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The Nobel Prize is not an exact science
Winners are only human. The committee could do more to highlight that
Weekend Reading on Women's Representation: Arizona Congress Candidate Speaks Out About Her Rape, 'It’s OK to Talk About It’: Will Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President?
Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world—with a little gardening and goodwill mixed in for refreshment! —Friday, Oct. 9, marked 115 years since the men of California went to the polls to decide whether the women they lived alongside would be permitted to join them there. —Bernadette Greene-Placentia, the Democratic nominee in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District with a real chance to upset her opponent, was reportedly raped while fixing one of her yard signs. "She chose to share her story because she knows many survivors struggle in silence, and she hopes that by speaking about her experience, others will know they are not alone," said a campaign spokesperson. —Pew Charitable Trust reports that 37 percent of Americans now believe a woman will not be elected president in their lifetime. I urge women like AOC to seriously consider a presidential bid in 2028. —The poet, essayist and translator Anne Carson was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature for her genre-defying work. Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded 122 times to 104 men and just 18 women. ... and more.
Nobel Prize for “Asymmetric Synthesis”
Every year, the first week in October, I eagerly await the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. If Louis Pasteur were alive today, he would be thrilled with the 2026 honour being bestowed on
Here’s a look at the Nobel Prizes for science
An icy window into the cosmos, a light switch for the brain and solving the mystery of mirror image molecules all took home the top prize.
Canadian poet and essayist Anne Carson wins Nobel Prize in literature
Anne Carson, a Canadian poet and essayist, has won the Nobel Prize in literature. The Swedish Academy recognized her for her bold and inventive work that engages with classical traditions
Canadian poet and essayist Anne Carson wins Nobel Prize in literature
Anne Carson, a Canadian poet and essayist, has won the Nobel Prize in literature. The Swedish Academy recognized her for her bold and inventive work that engages with classical traditions
Nobel Prize in literature to be awarded in Stockholm
The Nobel Prize in literature will be awarded by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm | 104.1 FM KMOX
Scientists win chemistry Nobel for discoveries about mirrored molecules that led to many drugs
Scientists Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for untangling mysterious mirror images in molecules, a discovery that has been used to develop countless drugs.
Nobel Prize winner was a Carolina postdoc - College of Arts and Sciences
Kenso Soai, who received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for solving a century-old chemical mystery, conducted research in the chemistry department in the College of Arts and Sciences.
This is what the 2026 Nobel prize for chemistry is all about
The Nobel prize in chemistry 2026 has been awarded to two scientists, Henri B Kagan at Paris-Sud University in France and Kensō Soai at Tokyo University of Science in Japan. Their discoveries showed how chemical reactions can produce an overwhelming excess of one of two mirror image forms of a molecule. Science journalist Linda Geddes tells Madeleine Finlay how this has become an important tool in drug development, allowing a greater understanding of how medicines work in the body
Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai win Nobel Prize in chemistry
Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.
Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for unraveling mystery of asymmetric chemistry
The 2026 Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for groundbreaking work in the field of asymmetric chemistry – unraveling the mystery of how molecules exist in non-identical mirror images of each other.
Nobel Prize in chemistry jointly awarded to France's Henri Kagan, Japan's Kenso Soai
Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry "for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis," the Royal Swedish Academy of…
Nobel Prize in chemistry set to be awarded in Stockholm
Last year, three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their development of new molecular structures that can trap vast quantities of gas inside.
Nobel Prize in chemistry set to be awarded in Stockholm
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences will award the Nobel Prize in chemistry.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Set to Be Awarded in Stockholm
STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences will award the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday in Stockholm. Last year, three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their development of new molecular structures that can trap vast quantities of gas inside, laying the groundwork to ...
Sleep, appetite, gene-editing experts contend for Nobel chemistry prize
Molecules that regulate sleep and appetite or methods for editing genes are some of the research fields commentators say could be contenders for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry announced Wednesday.This y...
Nobel Prize in physics to be awarded in Stockholm
The Nobel Prize in physics will be announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
Nobel Prize in Physics to Be Awarded in Stockholm
STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Nobel Prize in physics will be announced Tuesday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Last year, three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics for research on the strange behavior of subatomic particles called quantum tunneling that enabled the ...
Nobel Prize in Physics 2026
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 was awarded to Francis Halzen “for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.”
Nobel medicine prize goes to 3 scientists for research into brain activity
The Nobel Prize in medicine has been awarded to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works
Science highlights six landmark DNA and Human Genome Project breakthroughs that missed the Nobel Prize
From Avery’s genetic material discovery to the Human Genome Project’s 3 billion base pairs, major life-science advances faced Nobel limits on co-authorship and timing
Science Highlights Six Overlooked Pioneers Who Missed the Nobel Prize in Medicine
The international journal Science has spotlighted six groundbreaking achievements in the life sciences that never received Nobel Prize recognition.…
Stanford Professor One Of Three Scientists Awarded The Nobel Prize In Medicine
Stanford professor Karl Deisseroth joins Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel as winners of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on optogenetics.
