Attacks increasingly getting sophisticated due to the rise of AI, expert says
tech2 hours ago
Jean-Pierre Sauvage of France, J Fraser Stoddart of Britain and Bernard Feringa of the Netherlands won the Nobel Chemistry Prize on Wednesday for developing molecular machines, the world's smallest machines.
"They have developed molecules with controllable movements, which can perform a task when energy is added," the jury said.
Also read: Japan's Yoshinori Ohsumi wins Nobel medicine prize
"The molecular motor is at the same stage as the electric motor was in the 1830s, when scientists displayed various spinning cranks and wheels, unaware that they would lead to electric trains, washing machines, fans and food processors."
Molecular machines will "most likely be used in the development of things such as new materials, sensors and energy storage systems," it said.
The three will share the eight million Swedish kronor (around $933,000 or 832,000 euros) prize equally.
Also read: How do you get one? 5 things to know about the Nobel Prizes
The first step towards a molecular machine was taken by Sauvage in 1983, when he succeeded in linking together two ring-shaped molecules to form a chain.
Normally, molecules are joined by strong bonds in which the atoms share electrons, but in the chain they were instead linked by a freer mechanical bond.
"For a machine to be able to perform a task it must consist of parts that can move relative to each other. The two interlocked rings fulfilled exactly this requirement," the Nobel jury said.
Also read: When Mahatma Gandhi didn't win The Nobel Peace Prize
The second step was taken by Stoddart in 1991, when he threaded a molecular ring onto a thin molecular axle and demonstrated that the ring was able to move along the axle.
"Among his developments... are a molecular lift, a molecular muscle and a molecule-based computer chip," the jury said.
Feringa was meanwhile the first person to develop a molecular motor -- in 1999 he was able to make a molecular rotor blade to spin continually in the same direction. Using molecular motors, he has also designed a nanocar.
The chemistry prize is the third Nobel to be announced this week.
On Tuesday, the physics prize went to British scientists David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz for their work on "topology", a mathematics field studying unusual phases or states of matter.
On Monday, the medicine prize went to Yoshinori Ohsumi of Japan for his pioneering work on autophagy -- a process whereby cells "eat themselves", which can result in Parkinson's and diabetes when disrupted.
The peace prize will be announced on Friday, the economics prize on October 10 and the literature prize on October 13.
Attacks increasingly getting sophisticated due to the rise of AI, expert says
tech2 hours ago
Advancements in natural language processing will revolutionise human-machine interactions
tech2 hours ago
The new inclusive format for the sport involves a fusion of time and strokes to achieve a Speedgolf score
sports3 hours ago
With a total prize of Dh1 million offered to winners, participants at the Global Prompt Engineering Championship shared their experiences with AI
uae3 hours ago
The world No 5 has emphasised the importance of establishing a solid foundation for future golfers through structural and educational gatherings
sports3 hours ago
With many residents unable to travel to India during the ongoing general elections, this has become a significant concern among the diaspora
uae4 hours ago
Records were broken with the 62s from Schauffele and Lowry being the lowest rounds in the history of the event
sports4 hours ago
Why it is important to shed light on this overlooked chapter of womanhood
health4 hours ago