MAKING CONNECTIONS
Adaptable memory
A clean sweep
Communication between the brain and body would be unthinkable without special nerve cells. Neurons transmit sensory information and motor control orders in the form of electrical impulses. These neurons work together in neural networks with each thought. The networks are constantly adapting – old connections are capped, new ones created and frequently used transmissions are structurally refined. This means we can always learn something new, while valuable knowledge is preserved.
Herd mentality
A seductive force
Two cafés, close together. One is virtually empty, the other is packed full. This is herd mentality. People tend to mimic the behavior of those around them. Even three-year-olds can differentiate between majority and minority, and want to follow the majority. This sociopsychological phenomenon can be observed in many situations – including on the stock exchange. But the principle of “if one person buys, more will buy” is not always a good one. Private investors in particular often buy and sell at an unfavorable time – because they’re following the herd.
Die Brücke
A short period with a big impact
Bright colors and radically reduced forms are the hallmarks of the artist group Die Brücke. Founded in 1905 in Dresden by the students Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Fritz Bleyl, the group broke with traditional teaching and discovered new forms of expression. Emil Nolde and Max Pechstein also joined the group later. Following a disagreement, the group disbanded in 1913, but the individual artists continued to create expressionist art. Their artistic style went on to influence generations of artists.
Constellations
Looking up
They’re not exactly in the neighborhood – the nearest star is no less than 40 billion kilometers from Earth. That’s why we need big telescopes to survey the stars. Astronomy fans are often fascinated by constellations. Put simply, constellations are images that connect prominent stars. Or to put it another way, constellations are the countries on the map of the sky. In total, 88 constellations can be seen from Earth. The most well known are Ursa Major and Orion.
Social networks
Digitally connected
Number of people worldwide with social media accounts in 2023:
4,62 billion
Sources: Statista, blog2social.com
Die fünf weltweit größten Social Networks (nach Nutzerzahl) im Jahr 2023
Rail way history
On track
1825 saw the start of a new era in the history of the railway. This was the first time that a locomotive with wagons transported people and not just goods. This created new opportunities for people to exchange information. A revolution in mobility. No wonder that the spectacle drew a few thousand interested people along the roughly 40-kilometer route from Stockton to Darlington in the north of England.
Mathematically speaking
Interdependency
How about a little math? To express a network mathematically, you use terms such as directed graphs, edges, nodes, meshes and in the end you have a fairly complicated formula
N=G+K+s+t+u:E –> R+e
And everything is connected through interdependencies that influence part or all of the network.
