The Nobel Prize

Remembering one of the most powerful and distinguished storytellers of our time: Toni Morrison. She became the first African American woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize when she received the literature prize in 1993. Morrison's works often depict difficult circumstances and the dark side of humanity, but still convey integrity and redemption. The way she reveals the stories of individual lives conveys insight into, understanding of, and empathy for her characters. What's your favourite book by Toni Morrison?

“I was a kid who wanted to know how everything works. When I went through school, I continued to be curious about the world.” 2011 physics laureate Saul Perlmutter recently visited Ingleburn High School in Sydney, Australia, sharing his journey and insights with students from neighbouring schools. His encouragement to the students to dare to enter the world of science was, “Many think that going into science is lonely work in the lab. That is not at all my experience. If you are a social person and like to be with others you should work in science. We do things in teams.“ The students engaged in a critical thinking game designed to challenge Perlmutter - and succeeded. This exercise highlighted the importance of critical thinking skills, a key theme of our recent Nobel Prize Dialogue in Sydney on decision-making. It showed that even Nobel Prize laureates can be confused by good arguments and creative ways of solving problems. The Nobel Prize Dialogue in Sydney aimed to bring together minds from science and beyond to discuss and explore the future of decision-making. Learn more about the Nobel Prize Dialogue Sydney here: https://bit.ly/3C4ykFY

Today we are celebrating Amartya Sen, who was awarded the prize in economic sciences in 1998 "for his contributions to welfare economics." Sen was born in Santiniketan, Bengal, in India and attended a school founded by another Nobel Prize laureate - Rabindranath Tagore. One focus of Sen's research is how individuals' values can be considered in collective decision-making and how welfare and poverty can be measured. His efforts stem from his interest in questions of distribution and, in particular, the lot of society's poorest members. Sen's studies have included famines, to create a deeper understanding of the economic reasons behind famine and poverty. Sen turns 91 today. Read more about Sen at https://goo.gl/RQb2a6

Blood-borne hepatitis causes more than a million deaths per year around the world, making it comparable to tuberculosis in terms of its negative global impact. Charles Rice, Harvey Alter, and Michael Houghton made seminal discoveries that led to the identification of the Hepatitis C virus, which paved the way for blood tests and new medicines which have saved millions of lives. Highly-sensitive blood tests for the virus are now available, which have essentially eliminated post-transfusion hepatitis in many parts of the world. The rapid development of antiviral drugs means that hepatitis C can be cured, raising hopes of eradicating the debilitating virus from the global population. Did you know that most people with hepatitis C go undiagnosed and untreated? Of those diagnosed over 95% can be cured with safe and affordable treatments. At this year's Nobel Week Dialogue Charles Rice and other Nobel Prize laureates will be discussing the future of health. Join us in December: https://bit.ly/48bUGRT

"Poetry was one of the first of our literary genres to be brought to life. It became a vital factor in our cultural and political awakening. And already at that early stage, attempts to create a Czech tradition of belles-lettres were received with vast gratitude by the people. The Czech people, who had lost their political representation and had been deprived of their political spokesmen, now sought a substitute for that representation, and they chose it from among the spiritual forces that still remained. From that comes the relatively great importance of poetry in our cultural life." – Jaroslav Seifert who received the Nobel Prize in Literature 40 years ago. Seifert was one of the pioneers of modernist poetry and literature in his native country of Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) where he was much read and loved. He represented freedom, zest and creativity. Melody and rhythm characterise his poetry, which is inspired by folk songs, common speech and everyday scenes. Although a social and political commitment was a feature of his work, he never became a writer with a party-political agenda, placing humanity, empathy and solidarity at the heart of his poems. He criticises the totalitarian state’s attempts to reduce the opportunities and freedom of the individual, having become involved in attempts at reforms in Czechoslovakia, such as the Prague Spring of 1968. Learn more about the poet and journalist: https://lnkd.in/eGNwTS95

2023 literature laureate Jon Fosse writes novels heavily pared down to a style that has come to be known as ‘Fosse minimalism’. This can be seen in his second novel ‘Stengd gitar’ (1985), when Fosse presents us with a harrowing variation on one of his major themes, the critical moment of irresolution. A young mother leaves her flat to throw rubbish down the chute but locks herself out, with her baby still inside. Needing to go and seek help, she is unable to do so since she cannot abandon her child. While she finds herself, in Kafkaesque terms, ‘before the law’, the difference is clear: Fosse presents everyday situations that are instantly recognisable from our own lives. At the same time, there is a sense of trepidation and a powerful ambivalence. This later comes to feature in his dramatic work, in which he is able to make use of pauses and interruptions to express this uncertainty – and moreover charge them with emotion. In his plays, we are confronted with words or acts that appear incomplete, a lack of resolution that continues to preoccupy our minds. It is the human condition that is Fosse’s central theme, irrespective of genre. Fosse’s courage in opening himself up to the uncertainties and anxieties of everyday life lies behind the extraordinary recognition he has received. Learn more about his literature: https://bit.ly/3ZtJCeu

Do you know what this molecule is? Acetylcholine is a chemical used to transmit messages between nerve cells. Henry Dale and his colleagues carried out a series of experiments that revealed how the chemical works. Among their many findings they showed that acetylcholine acts on many tissues and organs other than the heart, that it is released from nerve endings, and that it is almost immediately destroyed by another chemical once it has carried out its task. On this day in 1914 Dale published a paper on the action of the acetylcholine. In 1936 Dale received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work illuminating its role in our nervous system: https://bit.ly/3grbSHZ

Did you know Philip Noel-Baker is the only person to have both an Olympic and Nobel Prize medal? Noel-Baker was a British diplomat and amateur athlete who was passionate about disarmament. He won a silver medal for the 1,500 metres during the 1920 Summer Olympic Games. Thirty-nine years later he followed it up with a gold medal - the Nobel Peace Prize, for his lifelong work towards peace and cooperation both during and between the wars of the 20th century. Learn more about Noel-Baker: https://bit.ly/3kmiEAc

On this day in 1982 Nobel Prize laureate James Allison published a paper in the Journal of Immunology identifying the protein structure of the T cell receptor, the previously mysterious ignition switch for immune response. His research led to a pioneering approach for treating cancer patients by using the body's own immune system. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3oe1wyR

Gary Ruvkun, our new Nobel Prize laureate in physiology or medicine, shared a touching story about how he overcame self-doubt and regained his self-confidence, after he was awarded his new Nobel Prize: “From 21 to 24, I was a disappointment to anybody who was thinking about where my career might go. I lived in my van and planted trees in the Pacific Northwest. But then I spent a day reading Scientific American, it was a really good day, and I said, you know what? Maybe I go to graduate school? And so, I came to Harvard.” “There were these mythic professors, just these unbelievable great scientists, so I was exposed to just great science over and over and over again. That was the moment when recombinant DNA was really just starting to take off, and it was obvious that was a revolution, and I wanted to be a part of that.” Gary Ruvkun's journey from self-doubt to a successful scientist exemplifies the transformative power of role models. As a Nobel Prize laureate, Ruvkun now stands as an inspiration for countless young scientists, proving that with determination, one can overcome obstacles and make groundbreaking contributions to science. Read more about this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine by following the link: https://bit.ly/3TV3kyo