One of tiniest particles in physics has won the biggest prize in science – for the fourth time.
Bill Campbell was awarded a Nobel Prize for medicine for this role in the discovery and development of the drug Ivermectin to treat river blindness.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
Back in 2012, I had the great pleasure of meeting with William (Bill) Campbell at Trinity College. We were among a group of five receiving honorary doctorates from the University of Dublin.
New Nobel laureate William C Campbell.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
Scientists William C Campbell, Satoshi Ōmura and Tu Youyou have been rewarded for their unglamorous but vital work on parasites that has improved the lives of millions.
The discovery of Homo naledi has been a social media sensation, recording an extraordinary number of views – more than 170,000 – for a scientific paper.
Prion diseases are a rare class of brain disorders that are transmissible between animals of any species, including humans.
djneight/Flickr
Colin Masters, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
New research has identified a known neurodegenerative disease as being caused by prions. And it has again raised the possibility that these proteins are infectious.
News that a Sydney man has contracted Creutzfeld-Jacob disease serves to highlight that we still don’t know how to prevent a disease that most often goes unreported, and unremarked on.
The dispute between Philipp Lenard and Albert Einstein sheds considerable light on the power of nonscientific concerns to sway scientists.
NASA via Wikimedia Commons
Scientists are not always as scientific as many suppose. Recent well-publicized cases of scientific fraud prove that scientists can be as susceptible to the allures of wealth, power and fame as politicians…
The Nobel Prize winning mathematician made lasting contributions in the fields of game theory and topology. Famously portrayed by Russell Crowe in the movie A Beautiful Mind, he died May 23 at age 86.
Nobel Prize winner John Nash in 2007.
EPA/Money Sharma
The award-winning mathematician gave his name to a concept in game theory that has many applications, from economics to the survival of meerkat colonies.
During these dark winter months, spare a thought for artificial lights. From strings of lights adding holiday cheer to artificial sunlamps alleviating seasonal affective disorder, they brighten our days…
The man who changed stem-cell research.
Cardiff University
Martin Evans received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007 “for discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells”. Mohit Kumar…
Crystallography: from a handheld experiment in 1912 to the size of many football fields today.
Diamond Light Source
Around 100 years ago a father and his son in north England conducted an experiment that would revolutionise the way scientists study molecules. A refined version of their method still remains one of the…
It’s that season, and the award shows have begun, culminating for many in the Oscars. There are, as always, heavy favourites, films nominated numerous times, shows, musicians and actors. But one has to…
Science needs a revolution: it’s time to rise and act.
Eric Risberg/AP
Last week was the most memorable week of my scientific career. Accompanied by family, friends and colleagues, I was honoured with the award of a Nobel Prize in an unforgettable ceremony and banquet. That…
China: “No, thanks. We don’t want a Nobel peace prize.”
andreasl
“China is at the forefront of medicine and hi-tech and computing.” So said UK Chancellor George Osborne, who recently visited the country. Global tests for 15-year-olds show the youth of Shanghai are comfortably…
This week Fred Sanger died at the age of 95. His name is probably unfamiliar to most, but he is considered one of the greatest chemists of our age. He is the only person to have won two Nobel prizes for…
A dangerous, dirty job - but someone has to do it.
EPA/Moadamiyeh Media Centre
The abduction, in northern Syria, of seven Red Cross workers is a stark reminder of how dangerous it is to work in that war-torn country, even for such an internationally recognised humanitarian organisation…