Category Archives: Nobel prizes

Nobel prize winners endorse Harris and warn Trump would endanger future of science

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Open letter by 82 laureates commends Harris and calls Trump a potential threat to progress on climate crisis

More than 80 Nobel prize winners have endorsed Kamala Harris for the presidency, warning that Donald Trump would “jeopardize any advancements in our standards of living” given his earlier proposals for enormous cuts to science funding.

In an open letter, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, 82 Nobel prize winners from the US in the fields of physics, chemistry, economics and medicine, said “this is the most consequential presidential election in a long time, perhaps ever, for the future of science and the United States”.

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Nobel Foundation reverses decision to invite Russian ambassador to awards

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Foundation backtracks on earlier announcement that representatives from Russia, Belarus and Iran would be invited

The Nobel Foundation has reversed its decision to invite ambassadors from Russia and Belarus to this year’s Nobel awards ceremony in Stockholm after the invitation sparked anger.

In 2022, the Nobel Foundation, which organises the annual Nobel prize ceremony and banquet in Stockholm, decided not to invite the Russian and Belarusian ambassadors to the awards event because of the war in Ukraine.

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Co-creator of lithium-ion battery and the oldest Nobel winner dies at age 100

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John Goodenough’s research enabled the technological revolution that powers most of our gadgets and tools

John Goodenough, who shared the 2019 Nobel prize in chemistry for his pioneering work developing the lithium-ion battery that transformed technology with rechargeable power for devices ranging from cellphones and computers to pacemakers and electric cars, has died at 100, the University of Texas announced on Monday.

Goodenough died on Sunday at an assisted living facility in Austin, Texas, the university announced. No cause of death was given.

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Swedish geneticist wins Nobel prize for Neanderthal research

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Svante Pääbo receives 2022 award in physiology or medicine for genome discoveries including Neanderthals

A Swedish geneticist has been awarded the 2022 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine.

Svante Pääbo won the 10m Swedish kronor (£867,000) prize announced on Monday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.

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‘Colossal waste’: Nobel laureates call for 2% cut to military spending worldwide

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Governments urged to use ‘peace dividend’ to help UN tackle pandemics, climate crisis and extreme poverty

More than 50 Nobel laureates have signed an open letter calling for all countries to cut their military spending by 2% a year for the next five years, and put half the saved money in a UN fund to combat pandemics, the climate crisis, and extreme poverty.

Coordinated by the Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli, the letter is supported by a large group of scientists and mathematicians including Sir Roger Penrose, and is published at a time when rising global tensions have led to a steady increase in arms budgets.

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Nobel prize will have no gender or ethnicity quotas, academy head says

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Only 59 Nobel prizes – or 6.2% of the total – have gone to women since their inception in 1901

Swedish scientist and head of the academy that awards Nobel prizes has ruled out the notion of gender or ethnicity quotas in the selection of laureates for the prestigious award.

Göran Hansson, the secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, accepted that there are “so few women” in the running but conceded the prize would ultimately go to those who are “found the most worthy”.

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Trio of scientists win Nobel prize for physics for climate work

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Sykuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi share award for advancing climate knowledge

Three scientists have won the 2021 Nobel prize in physics for their groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex physical systems – including how humanity influences the Earth’s climate.

The winners, Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi, will share the award, announced on Tuesday, presented by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and worth 10m Swedish kronor (£870,000).

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Three scientists share Nobel prize in physics for work on black holes

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Roger Penrose says win, shared with Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez, ‘is in some ways a distraction’

Three scientists have won the 2020 Nobel prize in physics for their work on black hole formation and the discovery of a supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy.

Sir Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez together scooped the 114th Nobel prize in physics.

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Nobel winner Peter Handke avoids genocide controversy in speech

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Literature laureate accused of supporting Slobodan Milošević gives inaugural lecture

The controversial 2019 Nobel literature laureate, Austrian author Peter Handke, gave his inaugural lecture on Saturday night in front of the Swedish Academy and in the face of intense criticism of his selection for the honour.

Handke, 77, who is perhaps best known for the novel Wings of Desire, is accused of supporting the genocidal Serbian regime led by Slobodan Milošević and of denying the extent of Serbian terror and killing during the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia.

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Nobel prize in physics awarded to cosmology and exoplanet researchers

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James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz honoured for for ‘improving our understanding of evolution of universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos’

Three scientists have been awarded the 2019 Nobel prize in physics for groundbreaking discoveries about the evolution of the Universe and the Earth’s place within it.

The Canadian scientist James Peebles has been awarded half of the 9m Swedish kronor (£740,000) prize for his theoretical discoveries about the evolution of the universe. A Swiss duo of astronomers, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, will share the other half of the prize for their discovery of the first planet beyond our solar system.

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‘They gave one to Obama’: Trump complains he deserves a Nobel prize – video

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Donald Trump has suggested he is deserving of a Nobel prize 'for a lot of things', but has not received one yet because they are not given out fairly. 'They gave one to Obama immediately ... and he had no idea why he got it,' the US president complained.

Trump went on to offer his services as a mediator between India and Pakistan, touting his experience in arbitrating 'pretty big' disputes between his friends. 'I've never failed as an arbitrator,' he told Pakistan's prime minister, Imran Khan. 'If I can be of help, let me know.'

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