Nobel Prizes and Laureates of 2021

According to Sir Alfred Nobel’s will in 1895, those whose contributions have been of the greatest value for humankind, should be awarded the Nobel Prizes

Every year, Nobel prizes are awarded to laureates who are able to invent or discover new advancements which could, in turn, prove to be of utmost value in the respective domains throughout the world. Nobel prizes are conferred to different domains of work – physics, chemistry, medicine/physiology, literature, economics and peace. In the year 2021, the laureates felicitated with the Nobel prizes in the different domains were announced during 4-11 October.

Below is the rundown of the Nobel prizes and their awardees in the different categories in relation to science:

Nobel Prize in Physics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Sweden, was accountable for screening the nominations. They proposed the deserving candidates for the Nobel Prize in the Physics category. In 2021, Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann jointly received one half and Giorgio Parisi is bestowed with the other half of the Nobel Prize in Physics. It was announced on the 5th of October. They discovered undetermined patterns of the climate and studied complex phenomena.

Manabe and Hasselmann’s benefaction in laying the core of our knowledge of the Earth’s climate, the ways in which our involvement has influenced it and understanding the complex systems have all been revolutionary. Manabe worked on making climate models to demonstrate the effect of carbon dioxide and its relation to the temperature of the Earth’s surface. Hasselmann, on the other hand, created models linking weather and climate. He also developed methods to detect specific signals to differentiate impacts of natural activities on the climate from those of human activities. Parisi studied disordered and random phenomena and discovering hidden patterns in the disordered ones. He studied the theories of complex systems and also carved out ways to tackle the vast array of problems related to the system.

Nobel Prize in Medicine / Physiology

The Nobel Assembly of Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, was accountable for screening and proposing the deserving candidates for the Medicine/Physiology domain. In the year 2021, the assembly proposed David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian as the deserving candidates for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. This was announced on the 4th of October. They contributed in the discovery of the receptors for touch and temperature sensation.

In the process of identifying the cellular target of capsaicin (a component of chilli pepper that gives out a pungent smell), David Julius discovered TRPV1 receptors which is the key to understanding thermosensation. On the other hand, Ardem Patapoutian worked on identifying ion channels that are activated by mechanical stimuli. Two of those ion channels that he identified were PIEZO1 and PIEZO2, both functioning as mechanical sensors contributing in mechanical transduction. Their studies are related to the fundamentals of sensation, decipherment and interaction with the environment. They as a whole contributed in explaining the molecular factors influencing heat and cold sensations. Also, they explained the sensations created by mechanical forces. In short, they contributed in the discovery of mechanical and thermal transducers.

Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Sweden, was accountable for screening the nominations for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The assembly proposed the names of the deserving candidates for the Chemistry domain on the 6th of October.

The awardees of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry are Benjamin List and David MacMillan. They confined their studies in determining the nature of molecules and contributed in the discovery of organocatalysis. They developed a revolutionary and precise tool for the construction of molecules by creating asymmetric organocatalysis.

The Story So Far

Different academic institutions are tasked to dig out excellence and select the deserving Nobel laureates to be acknowledged in each category, independently. There are assemblies and committees consisting of members with responsibilities towards specific categories of Nobel Prizes.

With the Nobel Prize winners announced in the Physics domain, the chair of the Nobel committee for Physics, Thors Hans Hansson shares his views by saying, “The discoveries being recognised this year demonstrate that our knowledge about the climate rests on a solid scientific foundation, based on a rigorous analysis of observations. This year’s laureates have all contributed to us gaining deeper insight into the properties and evolution of complex physical systems.”

Similarly, immediately after the announcement of the Nobel Prize recipients in the Medicine/Physiology domain, 2021, a member of the Nobel Assembly, Professor Abdel El Manira had a conversation with a journalist in relation to the discovery made in this field. His exact words were- “This discovery has profoundly changed our views of how we sense the world around us.”

Peter Somfai, member of the Nobel Committee, shared his views on the discovery made by the laureates who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry domain, to a journalist, “It’s a game changer. Like a new chess piece that is very, very powerful”, Somfai said.

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