"Talent Awards" presented to Hungarian scientists

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) and the Central-European Talent Search Foundation (CETA) has presented the "Central European Talent Awards" for the fifth time. This year, the awards were received by chemist Róbert E. Gyurcsányi, brain researcher Dr. István Katona and archeologist Péter Langó for their outstanding scientific work that benefits science and society and stands unique in the world. The €20,000 awards are given annually to three young scientists, experts or researchers from the Central European region who present the most promising scientific idea or program.

35-year-old Gyurcsányi won the award with his study on the development of chemical and biosensors. These instruments are increasingly important in today's information societies that rely on information gained from the environment. They need to be more accurate, faster, cheaper and capable of operating outside and inside a human body. Gyurcsányi's research made new perception methods known and helped the development of instruments that can be used for diagnositc purposes.

33-year-old Katona examined a mechanism in the human brain called endocannabinoid system which participates in controlling the human body with a marijuana-like substance. This system is responsible for damping the effects of overreacting neurocells. Learning more about this system, which affects several funtions in our bodies, helps answer questions about drug addicition, treatment of epilepsy and pain relievement.

35-year-old Langó points out in his study that many foreign interpretations of the Hungarian homeland conquer (honfoglalás) differ from the Hungarian viewpoint, even today when Hungarian lawmakers and economics experts have been co-operating with the European Union for several years. He believes the reason for this is that research of the Hungarian homeland conquer was regarded by foreign and Hungarian experts as an "internal affair" of Hungary, so this area was missing from international archeology research. Langó's study written in English and thus available to foreign researchers examines how Hungarian acheology was affected by different ideologies, how the dates of origin of 10th and 11th-century findings can be determined, and how findings regarded to be of early origin can be interpreted.

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