2024 Science Nobel Prizes

Carl Chen, ,

This year’s Nobel Prizes included some major discoveries, with AI playing an ever present role in the future of science. 

The Nobel Prize in Physics: John Hopfield from Princeton University and Geoffrey Hinton from the University of Edinburgh won the Nobel Prize in Physics through their individual works toward the foundation of AI, neural networks (1). A neural network is a program that is supposed to learn similarly to a human brain. Hopfield created a type of network, grounded in the logic of physics, that allows for data, such as images, to be stored in smaller pieces of information and then reconstructed (2). Later, Hinton used statistical physics to build on Hopfield’s network, allowing it to search through data and detect certain properties such as identifiable factors of that image (1). These discoveries were vital to the exploration of AI, and Hinton is often referred to as the “Godfather of AI”.

Diagram of a Hopfield Network

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry: David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John Jumper all won the Nobel prize in Chemistry for their respective work with protein structures and modeling. Hassabis and Jumper, together, developed an AI tool, AlphaFold, that could very effectively predict the appearances of proteins in cells based on their molecules (3). This widely available tool allows scientists to easily predict these structures. It has been used in many different medical sectors, such as for drug-creation and how the drugs will interact with proteins (4). Similarly, Baker won for his work developing artificial proteins to fight viruses and target certain cells (5). As the world progresses, manipulating and examining proteins will play a major role in disease detection and prevention.

Protein structure predicted by AlphaFold(Created by Hassabis and Jumper)

The Nobel Prize in Medicine: Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun both won the Nobel Prize for medicine. Together, they discovered MicroRNA: molecules which are vital for the development and function of multicellular organisms. mRNA, a type of RNA, reads DNA and brings this information to a cell’s nucleus to create certain proteins (6). Then microRNA, only 22 nucleotides long, attaches to these mRNAs to control their expression, with important roles in cell differentiation and in diseases such as cancers (7, 8). This discovery offers a completely new lens onto the world of cell development.

microRNA interacting with mRNA and DNA

Bibliography

  1. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2024. (2024). Retrieved October 16, 2024, from NobelPrize.org website: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2024/press-release/ 
  2. John Hopfield, Ph.D. ’58, wins Nobel Prize in physics | Cornell Chronicle. (2024). Retrieved October 16, 2024, from Cornell Chronicle website: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2024/10/john-hopfield-phd-58-wins-nobel-prize-physics 
  3. Demis Hassabis & John Jumper awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry. (2024, October 9). Retrieved October 16, 2024, from Google DeepMind website: https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/demis-hassabis-john-jumper-awarded-nobel-prize-in-chemistry/ 
  4. team, A. (2024, May 8). AlphaFold 3 predicts the structure and interactions of all of life’s molecules. Retrieved October 16, 2024, from Google website: https://blog.google/technology/ai/google-deepmind-isomorphic-alphafold-3-ai-model/#drug-discovery 
  5. Biochemist David Baker receives Nobel Prize – UW Medicine | Newsroom. (2024, October 10). Retrieved October 16, 2024, from UW Medicine | Newsroom website: https://newsroom.uw.edu/news-releases/biochemist-david-baker-receives-nobel-prize 
  6. ‌Messenger RNA (mRNA). (2024). Retrieved October 16, 2024, from Genome.gov website: https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/messenger-rna 
  7. Dr. Tomislav Meštrović, MD, Ph.D. (2010, February 3). News-Medical. Retrieved October 16, 2024, from News-Medical website: https://www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/What-is-MicroRNA.aspx 
  8. Trafton, A. (2024, October). Victor Ambros ’75, PhD ’79 and Gary Ruvkun share Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Retrieved October 16, 2024, from MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology website:  https://news.mit.edu/2024/victor-ambros-gary-ruvkun-share-nobel-prize-physiology-medicine-1007 

‌Images:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopfield_network
  2. https://alphafold.ebi.ac.uk/
  3. https://theconversation.com/microrna-is-the-master-regulator-of-the-genome-researchers-are-learning-how-to-treat-disease-by-harnessing-the-way-it-controls-genes-211396 

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