Nobel medicine prize goes to 3 scientists for research into brain activity
The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to three scientists working on the mechanisms the brain uses to switch on, or off, the activity of individual nerve cells.
Nobel medicine prize goes to 3 scientists for research into brain activity
The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to three scientists working on the mechanisms the brain uses to switch on, or off, the activity of individual nerve cells.
Nobel Prize in medicine jointly awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel
The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their research into light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. The prize money this year is 12 million…
The Nobel Prize week is kicking off in Stockholm with the medicine award
This year’s Nobel Prizes kick off with the awarding of the medicine prize at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
The Nobel Prize Week Is Kicking off in Stockholm With the Medicine Award
STOCKHOLM (AP) — This year's Nobel Prizes will kick off on Monday with the awarding of the medicine prize at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Last year, three scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries about how the immune system knows to attack germs and not our own bodies.
Nobel week kicks off with medicine prize
Nobel Prize week gets under way on Monday with the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine at 11:30 am (0930 GMT) in Stockholm. This week will also see the announcement of the Nobel ...
Open AI and the million dollar maths problem
In early September, OpenAI announced it had solved a major mathematics problem that has stumped humans for nearly a century. The news left mathematicians reeling, and many expressed concern over what will be left for humans as AI becomes ever more adept at unravelling complex problems. Now 25 recipients of the Fields medal – often called the Nobel prize for maths – have signed an open letter expressing their fears of a ‘severe misalignment’ between AI companies and their field. To find out how AI is likely to upend maths – and how mathematicians might respond – Ian Sample speaks to Colva Roney-Dougal, professor of pure mathematics at the University of St Andrews
The Science Prizes That Make You Laugh, Then Think
Every September, a few weeks before the Nobel Prizes are announced, another set of science awards takes a much less serious approach. They are called the Ig Nobel Prizes, and their goal is simple: honor research that first makes people laugh, then makes them think. The science is real. So are the questions. According to
Susumu Tonegawa Dies at 86; Nobel Laureate Showed How Antibodies Fight Infection
The first Japanese scientist to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, he went on to discover how memories are stored, advancing understanding of how the brain works.
‘Lots of people don’t want to do it’: Paul Nurse on his controversial second term as Royal Society president
The Nobel prize winner discusses claims of a ‘boys’ club’, Elon Musk’s fellowship and rightwing attacks on science
Science history: Marie Curie discovers a strange radioactive substance that would eventually kill her
Scientists in Paris discovered two new substances with incredible radioactivity. It earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics but would ultimately kill one of them.
AlphaFold Changed Science. After 5 Years, It’s Still Evolving
WIRED spoke with DeepMind’s Pushmeet Kohli about the recent past—and promising future—of the Nobel Prize-winning research project that changed biology and chemistry forever.
AlphaFold Changed Science. After 5 Years, It’s Still Evolving
WIRED spoke with DeepMind’s Pushmeet Kohli about the recent past—and promising future—of the Nobel Prize-winning research project that changed biology and chemistry forever.
