#nobel-prize

#nobel-prize

John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for research into quantum mechanical tunneling. Clarke conducted his research at the University of California, Berkeley; Martinis at the University of California, Santa Barbara; and Devoret at Yale and also at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "To put it mildly, it was the surprise of my life," Clarke told reporters at the announcement by phone after being told of his win.

Fred Ramsdell shared Monday's prestigious prize with Mary Brunkow of Seattle, Washington and Shimon Sakaguchi of Osaka University in Japan for their discoveries related to the functioning of the immune system. But the laureate's digital detox means the Nobel committee has been unable to reach him and break the news. Jeffrey Bluestone, a friend of Ramsdell's and co-founder of the lab, said the researcher deserves credit but he can't reach him, either.

The Nobel prizes are the most iconic awards in science - but are they the best? In recent years, a flurry of other prizes have emerged as rivals, filling subject area gaps left by the Nobels, such as technology and climate science, or offering a bigger financial reward. These alternatives are gaining traction, "but for now, a Nobel prize is just so far ahead of the others", says planetary scientist Sara Seager, who won the 2024 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics. And no prize totally makes up for the Nobels' flaws - many still award individuals, not teams, and women are underrepresented among winners.

The Nobel prizes are the most famous awards in science - and for many, the ultimate badge of research excellence and achievement. But in the past few years, a flurry of other prizes have popped up - in some cases to fill gaps in the subject areas covered by the Nobels, and in others, to offer a bigger financial reward. With the Nobel prizes set to be announced next week, how do these prizes compare with one another?

The charge coupled device (CCD) was invented by George E. Smith and Willard Boyle during a brainstorming session at Bell Labs in October 1969, stemming from their goal to design a memory device.

As head of Google DeepMind, the tech giant's artificial intelligence arm, he's driving, if not necessarily steering, what promises to be the most significant technological revolution of our lifetimes.

Pedro Cuatrecasas was an influential biochemist who contributed to the development of approximately 40 drugs including acyclovir for herpes and atorvastatin for cholesterol management.

This book showcases Bob Dylan's mastery of telling stories, creating moods and provoking feelings. The images are deeply evocative, at once innocent and world-weary.

Jennifer Doudna, who won the Nobel Prize in 2020 for her groundbreaking work in gene-editing, continues to be recognized, now with a supercomputer named after her at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

"Ngugi explored the troubled legacy of colonialism through essays, plays and novels including Weep Not, Child... He had been a favourite for the Nobel prize in literature for years."

Basic research conducted by America's universities is pivotal in fostering an entrepreneurial culture, evidenced by collaborations between academia and notable venture capitalists in technology and medicine.

Trump's rhetoric of incessant winning creates a delusional perception of reality, where he believes he can triumph in every situation, regardless of the actual outcomes.

Mario Vargas Llosa, living in luxury thanks to Isabel Preysler, reflects a complex blend of literary achievement and personal scandal, illustrating his significance in contemporary literature.