Nobel Prizes 2021

NOBEL PRIZE

Alfred Nobel had a vision for a better world. He believed that through knowledge, science and humanism, people would be able to improve society. It was this goal that led him to create the Nobel Prize in 1901. It's been awarded in 6 different fields: Physics Chemistry Physiology or Medicine Literature Peace  Economic sciences (since 1968).    

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PEACE

 “For their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.” Maria Ressa (prize share 1/2) co-founded Rappler, a digital media company for investigative journalism. She used freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in Philippines. Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov (prize share 1/2) is one of the founders of the independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta. He has for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions.

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"For groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex systems."   Syukuro Manabe(prize share 1/4)  and Klaus Hasselmann (prize share 1/4): for the physical modelling of Earth’s climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming Giorgio Parisi (prize share 1/2):for the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales.

PHYSICS

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“For the development of asymmetric organocatalysis”.    Benjamin List (prize share 1/2) and David MacMillan (prize share 1/2): for their development of a precise new tool for molecular construction: organocatalysis. This has had a great impact on pharmaceutical research, and has made chemistry greener. 

CHEMISTRY

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MEDICINE

“For their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch”.   David Julius (prize share 1/2) and Ardem Patapoutian (prize share 1/2): Their discoveries have unlocked one of the secrets of nature by explaining the molecular basis for sensing heat, cold and mechanical force, which is fundamental for our ability to feel, interpret and interact with our internal and external environment.

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LITERATURE

“For his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.”   Abdulrazak Gurnah: was born in 1948 and grew up on the island of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean but arrived in England as a refugee in the end of the 1960s. He has published ten novels and a number of short stories. The theme of the refugee’s disruption runs throughout his work.

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"Natural experiments help answer important questions for society"   David Card (prize share 1/2) : for his empirical contributions to labour economics. Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens (prize share 1/2): for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships.

ECONOMICS

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Highlights

Knowledge about climate is based on a solid scientific foundation, which identifies the effect of human behavior on climate change and ultimately predicts the impact of global warming.   Free, independent, and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda. It is a precondition of democracy.   Environmental reduction of the impact of chemistry due to the development of a new tool to build molecules.

The effects of colonialism in East Africa and its consequences  on the lives of uprooted people and migrants; at a time when many former colonial powers are faced with the challenge of examining their own history.   Natural experiments use real-life situations to study impacts on the world showed  that  an increase in minimum wage doesn't lead to less hiring and immigrants don't lower pay for native-born workers.   Lack of women representation. Only one woman was awarded a Nobel Prize this year.