances in the academic research have failed and a serious reconsideration of the procedures should follow, not just business as usual. The reputation of scientific research is at stake beyond the natural sciences and medicine, although the normal way of proceeding is just to qualify such events as singularity and specific to a single discipline. Aging is also not just treated by one single discipline. Hence, there is a need to review the review process and publication practices. The Boeing airplane control failures were also indicating that reviews of technology are subject to high risks. Independent checks and control are hard to ensure in advanced subject matters, but sufficient time and resources have to be devoted to the process. (Image Repair Lab Deutsches Technikmuseum DTM2024).
AI Nobel
Artificial Intelligence has made it into the ranks of Nobel prizes in 2024. As AI is been talked about everywhere by now the Nobel Committee has deemed it expedient to award Hopfield and Hinton the Nobel Prize not in informatics, this does not exist (yet), but in physics. Neural networks focus on the links between bits of information rather than just the sheer number of data points mimics the functioning of our brains. The most remarkable statement by Hinton is probably the one of the also dangerous potential of this invention. He has already issued a disclaimer on the potential of AI in warfare or other ways to impinge on our human idea of freedoms. The discovery of the applications, good and bad, of these AI-based systems has just begun. The comparison with Nobel‘s original discovery and mass production of explosives from which the prize draws its name has hardly been more adequate recently. (Image stockholm City Library)
Happy Biology
At first glance happiness from a biological perspective is easy to understand. Its hormones, stupid, that regulates it all. Only problem, there are many of them that interact and, apparently, a lot depends on the right dosis and duration of exposure or deficiency. Oxytocin deficiency seems to be a corollary of anxiety and lack of pro-social behavior, potentially making people less happy – to put it bluntly. There are other complex interactions between hormones not only in the circadian circle of humans like for cortisol, but also related to differential reactions to stress. Genetics and epigenetics are involved as well stress regulation and early exposition to stress during the life course has longer lasting consequences later on. How much stress is good for you? Climbing Mountains induces physical stress, but most people report lasting happiness referring back to such singular events. Hormones seem to play tricks with us as well.
Some time after the novel “Klara and the Sun“, endocrinologists have documented the positive effect of a robot on oxytocin levels in humans. Improvements to mental health and well-being are apparently easy considering that oxytocin is a driver of feeling happy as well. Maybe we should take our depressors and drivers of oxytocin more seriously to be “biologically” happy.
(Image: Extrait Frans Hals 1660, Catharina Hooft and her nurse. Exhibition Gemäldegalerie Berlin 2024) 
Nature Spectrum
When it comes to colors, nature has shown us the way forward for a long time. Before mankind „invented“ bionics, nature had opened up the full spectrum of colors. It took us thousands of years to understand how to recreate the colors of something technically rather simple like the rainbow. The colors continue to impress us independent of our cultural background. More interesting than, maybe the Atomium in Brussels, is the almost daily reproduction of a rainbow in a park in Brussels (park Bois de la Cambre). All it needs is a sunny day, water fountains and the right angle of observation. It is magic, but still simple science. Enjoy.
Wave Length
The links between art and science are manifold and run in both directions. Artists challenge science or the outcomes of science and scientist refer to or maybe inspired by the work of artists. If artists challenge scientists by proposing an alternative theory they become subject to empirical scrunity like the unfortunate fate of the theory of colors of J.W. Goethe. The physics of colors has long been established and the theory of colors and light are best represented in science using wave lengths as the unit of measuring different colors. Hence, in this theory of colors or light the spectrum of colors runs from violet, dark blue, indigo (short wave lengths) passing yellow (medium wave length) to orange and red (longest wave lengths).
The painter Ellsworth Kelly has also challenged the science-based view of colors in “Spectrum IX” from 2014 currently part of the exhibition “Ellsworth Kelly. Formes et couleurs, 1949-2015” at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (extract of image below). As a provocation to the scientifically trained vision Spectrum IX breaks up the running from short to long wave length to take the scientific linear colors of the spectrum and split the spectrum in the middle (yellow) and join the ends upside down. Alternatively, take the spectrum and glue both ends of the color spectrum together to a circle and cut in the middle of yellow to form again a seemingly linear evolution of colors.
