Weekly Snack



Weekly ZEISS Snack #22
Click here to read the Dr. Sarah Bertone’s story: The ISS crew instructor who trains astronauts like Alexander Gerst before their mission.


Weekly ZEISS Snack #21

Stories from Around the World

Africa / Burkina Faso
Students Shaping Their Own Future
Burkina Faso, located in West Africa, is one of the world's poorest countries. Almost two-thirds of the population is illiterate. For many years, the Stern Stewart Institute has been promoting economic independence in the region through different projects. A key aspect of this strategy is increasing the number of educational opportunities.
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Africa / Tansania
Looking Ahead
Not only do children suffering from albinism have to protect their skin from the sun, their eyes are also sensitive to the light and suffer from visual impairments. That's what prompted European experts to support a home in Tanzania where they could examine the albino kids. They took with them 166 pairs of glasses equipped with special filters - and the hope of helping the kids become more independent.
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Asia / India
A Journey to the Hills
The Aloka Vision Programme provides people in unserved rural areas of India with eye and vision care. In 2018, "eye camps" were set up in the Indian Himalayan Region - and the local inhabitants graciously accepted the assistance.
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Asia / India
Close to the Micrometer
Thanks to emissions scandals and Dieselgate there’s a very critical view on manufacturers and their work worldwide. There cannot be more mistakes and fraud. Not in the smallest car component. Which is the daily business of Sansera. With their Quality Assurance Department they can meet the high and rising standards.
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Asia / China
Cloudy Skies, Clear Vision
Thanks to emissions scandals and Dieselgate there’s a very critical view on manufacturers and their work worldwide. There cannot be more mistakes and fraud. Not in the smallest car component. Which is the daily business of Sansera. With their Quality Assurance Department they can meet the high and rising standards.
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Asia / China
Discussions without Limitations are Vital
Hexin Wang has been working for ZEISS for over 20 years. "ZEISS can use its German roots to its advantage in China, and draw on its connections in both countries," says Wang. However, that doesn't mean that the employees in Germany can't get a few tips from their friends over in China.
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Asia / Taiwan
Grasping the World from Above
Renowned for his aerial recordings, Chi Po-Lin shared his view on the importance of clarity in his work. Learn more how he left his mark on this planet.
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Asia / Lebanon
How Do You Visualize Infinity
Playing with the visual contrast between a close up and landscapes to explore the theme of infinity. What is the result?
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Asia / Nepal
It's All about Sustainability
For the past 15 years, the physicist Steffen Lang has been volunteering with the Govinda Entwicklungshilfe e.V. This German NGO raises funds and supports development work in Nepal. Lang sees sustainability as a top priority. His own commitment to these "clients" in Asia is just as important good planning. For him, it all started with 10 microscopes from ZEISS.
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Asia / Thailand
Rooting for the Protection of our Planet
Unspoiled nature and vast forests in Thailand are endangered by deforestation activities. This puts the nation's unique flora and fauna at risk. Theeraphong Boonrodchu was part of a one-day reforestation program that engaged in preserving and restoring the country's wildlife.
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Asia / China
What a rice plant can tell us
In China, rice is an important part of the past, present and future. Already thousands of years ago, the Chinese were growing rice plantations and the plant is strongly rooted in the country's tradition. Due to a growing population and the high demand, the yield of rice must continuously be increased while ensuring high quality standards. The search for rice for the future is goal of the research.
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Australia / Australia
Clear Vision for Everybody
Up to 2.5bn people in the world have no access to an optometrist or optician, so many hundreds of millions have no chance for a vision test or to get glasses for visual correction.
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Europe / Austria
Unveiling the Stories of Historic Treasures
How can one distinguish an authentic dress of Empress Elisabeth from an imitation? How can be ensured that future generations are still able to admire ancient carriages in all their glory? At the Imperial Carriage Museum in Vienna, conservators dedicate their time to collecting and preserving historic pieces and make visitors feel they are stepping back in time.
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Europe / Germany
A Cool Head and a Keen Eye
Gerald Hoenig, coach of the German women's biathlon team, talked to us at this year's Biathlon World Cup in Oberhof about his work.
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Europe / Germany
A Man who Adores Stars
Just shy of its 30th birthday celebrations, the aging dome theater in Berlin had to be completely renovated and its content revised from the ground up. Tim Florian Horn has been managing one of Europe's most modern science theaters in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district.
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Europe / Germany
A Master of Precision and a Peak Like No Other
Professional climber Stefan Glowacz is passionate about scaling every summit. He knows his way around the most extreme climbing terrain. One challenge however continues to defy him.
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Europe / Germany
An Invention That Can Prolong Life
Removing a maximum amount of diseased tissue and, at the same time, not harming healthy tissue: fluorescence technology can help neurosurgeons walk this fine line during surgery on a brain tumor.
