The Nobel Prize is awarded for outstanding achievements in the field of art, science, contributions to culture and social progress of major international significance.

More details about the award, its basic rules, as well as interesting facts related to it will be discussed in this article.

History of the award

The creator of the Nobel Prize is Alfred Nobel, a famous Swedish engineer who patented more than 300 inventions.

On November 27, 1895, the scientist drew up a will, indicating that almost all of his property after his death should go to special administrators for the purpose of further spending on bonuses for outstanding achievements of global significance. A year later, Nobel died, and a month after that his will was made public.

The potential heirs of the brilliant inventor created a huge scandal, dejected that the untold wealth of a famous relative passed them by. The legal proceedings took several months, as a result of which the will was recognized as legally competent and came into force.

Later, a special Nobel Foundation was founded, which began to implement Alfred’s wishes.

The Nobel Prize is annual, and the award ceremony is held on a grand scale in early December.

Prize rules, remuneration amount

Features of bonuses

All the details of nomination for the prize and requirements for candidates are described in detail in the statute of the Nobel Foundation. So, among other things, it means that:

• All prizes, except the Peace Prize, can only be awarded to individuals and not to organizations.
• No more than 3 works can win in each category at the same time. Moreover, the cash prize is divided equally, first between the works themselves, and then between their authors. This allows everyone involved in the achievement to receive their rightful prize.
• Prizes cannot be awarded posthumously. The only exception is the case when the laureate was alive at the time the prize was awarded to him according to documents, but died at the time of the official presentation of the award.
• If the committee members responsible for awarding the prizes do not agree on which of the nominated works is most worthy of the Nobel award, then the event is simply not held, and the money is saved for the next year. If even after a year the committee does not deem it necessary to reward someone’s work with a reward, then the money is transferred for safekeeping to the closed reserve of the Nobel Foundation.

As for what the Nobel Prize is awarded for, these are traditionally 5 areas of activity, defined by Alfred Nobel himself:

• promoting peace on the planet;
• physics;
• chemistry;
• literature;
• physiology and medicine.

Additionally, there is a Nobel Prize in Economics, but its presentation is initiated and financed by the National Bank of Sweden.

Reward amount

The size of the bonus increased periodically. In particular, a constant increase in the amount of monetary compensation was observed from 1992 ($1.04 million) to 2011 ($1.4 million). However, in 2012, the Foundation's board of directors decided to reduce the amount by 20%, reducing it to $1.1 million. The members of the Nobel Foundation motivated their decision by caring for the financial capital of the organization, which should be able to reward significant achievements with consistently high amounts for many years to come.

In total, over the years of the award’s existence, it has recognized the merits of more than 800 talented scientists, writers, and public figures. Some of them became laureates 2 or even 3 times.

Every year at the beginning of October, special attention is focused on what is happening in the Swedish capital - Stockholm. During this period, the winners of the most prestigious scientific award, the Nobel Prize, are determined here. Over the past two weeks, the Nobel Committee has named scientists whose achievements will be recognized. We tried to figure out who received awards this year and for what.

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This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi for his discovery of the mechanisms of autophagy. Autophagy is a process in the cell that allows you to get rid of unnecessary or non-functional components. The term "autophagy" is translated from Greek as "eating oneself." The concept itself dates back to the 60s, but Osumi's experiments in the 90s were a breakthrough. The Nobel Committee calls them research that changed the paradigm of perception.

The scientist conducted his experiments on yeast cells, but proved that similar processes occur in the human body. As noted by the Nobel Committee, these experiments allowed us to take a new look at how “recycling” occurs at the cellular level. “These discoveries have opened the way to understanding the fundamental importance of autophagy in many physiological processes, for example, adaptation to starvation or response to infections,” the Nobel Committee notes on its website.

At the same time, scientists now know that impaired autophagy is associated with serious diseases such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes or cancer. At the moment, medicines for various diseases are being actively developed, which will be built on knowledge about this process.

