October has rolled around, and once again it is time to cover the Nobel Prizes, those ne plus ultra epitomes of what members of the rational, evidence-based community can achieve when given a modicum of time and freedom to do so. Sorry we couldn’t cover this story when it broke (personal reasons) but here is a working summary:[1]
Physiology or Medicine
We remember studying the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas in school around 1971 Unfortunately it never crossed our mind to not only identify the proteins which let it swim towards light, but also insert the genes for them into nerve cells, thereby founding the entire science of optogenetics. But Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel did, to cut a long story short, thereby scooping the Nobel, fame and fortune. Oh well, we’ll just carry on humbly blogging, which leads us to:
Physics
What would you do if you were wandering through the Antarctic and saw a huge block of ultra clear ice? Most of us would probably apply it to the nearest Gin and Tonic. Not so Francis Halzen, who tuned it into the Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory allowing the discovery of high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources. The work has opened a new window on some of the most energetic and mysterious processes in the universe, from black holes to cosmic particle accelerators. We will stick to making cocktails, which leads us straight to
Chemistry
Back to schooldays: just when you thought you’d learned everything there was to know about chemistry (or at least enough to pass the exam) along comes that pesky world of enantiomers, all those right handed and left handed molecules, to complicate things even more. But why? Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai explain how chemistry can favour one molecular “handedness” over another, So a deserved Nobel for uncovering non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. Of fundamental question with important implications for biology and pharmaceuticals, the sorts of things we write about a lot on this blog. Talking of writing:
Literature
Canadian poet, essayist and translator Anne Carson was recognised for a body of work that brings classical traditions into inventive dialogue with contemporary writing. The Nobel Committee praised her bold and original literary voice, which moves freely between poetry, prose, scholarship and translation. There’s nothing like a good novelist or playwright to give you real insights into human nature. And considering how stormy that can be, isn’t it nice that someone has come up with a
Peace Prize
Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, the South African jurist and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, received the Peace Prize for her longstanding efforts to advance peace, human rights and international law. Her career has been marked by a commitment to accountability and justice in some of the world’s most challenging conflicts. If ever a story justified our continual advocacy for the Emancipation of Women, well this must be it. And last but not least
Economic Sciences
Governments, Keynesians and classic free market liberals always end up baffled when their favourite prescriptions turn out to have unexpected consequences. Help arrives in the form of Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford who were recognised for developing the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation. Their work has shaped modern thinking on how governments and central banks can respond to economic downturns and maintain stability. And their prize, which will have personal economic consequences is incredibly well-deserved.
[1] All Nobel Prizes 2026 – NobelPrize.org
#Peace #literature #chemistry #physics #medicine #physiology #optogenetics #neutrino #enantiomer #pharmaceuticals
