Tag: Nobel Prize

Blog, Picture a Scientist

Chien-Shiung Wu — A Heroic Experimental Physicist

by Xiaomeng Han In the spring of 1912, a baby girl was born to a family in China. It was the family’s tradition that all the boys in the generation have the character “Chien” in their first names, followed by characters from the phrase “Ying-Shiung-Hao-Jie”, which means “heroes”. The parents believed their daughter should be treated equally, so they named her “Chien-Shiung”. They were determined … Continue reading Chien-Shiung Wu — A Heroic Experimental Physicist

2 Comments
Blog

The Chemistry Nobel: Evolving proteins into better medicines and biofuels

It’s that time of year – Nobel Prize season! This year, the Chemistry Nobel prize was awarded to three scientists: one half to Frances Arnold “for the directed evolution of enzymes,” and the other half to George Smith and Sir Gregory Winter “for the phage display of peptides and antibodies.” What exactly are these award-winning technologies and how have they impacted society? ‘Directed evolution of … Continue reading The Chemistry Nobel: Evolving proteins into better medicines and biofuels

2 Comments
Blog

The importance of basic research and the Nobel Prize in Medicine

The importance of basic research has been highlighted this year by Yoshinori Ohsumi receiving the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on the process of autophagy. Autophagy—literally “self-eating”—is a fundamental cellular process that degrades and recycles cellular components. During autophagy, fatty capsules, or vesicles, form around internal components of a cell (autophagosomes), are fused with a lysosome, an acidic cellular compartment that breaks down its … Continue reading The importance of basic research and the Nobel Prize in Medicine

Leave a comment
Activities of 8 place cells recorded while the rat ran back and forth through along the track. Each dot is an action potential, and each color is a different cell. Credit Stuartlayton via Creative Commons 3.0
Blog

The recent Nobel Prize was not about solving Alzheimer's disease

(A response to ‘Alzheimer’s Disease Discovery Leads To Nobel Prize‘ and other similar articles) Activities of 8 place cells recorded while the rat ran back and forth through along the track. Each dot is an action potential, and each color is a different cell. Credit Stuartlayton via Creative Commons 3.0 Last week, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for the discovery of … Continue reading The recent Nobel Prize was not about solving Alzheimer's disease

Leave a comment