Osumi was born in 1945 in Tokyo. After several years of work in the United States, he returned to Japan and founded a research group. Since 2009, he has been working as a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

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Three American scientists received the physics prize this year. The award was shared by physicists David Tuless, Duncan Haldan and Michael Kosterlitz. In their research, scientists applied a complex mathematical method - topology - to the study of rare aggregate states of matter, such as superconductivity, superfluidity, etc. “This year’s laureates opened the doors to unknown worlds where matter can acquire atypical states,” notes the website awards.

Scientists hope that this research will open up new possibilities in materials science and electronics, for example in the creation of new types of electrical equipment or superconductors, as well as in future quantum computers.

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The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the Frenchman Jean-Pierre Savage, the American Fraser Stoddart and the Dutchman Bernard Feringa for creating “the world’s smallest machines.” And not just small ones, but truly miniature ones. Their invention is molecular machines. “Miniature elevator, artificial muscles, mini-motor. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Jean-Pierre Savage, Sir Fraser Stoddart and Bernard Feringa for the design and production of molecular machines,” says the Nobel Committee website.

The essence of these scientists' discovery is to create molecules that can move in a controlled manner and perform certain tasks when they receive energy. Savage took the first step in this process by linking two ring-shaped molecules into a network called catenanes, held together by a mechanical bond. “To be able to perform a task, a machine must consist of parts that can move relative to each other. The two interlocking rings fulfilled exactly this requirement,” notes the Nobel Prize website.

The second step was carried out by Stoddart, and the third step was taken by Feringa, creating the first molecular motor. “Molecular machines will most likely be used to create new materials, sensors and energy storage systems,” the prize’s website notes.

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This year, 376 nominees were in the running for the Nobel Peace Prize. As a result, the committee decided to honor Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos for his determined efforts to end more than 50 years of civil war, which has cost the lives of at least 220,000 Colombians and forced some six million people to flee their homes,” they noted. committee.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee believes that although the peace agreement with the FARC group, which emerged as a result of negotiations initiated by Santos, was rejected by the majority of Colombians in a referendum, the attempts of the Colombian leader “bring closer the possibility of a peaceful end to the bloody conflict” and correspond to the spirit and will of Alfred Nobel.

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The Swedish Bank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, the so-called Nobel Prize in Economics, which was introduced in 1969, awarded two American scientists, Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmström, for their development of contract theory. Contracts play an extremely important role in economic relations and are its connecting link, the committee noted. The work of Hart and Holmström provided a significant foundation for analyzing the contract drafting process to make it as effective as possible.

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The award of the Nobel Prize in Literature was perhaps one of the biggest surprises of this year's prize, surprising both the public and the bookmakers. This year's award winner was American singer and rock legend Bob Dylan. The Nobel Committee noted Dylan's poetic merits, awarding him the prize for "creating new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

Dylan, born in 1941 in New York, became famous in the 60s for his “protest” work and participation in the civil rights movement. The singer’s discography includes more than 35 studio albums, including such famous ones as The Times They Are a-Changin’, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.

The Obel Prize is an international award that has been given annually since 1901 for outstanding contributions to science, literature and society. The first award of its kind in the world.

“All my movable and immovable property must be converted by my executors into liquid assets, and the capital thus collected must be placed in a reliable bank. The income from investments should belong to a fund, which will distribute them annually in the form of bonuses to those who, during the previous year, have brought the greatest benefit to humanity... The said interest should be divided into five equal parts, which are intended: one part - to the one who makes the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics; the other - to the one who makes the most important discovery or improvement in the field of chemistry; the third - to the one who makes the most important discovery in the field of physiology or medicine; the fourth - to the one who creates the most outstanding literary work of an idealistic direction; fifth, to one who has made the most substantial contribution to the unity of nations, the abolition of slavery, or the reduction of the strength of existing armies, and the promotion of peace congresses... It is my special wish that in the awarding of prizes the nationality of the candidates shall not be taken into account...”

Kultura.RF has compiled its own list of the most famous laureates.

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849–1936)

Nobel Prize 1904 "For his work on the physiology of digestion, which has expanded and changed the understanding of vital aspects of this question"

The first Russian Nobel laureate, an outstanding scientist, the pride of Russian science and “the first physiologist of the world,” as his colleagues called him at one of the international congresses. None of the Russian scientists of that time, not even Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, received such fame abroad. Pavlov was called a “romantic, almost legendary personality,” “citizen of the world,” and the scientist’s friend, writer Herbert Wells, said about him: “This is the star that illuminates the world, shedding light on paths not yet explored.”

Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov (1845–1916)

Nobel Prize 1908 “For his work on immunity”

The famous Russian biologist believed in the limitless possibilities of science, “which alone can lead humanity to the true path.” Ilya Mechnikov is the founder of the Russian school of microbiologists and immunologists. Among his students are Alexander Bezredka, Lev Tarasevich, Daniil Zabolotny, Yakov Bardakh. Mechnikov was not only a scientist, but also a writer, who left behind an extensive legacy - popular science and scientific-philosophical works, memoirs, articles, translations.

Lev Davidovich Landau (1908–1968)

1962 Nobel Prize "for pioneering research in the theory of condensed matter, especially liquid helium"

The outstanding Soviet scientist devoted his entire life to theoretical physics. Having become interested in science as a child, he made a vow to himself “never to smoke, drink or get married.” The last vow did not work out: Landau was a famous womanizer. He had an inimitable sense of humor, for which his students especially adored him. Once at a lecture, a physicist gave an example of his humorous classification of sciences, saying that “sciences are natural, unnatural and unnatural.” Lev Landau's only non-physical theory was the theory of happiness. He believed that every person should and even has an obligation to be happy. To do this, the physicist derived a simple formula that contained three parameters: work, love and communication with people.

Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov (1921–1989)

Nobel Prize 1975 "For his fearless support of the fundamental principles of peace among men and his courageous struggle against the abuse of power and all forms of suppression of human dignity"

The famous Soviet physicist, one of the creators of the hydrogen bomb, public figure, dissident and human rights activist did not support the general line of the party, opposed the arms race, nuclear weapons testing and demanded the abolition of the death penalty. For which he was persecuted in the Soviet Union and was deprived of all awards, and in Sweden he received the Nobel Peace Prize...

Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa (1894–1984)

1978 Nobel Prize "for basic research and discoveries in low temperature physics"

“I firmly believe in the internationality of science and believe that real science should be outside all political passions and struggles, no matter how they try to involve it there. And I believe that the scientific work that I have done all my life is the heritage of all humanity, no matter where I did it.”, wrote Pyotr Kapitsa in 1935. The world-famous physicist worked in Cambridge, was a full member of the Royal Society of London, the founder of the Institute of Physical Problems, the first head of the department of low temperature physics of the Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University, and an academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The famous physicist Abram Fedorovich Ioffe wrote about his student: “Petr Leonidovich Kapitsa, who combines a brilliant experimenter, an excellent theoretician and a brilliant engineer, is one of the most striking figures in modern physics.”

Despite the generous scattering of Russian literary geniuses, only five of them managed to receive the highest award.

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was nominated for the prize in 1909, but never received it. The great Russian writer stated back in 1906 that he would refuse the Nobel Prize (both peace and literature) if his candidacy had won: “This will save me from a great difficulty in disposing of this prize, because any money, in my opinion, brings only evil.”

Ivan Bunin (1873–1953)

Nobel Prize 1933 "For the truthful artistic talent with which he recreated in prose the typical Russian character"

The first Russian writer to receive the Nobel Prize. Bunin emigrated from revolutionary Russia and at that time had already lived in France for 13 years. Of the Russian émigré writers, two were vying for the Nobel Prize - Bunin and Merezhkovsky, and there were two camps of supporters, placing bets... However, Ivan Alekseevich’s victory may have upset the rivals, but not for long: so, shaking hands with Bunin, Merezhkovsky’s wife Zinaida Gippius said honestly: “Congratulations and envy you.” The main thing was that the award went to a Russian writer.

Boris Pasternak (1890–1960)

Nobel Prize 1958 "For significant achievements in modern lyric poetry, as well as for continuing the tradition of the great Russian epic novel"

Having learned about the award from a personal telegram from the head of the Nobel Committee addressed to the poet and writer, Pasternak replied: “Endlessly grateful, touched, proud, surprised, embarrassed.” However, this news was perceived extremely negatively by the Soviet leadership. A campaign began against the poet, and he was forced to refuse the Nobel Prize, otherwise he could lose his citizenship and be expelled from the USSR. But the delay (Pasternak did not refuse immediately, but did so a week later) turned out to be disastrous. He became a “persecuted poet” - however, he was worried not so much about himself as about his family and friends, who also began to be attacked...

