The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded after the Prize in Physics.
The development of new compounds and science aided by artificial intelligence are some of the areas of research that could be candidates for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which will be announced on Wednesday, critics say.
The winners of the prestigious award will be announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm at 11:45 a.m. (9:45 GMT).
The Chemistry Prize follows the Physics Prize, which recognized American John Hopfield and Canadian-British Geoffrey Hinton on Tuesday for significant advances in artificial intelligence (AI).
Although the AI duo was not among the top names mentioned ahead of the physics prize, some experts speculate that the technology could also be featured in the chemistry prize.
John Jumper, director of Google DeepMind, and Demis Hassabis, CEO and co-founder of Google DeepMind, who won the prestigious Lasker Award in 2023, could receive the award for their work on alphafolding AI models.
AI tools are used to predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins based on their amino acid sequences.
Clarivate, an analysis group that monitors potential Nobel Prize winners in science, has named the pair among its top candidates for 2024.
“Some kind of revolution”
David Pendlebury, head of the research group, said the 2021 paper by Jumper and Hassabis had been cited thousands of times, but it was difficult for the Nobel jury to award the work so soon after publication. admits that it is unusual. This is because most of the discoveries celebrated can be traced back. Decades.
But “the recently published and highly cited papers are clear signs of a revolution of sorts,” Pendlebury said.
Another name often cited as a chemical nod is American-Jordanian Omar Yagi.
Yaghi has developed a type of customized porous material known as MOF (metal-organic framework). It is currently used in commercial products that can absorb and decontaminate toxins, act as catalysts, and absorb moisture from desert air, among other things.
Swedish Radio's science editor Lars Broström told AFP that such materials “are already in use and the time has come for a Nobel Prize.”
Yagi's name has so far been floated alongside Japan's Susumu Kitagawa and Makoto Fujita, who are also considered pioneers of the technology.
If Yagi is extradited, the award could go to Chi-Huey Wong, a Taiwanese-American biochemist who invented “a biochemical method used in the pharmaceutical industry,” Brostrom said. I guessed it.
In the field of pharmaceuticals, American chemical engineer Robert Langer is mentioned. Brostrom called him “one of the most cited scientists in the world.”
Carl Deiseroth, an American psychiatrist and neurologist, has also been mentioned over the past decade as a possible recipient for the award, having pioneered the field of optogenetics, which uses light to control cells.
molecular dynamics
This year, the names of Princeton University's Roberto Carr and Italian physicist Michele Parrinello of the Italian Institute of Technology have also been floated.
Although the two are physicists, they became a hot topic after winning a chemistry prize for their “Carr-Parinello method,'' which is used to calculate molecular dynamics.
In the past, potential candidates were US-based James J. Collins and Michael Elowitz, whose work on “synthetic gene circuits'' led to the field of “synthetic biology.'' It was founded by Stanislas Leibler and others.
Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University, has also been nominated for the award in the past.
The Chinese-American and her team invented “artificial electronic skin” by developing materials for stretchable circuits and flexible batteries.
Last year's Chemistry Prize went to French-born Mungi Bawendi, who developed tiny “quantum dots” used in lighting TVs and lamps, Louis Bourrus of the United States, and Russian-born Alexei Ekimov. .
Awarded since 1901, the Nobel Prize honors those who have, in the words of the prize's founder, scientist Alfred Nobel, “brought the greatest benefit to humanity.”
On Monday, the Medical Prize was awarded to American scientists Victor Ambrose and Gary Lubukun for their discovery of microRNAs and their role in gene regulation.
Following Wednesday's chemistry prize, the high-profile literature and peace prizes will be announced on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
The Economics Prize will conclude the 2024 Nobel Prize season on October 14th.
The winners will receive a certificate, a gold medal and a check for $1 million from King Carl A prize consisting of: At his will.
© 2024 AFP
Citation: AI-aided research, new materials aiming for Nobel Prize in Chemistry (October 9, 2024) https://phys.org/news/2024-10-ai-aided-materials-eyed-nobel.html 10/2024 Retrieved on March 18th
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