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Europe / Germany
Going Where No Man Has Gone Before
Professors Heinz-Wilhelm Hübers and Herbert Jahn are two of the scientists who have shaped, and continue to shape, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to this day. The following is based on a discussion that took place in Berlin about taking measurements and photographs in outer space, as well as a passion for development and the significance of the first Moon landing on 21 July 1969.
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Europe / Germany
The Language of Beer
Scientists at the Institute for Brewing and Beverage Technology at the Technical University of Munich are working on how to perfect the enjoyment of beer. By utilizing ZEISS microscopes and the latest brewing technology, they are bringing innovative research to a discipline with a long-standing tradition.
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Europe / Belgium
Racing on the Limit
Driving on tarmac, mastering hairpin turns, rallying in ice or sunshine – difficulties are Thierry Neuville's daily business. Watch the video how the professional Rally Driver faces odd challenges.
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Europe / Great Britain
The Birth Hour of Artificial Insemination
Not everyone can have a child. The number of couples whose wish for child remains unfulfilled is higher than one might expect. New technologies, created for artificial insemination, can achieve the impossible.
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Europe / Iceland
High-Tech for a Self-Determined Life
In the world’s northernmost capital, 400 dedicated people work to give new hope to people with physical handicaps all over the world. One of them is Lukas Kalemba.
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Europe / Netherlands
The World's Tiniest Flowers
Miniscule, delicate and blossoming nanostructures: these colorized SEM images show how microscopic flowers unfurl as a result of a chemical reaction - and they can only be observed under a scanning electron microscope.
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North America / USA
Fishing for the Perfect Cine Optics
Oscar-winning movies demand high-performance cine lenses. There’s a special job for cleaning these lenses – and it’s done by the “anglers”. A peek behind the scenes reveals the special features of the lenses used to create great movies.
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North America / USA
Imagine an African American John Wayne
American photographer Rory Doyle has been documenting the life of African American cowboys and cowgirls in the Mississippi delta since 2017. With his series "Delta Hill Riders" he won this year's ZEISS Photography Award themed "Seeing Beyond - The Unexpected".
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North America / USA
One Moment Can Change Everything
Heather Knies has experienced two dangerous brain tumors and is now the mother of a little daughter. Her story shows the excellent work performed by brain surgeons and how medical technology can help to achieve optimal treatment outcomes.
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North America / USA
Straight to the Limit
A race car engine can be a real monster. Especially the NASCAR ones, which are designed to be more powerful, efficient and tuned than any “normal” car engine. Typically this means more robust, lightweight components to rotate and less rotating and reciprocating friction. Also important for achieving optimization is that parts are more accurate and have tighter tolerances.
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North Amercia / USA
The First Lady of Optics
You may not know Estelle Glancy but her innovations laid the foundation in vision correction for millions.
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North America / USA
The Fundamental Question Is How Information Turns into Wiring
Neuroscientists around the world race towards their ultimate goal: a three-dimensional map of the brain. Harvard-Professor Jeff Lichtman is not just one of them, but a godfather of connectomics. An interview with someone who dedicated his life to a piece of cortex, a cube just one millimeter on a side.
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North America / USA
The Secrets behind Moon Rock
On 21 July 2019, it will have been exactly 50 years since the first moon landing. This "giant leap for mankind" thrust space travel into the public consciousness. Astronauts from Apollo 11 and other missions collected minerals and rocks from the Moon that enabled new scientific findings.
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South America / Brazil
Hope in Sight
Modern customized medical technology combined with Brazil’s health care program are bringing telemedicine to everyone, allowing them to receive the eye care they need. Watch our exclusive video with Dr. Aline de Araujo as she explains who can benefit from telemedicine in the very south of Brazil.
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South America / Brazil
Saving Sight in the Amazonas
Cataracts is one of the disorders of the eye that can ultimately lead to blindness. Read here how ZEISS is using its diagnostic techniques to help save people's sight in the Amazonas basin.
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Worldwide / Ocean
Investigating New Worlds
Discover what Joachim and Kirsten Jakobsen experience at a depth of 1,000 meters.
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Worldwide / Space
„We’re All Humans up There!“
The journey to the Moon was the first big milestone in space travel beyond Earth. The Apollo 11 mission impressed the world, and it got many men and women interested in becoming astronauts. German astronaut Reinhold Ewald and American space shuttle pilot Kent Rominger talked to us about a career that's actually more of a calling.
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Oceania / Papua New Guinea
Shipping Hope to Papua New Guinea
Kim Nguyen has volunteered twice on the Medical Ship that supports Papua New Guinea in terms of health care. Her work with the charity "Youth With A Mission - Medical Ships Australia" (YWAM) has been a memorable experience for her.
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