The disunity of science is a feature, not a bug
Mathematical models wield miraculous power, but mistaking them for reality has trapped science in a destructive quest for a “Theory of Everything.” Physicist and philosopher Ragner Fjelland argues that this leads to bloated, Frankenstein theories kept alive by clumsy, ad-hoc amendments, which reduce rather than boost science’s power. Fjelland calls for a radical shift in our attitude: we must reorientate towards creating entirely new theories, celebrating rather than lamenting disunity and diversity in science. Science, from the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century to the present day, has more or less developed in a “reductionist” way. The fundamental assumption is that all sciences may be ordered in a hierarchy that can be represented as an upside-down pyramid. At the top we find the human sciences, and at the bottom physics. Strong (or “ontological”) reductionism maintains that all theories at one level can be completely reduced to the lower level, all the way down to theories of atoms and elementary particles, or whatever is “at the bottom.” In the end, all diversity in the world can be unified in one fundamental theory. Hence it is called a final theory, or a Theory of Everything.One of the central figures in developing the idea of a Theory of Everything is the Dutch theoretical physicist Gerard 't Hooft, who received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1999 for his work. He emphasizes the non-empirical status of the theory:There exists no closely resembling alternative theory. This means that any slight change brought about in the rules would make the theory unlikely or inelegant. The theory will be a "package deal": take it, or leave it. This should hold both for the local laws and for the boundary conditions.This endeavor is not new. On the contrary, it goes all the way back to the birth of Western philosophy 2,500 years ago. The Babylonians made regular astronomical observations during a period of 600 years, from 747 BCE until 150 ACE. They developed mathematical techniques to predict astronomical phenomena, but they made no attempts at explaining them. However, the Greeks developed models, both material and theoretical, to explain the observed phenomena.The best example is Plato’s late dialogue Timaeus. Here he introduces a divine craftsman, the Demiurge, who has constructed the universe according to an original plan. Plato seems to have thought that the original plan is what is actually real, while the material world is merely an imperfect realization of it. He therefore does not, in the Timaeus, reconstruct the material universe, but the original plan, which can then be used to explain the material universe.Plato’s aim in producing a theoretical model is to reconstruct the original plan. That is what he carries out in Timaeus—and some modern physicists have embarked on the same project. For example, Einstein’s basic attitude is reflected in the title of Abraham Pais’ biography: “Subtle is the Lord...,” echoing Einstein’s comment, “Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not.” In an interview Einstein compared our situation to a child who enters a huge library. The child knows that someone has written the books, but he does not know the languages in which they are written. He suspects that there is a mysterious order, but he does not know what it is.___“We have all been working in what Husserl called the Galilean style; that is, we have all been making abstract mathematical models of the universe to which at least the physicists give a higher degree of reality than they accord the ordinary world of sensation.”Steven Weinberg, Nobel Prize in Physics (1979)___This Platonist view is contrary to a widespread impression of science, symbolized by the picture of the “father” of modern science, Galileo Galilei, with his telescope. According to this impression, Galileo liberated himself from the dominating metaphysics of his day—basically Aristotelian philosophy—and constructed a telescope that he directed towards the sky, showing that Jupiter has four moons. He also performed experiments with bronze balls rolling down inclined planes and found the law of freely falling bodies.However, in other cases Galileo emphasized the unreliability of our senses. It is easy to see why. He defended Copernicus’ heliocentric hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, we are not at rest at the center of the universe, but moving at a tremendous speed through space. Why don’t we observe this motion? Galileo praises Copernicus because “with reason as his guide he resolutely continued to affirm what sensible experience seemed to contradict.” In other places he directly refers to Plato. SUGGESTED VIEWING The quest for a final theory With Michio Kaku Galileo’s Platonism goes back to his early writings. In The Assayer, published as early as 1623, Galileo compared the universe to a grand book that is written in the language of mathematics, and “its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it.” Therefore, things that cannot be described by mathematics—for example, colors, smells and odors—are not real. They are merely subjective.This division into subjective and objective, advocated by Galileo and his younger contemporary René Descartes, is normally associated with a mechanistic world view, which is regarded as the opposite of Platonism. When we reduce something to, for example, molecules and atoms, we move “downwards.” In contrast, the Platonist moves “upwards,” to abstract entities. However, it only shows that when we address fundamental questions, we should be careful in applying everyday spatial metaphors like “up” and “down.”___Nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world.___The endeavor of finding a Theory of Everything has been heavily criticized. In 2006, the theoretical physicist Lee Smolin published “The Crisis in Fundamental Physics.” He argued that one of the most fundamental principles of science is that we should only regard theories as scientific if we have the possibility to show that they are false by experiments. Although he did not refer to Karl Popper, other critics have referred to Popper and argued that a theory is not scientific if it cannot be falsified (see for example Ellis & Silk 2014).These were not the first physicists to be anti-reductionists. In 1972, the journal Science published an article by the physicist Philip Anderson with the title “More Is Different.” This is the kind of article a scientist would normally write only after he has won a Nobel Prize. However, Anderson won the Nobel Prize for physics five years later, in 1977. The article is amazing, not primarily because it argues in favor of anti-reductionism in general, but because it argues for anti-reductionism within physics itself. Anderson’s conclusion was:At each stage entirely new laws, concepts, and generalizations are necessary, requiring inspiration and creativity to just as great a degree as in the previous one. Psychology is not applied biology, nor is biology applied chemistry.We may say that Plato started the “unity of science movement,” based on Euclidean geometry as the model of all knowledge. A distinguishing mark of geometry is that all possible constructions can be reduced to a few fundamental principles. We have to acknowledge that this approach has limitations. In general, we can easily model technological systems. In addition, we may construct simplified and idealized models that capture important aspects of systems, from various perspectives and for various purposes. But nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world. In a complex system, each level has its distinct, emergent, properties that are characteristic of this level. Therefore, a complex system should be investigated at different levels and from different perspectives. Instead of exclusively pursuing a scientific ideal based on the unity of science, we should acknowledge the diversity—or even the disunity—of science.