Heszky László
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06
10
16
Előadó
Sztálin 1953 márciusi halála után a Kreml új vezetőinek és vazallusaiknak a birodalom határain az államszocializmus megerősítésére kellett energiáikat összpontosítani. A diktátor ugyanis politikai és gazdasági csődtömeget hagyott maga után. A népek, nemzetek és társadalmi rétegek elleni megtorlás politikája, az erőszakos nagyhatalmi expanzió a Szovjetunión belül és kívül is felkelésekhez vezetett. A diktatúra falán az 1956-os magyar forradalom ütötte a legnagyobb rést. Történelmi léptékkel mérve fél évszázad nem nagy idő, az 50-es évek Európája azonban megannyi olyan eseménnyel, lépéssel és ellenlépéssel volt teli, amit most, 50 év távlatából lehet - történész szemmel - kutatni és értelmezni.
After Stalin's death in 1953 the new leaders in the Kremlin and their retainers had to focus on strengthening state socialism on the peripheries of the empire, for the dictator left the country in a disastrous situation both in political and economic terms. The political attitude of suppressing peoples, nations and social classes combined with the forceful expansion of the empire resulted in revolts both in and outside the Soviet Union. The largest gap in the wall of the dictatorship was made by the Hungarian Uprising in 1956. In the course of the fierce struggle for power, in order to save both the empire and their own positions, the members of the "collective leadership" came up with a wide range of reforms regarding domestic and foreign policies. Khrushchev's secret speech at the 20th Congress of the Soviet Communist Party was an example of these efforts. The threat of a nuclear confrontation seemed to decrease, the Kremlin gave its consent to end the wars in Korea and Vietnam, withdrew its troops from many locations and made an attempt to merge Yugoslavia into the community of "people's democracies". However, in the mid-'50s they increased control as well. The new leaders created the Warsaw Pact, and in the spring of 1956 Soviet tanks in the streets of Budapest sent to the people of the empire the message that enough was enough. State socialism and reforms proved completely incompatible.
A 20. század végére az emberiség képessé vált az élet információját hordozó molekula, a DNS módosítására. Napjainkban a géntechnológia eszköztára lehetővé teszi, hogy a növények működését vezérlő genetikai programot megváltoztassuk a termelő és a fogyasztó igényeinek megfelelően. Az előadás bemutatja az érdekesebb géntechnológiai módosításokat (pl. érésben gátolt alma, kék rózsa), hangsúlyozva, hogy minden egyes módosítást külön kell megvizsgálni az összes rizikótényező szempontjából.
Over the past 100 years, 40 scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements that have contributed towards unravelling the secret of life. By the end of the 20th century, humankind had learnt how to modify the molecule that carries the blueprint for life: DNA. The techniques of gene technology make it possible to change, according to human demands, the genetic program that controls the way a plant functions. The area of productive agricultural land sown with genetically modified (GM) plant varieties has increased at an unprecedented rate over the past 12 years. GM plant varieties and food products have been rejected by the public in certain countries around the world. This is mainly due to an instinctive fear of the unknown, as well as the various risk factors associated with the production and distribution of transgenic plants. This lecture will discuss some of the most interesting genetic modifications (for example, to inhibit ripening in apples, or to create blue roses, golden rice, or vaccine-producing tomatoes), while at the same time emphasising that each modification must be examined separately with regard to all possible risk factors. Finally, there will be a discussion of the insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant GM corn hybrids that are about to be introduced in Hungary, during which the questions surrounding this subject, which remain open, will be reviewed.
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11
06
Előadó
Abszolútak-e a matematika igazságai? Ha igen, akkor mi dolga van még a matematikának? A matematikus mennyiben elméletalkotó és mennyiben problémamegoldó? Megismerkedünk az ókori matematika nevezetes problémáival és e problémák megoldóival. A matematika ma is számos nyitott problémával áll szemben, ilyen a Clay Matematikai Intézet által közzétett hét "Millenniumi Probléma". Pillantást vetünk az Első Számú Matematikai Problémára: a Riemann-sejtésre. De vajon minden matematikai probléma megoldható? Szembenézünk az eldönthetetlen problémák létezésével és e tény következményeivel.
Is there such a thing as absolute truth? Are mathematical truths absolute? If yes, what tasks remain in which mathematics can play a part? What exactly do mathematicians do? To what extent is the science of mathematics one of theory creation, and to what extent one of problem solving? This lecture will search for answers to these and related questions. We will hear about the prominent problems bequeathed us by antiquity - such as angle trisection, the duplication of the cube, or the squaring of the circle - and also learn about the individuals who solved these riddles: Carl Friedrich Gauss and Ferdinand Lindemann. To this day, there are many problems still awaiting an answer, many of which would bring considerable financial reward to the mathematicians who solve them. For instance, the Clay Mathematics Institute has published seven questions that it has named the 'Millennium Prize Problems'. The first person to find a solution to each problem will receive a prize of US$1,000,000! The lecture will also touch upon the Number One unsolved problem in mathematics: the Riemann hypothesis. There will also be a discussion of the possibility that some problems might never be solved. Is there really an answer to every mathematical riddle? If not, what could this mean for us?