Now, let’s meditate in front of this new spectrum of colors and follow your senses. The challenge of the theory of colors is a provocative statement of all those imaginative potentials we exclude through a solely science-based view of colors. Art opens up virtual space and fills it sometimes with abstract reflections on colors. It is raising the question of beauty versus science, beauty in science or beauty through science. (Image: Ellsworth Kelly. Spectrum IX in exhibition Formes et couleurs, 1949-2015″)
Social Science Experiments
In the social sciences experiments are harder to do as there are ethical concerns to offer with random assignments only some access to a treatment or a (supposedly) preferential treatment. Combet (ESR, 2024) conducted an experiment about school major choices in order to learn about gendered school subjects choices. The findings that female students tend to stay away from STEM subjects is reiterated. The question remains why the gender stereotypes are still as strong after the schooling in co-educative settings. The old question whether separate schooling might encourage female students to study more analytical rather than creative disciplines remains an issue. Boys tend to frighten away girls from science related subjects at an early age, maybe just due to excessive affinity to competition. The skill gaps in society later on are to the disadvantage of all. Additionally, lost innovation is the consequence. We know that international competition relies on those persons who combine the analytical as well as creative abilities to come up with new solutions. We dearly need to encourage all talents in society to persist in their occupational choices. (Image Painted ceiling Paris Opera Garnier by Chagall)
Couch Cottage
As vacation time is approaching, we ask ourselves, whether to choose the comfortable couch or the remote cottage. This is the proposition of Roger-Pol Droit in “Le Monde Livres” (“Sagesse 2024: cabane ou canapé“, 28.6.2024 p.36) based on the reading of “Ma cabane sans peine” by Alain Guyard and “Philosophie du Canapé” by Stefano Scrima.
The couch stands for the lazy life or “vita contemplativa“, thinking about philosophical topics that need a certain form of laid back behaviour to allow your brain to sort out tricky questions or to ask yourself, what is, was or will be important questions. Many academics shut themselves away from the busy life outside to reserve more time for couch thinking. The usual products of this activity practised on chairs and couches is more or less digestable books. Some make a comfortable living out of this active inactivity.
The cottage approach follows another longstanding philosophical tradition associated with Dionysos. Living a simple life in a remote place, but full of life’s enjoyment allows to exalt in the dithyrambic atmosphere of the countryside.
Rather than the either, or issue: couch or cottage, I go along with the dialectics of Hegel, who forms out of thesis and antithesis the synthesis. In our example this is obviously equal to “take the couch to the cottage“, problem solved. Additionally Nietzsches version of “Die fröhliche Wissenschaft” seems to prolong the dialectic experience of going beyond the “neither, nor” dichotomy to combine both couch and cottage.
You sensed it. It will be a rather exciting summer break to pursue on the many roads to “Sagesse 2024” (Wisdom 2024). 
Art or Profession
In political science it is a long tradition to discuss, whether politics is an art or a profession. The idealist tradition, going back as far as Plato in ancient Greek history of ideas, puts the exercise of politics near the exercise of a divine art to do justice. Much later in the history of ideas Max Weber rather bluntly defined politics as a profession (original in German) that requires to master a set of competences.
Recent elections in Europe (EU, France, UK, Belgium) and around the globe (India, USA) in 2024 add interesting case studies to the old question. Is politics an art or a profession?
In modern politics the life course or life cycle of a politician consists of at least 2 phases: (1) the electoral campaign before and (2) the potential of governing or opposition. Each phase requires a different set of competences. In phase 1 it is important to propose a new or different ideal from the previous government. Charismatic presentation of an ideal set of policies is asked for. In phase 2 it is required of the politician to forge compromises, either within the own political party or beyond boundaries of political parties. Certainly, in multi-level governance systems like the European Union additional forms of coalition building across countries is required, intercultural competence or language skills are an advantage here.
The 2 phases of the life cycle of a politician require different sets of skills. Charisma as mentioned by Plato and Weber can get a politician into power and charismatic leadership can get you through a lot of coalition building. On the other hand, modern campaigning in repeated elections is a specialized competence that resembles marketing expertise as well as “reading of statistics” and in-depth analyses of shifting or stable preferences of electorates and to succinct conclusions on this basis. Running a political party or a parliamentary group is yet another leadership skill just like communication skills that, beyond many prejudices, can be learned.
In a nutshell. Politics is an art and a profession. The art consists in the variable combination of different sets of competences. Art requires competences just as professions can be turned into art. Welcome to the hybrid world of modern politics. (Image extract from MAD Paris, Picasso, Schiaparelli) 
Nutrition Policy
The evidence on nutrition policies has accumulated a series of policy recommendations based on the best available evidence. The German Institute of Human Nutrition has presented these results repeatedly not only to the scientific community, but also to the interested public at the Science Week or the Long Night of Science. Their leaflet on the tools to improve our human nutrition in market economies highlights “nutrition competence” as a key component of a broad strategy to improve our food and subsequently health. Nutrition goes beyond the biological ingredients of food to include basic understandings of human metabolism including the times and timing of meals. This competence has to be transmitted to preschoolers, pupils as well as adults to stem the waves of obesity (ARTE Docu). Learning how to manage your own nutrition is a crucial competence to strive and survive. In schools it can have substantial impacts on performance and inequality of opportunities as well.
