Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for developing the world’s smallest machines, 1,000 times thinner than a human hair but with the potential to revolutionize computer and energy systems. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Sauvage, British-born Fraser Stoddart and Dutch scientist Bernard “Ben” Feringa share the 8 million kronor ($930,000) prize for the “design […]
Weird Science: 3 Win Nobel for Unusual States of Matter
British-born scientists David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz were awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for discoveries on unusual states of matter that could result in improved materials for electronics or quantum computers. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the laureates’ work in the 1970s and ’80s opened the door […]
5 Decisions That Made the Nobel Prizes Look Bad
Nobel Prizes cannot be revoked, so the judges must put a lot of thought into their selections for the six awards, which will be announced in the next two weeks. A discovery might seem groundbreaking today, but will it stand the test of time? Prize founder Alfred Nobel wanted to honor those whose discoveries created […]
Nobel Prize for Japanese Who Unraveled Cell Recycling System
Japanese biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for discoveries on how cells break down and recycle content, a garbage disposal system that scientists hope to harness in the fight against cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases. The Karolinska Institute honored Ohsumi for “brilliant experiments” in the 1990s on autophagy, a phenomenon […]
Nobel Prize for Japanese Who Unraveled Cell Recycling System
Japanese biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for discoveries on how cells break down and recycle content, a garbage disposal system that scientists hope to harness in the fight against cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases. The Karolinska Institute honored Ohsumi for “brilliant experiments” in the 1990s on autophagy, a phenomenon […]
U.S. Rowers Get Anti-Microbial Training Suits for Rio Waters
U.S. Olympic rowers will be given a new, high-tech training suit with anti-microbial features designed to protect them against water pollution in Rio de Janeiro. Athletics apparel maker Boathouse Sports says the new, seamless one-piece suit is knitted with an anti-microbial finish. It also has water-repellant features to keep the rowers cool and dry. Testing […]
AP Interview: EU Climate Boss Says Emissions Cuts Not Enough
Europe’s climate chief has acknowledged for the first time that climate pledges made by national governments ahead of a major U.N. conference fall short of meeting the international goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). In an interview Monday with The Associated Press, Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said the […]
Artificial Cooling A Tricky Topic for Climate Panel
It’s Plan B in the fight against climate change: cooling the planet by sucking heat-trapping CO2 from the air or reflecting sunlight back into space. Called geoengineering, it’s considered mad science by opponents. Supporters say it would be foolish to ignore it, since plan A — slashing carbon emissions from fossil fuels — is moving […]