Nobel Prize and Humanitarianism

Kompas

Members of the Nobel Committee for Physics (L-R) Olga Botner, Goran K Hansson and Mats Larsson sit in front of a screen displaying portraits of Arthur Ashkin of the United States, Gerard Mourou of France and Donna Strickland of Canada during the announcement of the winners of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on October 2, 2018 in Stockholm. - The Nobel Prize laureates for physics 2018 Arthur Ashkin of the United States won one half of the prize, while Gerard Mourou of France and Donna Strickland of Canada shared the other half.

Every October, science enthusiasts wait to hear which breakthroughs will be awarded Nobel Prizes that year.

The first award to be announced was the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, followed by awards in the physics, chemistry, peace and economic sciences categories. On Wednesday, we learned that James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo shared the prestigious award for their separate research into the resilience of the human immune system against virulent cancer cells. The method the two scientists developed do not attack cancer cells but rather trigger the body’s immune system to fight back.

Their approaches have proved effective in fighting cancer, especially in patients with metastatic cancer. Allison’s and Honjo’s researches were deemed a potential fourth step in the fight against cancer after surgery, radiation and anticancer medicines.

The Nobel Prize In Physics 2018 was awarded to Arthur Ashkin and jointly to Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland for their discoveries in laser physics.

In following the Nobel Prize from year to year, we might be initially amazed by the far-reaching visions of these Nobel laureates. Their research may not directly relate to daily life today, but they are useful in expanding our minds and perspectives on nature and the universe. One prominent example is Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the Indian-American astrophysicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics alongside William Fowler in 1983. Their research focused on a theoretical study on the structure and evolution of stars.

They studied the life cycle of stars, and that a star’s evolution to resemble our Sun or to become another type of star depended on its mass. This is known today as the Chandrasekhar Limit.

Another Nobel-winning research on the universe is the one by 1978 laureates Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, who discovered that cosmic microwave background radiation was connected to the Big Bang.

We can see the difference between the Nobel Prize for Physics or Medicine 2018 and the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1978 and 1983, but we salute all laureates for their discoveries. Some of these researches can be directly applied to resolve the problems mankind faces, while others will only become applicable decades later.

We hope that innovations will soon emerge from these advanced scientific researches, whether as tools or instruments, practical methods or new medicines. Researches on the evolution of stars and subatomic particles may also be an answer to mankind’s dedication and call to sate our endless curiosity.

Scientists and all those who desire to excel in science covet the Nobel Prize. However, we know for a fact that the Nobel Prize is awarded only to those with the intelligence, dedication and motivation to uphold the values of humanity and contribute to resolving global issues.