The science-based policy recommendations propose to alter the structure of costs, for example via tax reductions, in favor of healthy food. Plain water should be substantially cheaper than sweet beverages or alcoholic drinks. Nuts and proteins from vegetables fall in the same category as plain water. It is in the longer term interest of all of us that schools, canteens at work places or homes for the elderly offer also healthy nutrition at least as a daily option. More sustainability in food production is last, but not least part of nutrition policies. A lot to chew on to improve nutrition.
Food Future
What do we have for dinner today, tomorrow or in 10 years from today? Research Institutes presented some of their insights based on solid evidence in the open door event in Berlin. The 5 years of the project “food4future” are over and my glance through some of the results suggests that we shall have many more proteins, most from vegetable sources, on our plates. The arguments for improved sustainability are rather compelling. The taste of these products that currently have higher amounts of bitter taste might be solved. Similarly sea food beyond fish like halophyte will enter our diet. The salty taste can be incorporated in meals in which we add salt or other spices anyway. These elements might make it possible to feed the 8 billion people on our planet. We probably also need to include protein rich insects in the meal plans of the still growing human species. It appears like a rather long shot into the future of nutrition, but if we do not think ahead and start the change in our mindsets we shall be badly prepared for the future and more people will decide to seek food in other places of the earth rather than stay hungry. It also helps us to refocus our priorities in nutrition and aim for a better balance of the pleasures of eating and sustainability. The issue of food for future generations starts with food for thought in the abundantly nourished Northern parts of the planet. (Image: AI Copilot, Prompt: 2 couples enjoy eating a meal of halophytes and insects, 2024-6-25) 
Science Transparent
Every year there is only one special big event (Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften) to make science more transparent to the population at large. Mostly hidden behind impressive walls and buildings guarded by porters,
science is not as transparent for the large public as it would like to be. In general people are rather intimidated or feel quickly out of place if scientist start to “explain” in lengthy formats their topics, ideas, questions and intermediate solutions. Even if the distributed open science fair is running only from 5 p.m to midnight, there are lots of things to learn and look into.
The website lists 1500+ sessions, 230 are in English language. You have to be selective or spread your interest over several years. I chose to start with, maybe, the toughest choice the Weierstrass-Institute near the Naturkundemuseum. Several projects of applied mathematics and stochastic processes were exposed and explained in more or less transparent and/or understandable form to the audiences. The talk by Julian Kern “Why chance doesn’t happen by chance” had a nice interactive format with “Kahoot-quizzes” and gave a good introduction, why it is useful to understand, statistics and stochastic processes in fields from biology, physics to social phenomena. The White board replaced already the black board and chalk.
The open doors policy, at least one day per year, raises interests and awareness for topics few people would only think that they existed already. The volume “Mathematics and Society” (Wolfgang König ed. 2016) is something I shall follow up on eventually. There are lots of applications of mathematics to social phenomena (time seen from the perspective of generations for example, image below from talk), which we have a hard time to come to grips with without the aid of mathematicians. 
Cannabis Alcohol
The use of cannabis and/or alcohol is yet another question where we are used to ask questions in the form of: either the or the other? Over generations we have gotten used to no longer ask for each do you or don’t you. With the controlled liberalization or legalization of cannabis in some Western European states the framing of the question is more like you do the one or the other, particularly for many younger persons.
Decriminalization of both drugs in small quantities is apparently reducing crimes link to drug use and drug dealing. On the other hand, the thresholds for doing drugs are lower than they used to be. In inner cities it is therefore no longer a surprise to find both kinds of drugs with addictive potential next to each other (see image below). We know that it is a slippery road from regular drug use to uncontrolled dependency and personal disaster. For cannabis a study published in the Lancet (Petrilli et al. 2022) added the importance of the potency of tetrahydrocannabinol to the estimate of risks. This is similar to the studies that differentiate the level of alcohol in drinks consumed. The higher the concentration, the higher the risks. A simple proportional relationship prevails in both drugs. The cumulative effects of consuming both together might have quite surprising non-linear effects.
The big issue is the risks of mental health related to these drugs. However, the causal direction is not easy to detect. Drugs induce mental health problems, but also mental health issues lead to drug abuse. This remains quite a puzzle for scientists to disentangle.
Additionally, the link to smoking and addiction to nicotine is a frequently observed corollary. Studying just one single source of health problems and addiction might be too restrictive to learn about the whole set of causal effects and casualties. For the time being we seem to jump from one field of attention to the next one ignoring the multiple interrelated factors at hand. 