Nuclear fission and the challenge to civilization – the path from the energy source to a hostage of the war in Ukraine

by Renata Kierepko (IFJ PAN)

Thursday 31 Mar 2022, 11:00 → 13:00 UTC

Nuclear fission is one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century. This reaction opened the door to research by scientists around the world, and in 1942 the first nuclear reactor was successfully tested at the University of Chicago. Three years later, the first world’s nuclear explosion in Alamogordo, New Mexico, changed the course of World War II.

The formidable source of energy and destruction that have come within man's reach required universal agreement about appropriate measures to prevent any unwarranted use of it.

But what is the reality in the 21st century? Are nuclear installations and radioactive sources still safe? What does the war in Ukraine indicate?
 

Nuclear fission and the challenge to civilization RK.pdf