Time has put everything in its place. 30 years later, on December 9, 1989, Boris Pasternak’s Nobel Medal was solemnly awarded to his son Evgeniy in Stockholm.

Mikhail Sholokhov (1905–1984)

Nobel Prize 1965 “For the artistic strength and integrity of the epic about the Don Cossacks at a turning point for Russia”

Sholokhov should have received his reward even earlier. But in 1958, the committee gave preference to Pasternak’s candidacy... And they forgot about Sholokhov again. In 1964, French writer Jean-Paul Sartre refused the Nobel Prize in Literature, saying that, in his opinion, Sholokhov deserved the prize. A year later, in 1965, 60-year-old Mikhail Sholokhov received a well-deserved award. Speaking in Stockholm, he said: “Art has a powerful influence on the mind and heart of a person. I think that the one who directs this power to create beauty in the souls of people, for the benefit of humanity, has the right to be called an artist.”.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008)

Nobel Prize 1970 "For the moral strength derived from the tradition of great Russian literature"

Like Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn did not want to give up the coveted Nobel Prize. And in 1970, when the committee informed him about the award, he replied that he would definitely come to collect it in person. However, this was not destined to happen: the writer was threatened with deprivation of Soviet citizenship - and he did not go to Stockholm. True, he didn’t regret it at all. Studying the program of the gala evening, Solzhenitsyn sincerely did not understand: “How to talk about the main task of your whole life at the “feast table”, when the tables are laden with dishes and everyone is drinking, eating, talking...”

Joseph Brodsky (1940–1996)

1987 Nobel Prize "For a comprehensive literary work distinguished by clarity of thought and poetic intensity"

“Prix Nobel? "Oui, ma belle"- the poet joked in 1972, long before he received the prize. Unlike his brothers Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn, by the time of worldwide recognition, the poet Brodsky had already lived and taught in America for a long time, since back in the early 1970s he was deprived of Soviet citizenship and expelled from the country...

They say that the news of the Nobel Prize practically did not change the expression on his face, because the poet was sure that sooner or later the Nobel would be his. When asked by a journalist whether he considers himself Russian or American, Brodsky replied: "I am a Jew, a Russian poet and an English essayist". In the same year, the poet’s poems were published for the first time in the USSR in the magazine “New World”.

This week the winners of the next Nobel Prize were announced. We tell you why they are receiving the award - and what it means for science and the world.

Medicine

James Ellison and Tasuku Honjo.

For what?

For the development of drugs that prevent tumor cells from resisting the immune system.

What does it mean?

Allison and Honjo developed checkpoint inhibitors- drugs that force the immune system to actively destroy the tumor.

Chemotherapy and targeted therapy either directly kill tumor cells or interfere with their processes, which also leads to their death. The difference between immune therapy is that it does not have an independent antitumor effect, but forces immune cells to kill the tumor.

True, in some cases such therapy leads to the immune system attacking its own cells - this is somewhat similar to autoimmune diseases.

Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael Young - for their discovery and research of the molecular mechanisms governing circadian rhythms.

Physics

Arthur Ashkin, Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland.

For what?

Arthur Ashkin - for "laser tweezers", which is now used in biology. Gerard Moore and Donna Strickland - for method for producing ultrashort optical pulses.

What does it mean?

Optical tweezers are a device for moving matter using light. In simple words, it is a device that captures small pieces of matter using a laser beam.

Previously, when biologists needed to examine a cell and they took it with tweezers to separate it from the rest, it was very easy to damage it. But if you use Ashkin's optical tweezers, the cell will not be damaged because the gripping force is small and easy to adjust.

And ultrashort optical pulses are needed, for example, for laser thermonuclear fusion. Such lasers can also be used to clean the near-Earth space from space debris, which can seriously harm satellites, space stations and people in space.

A problem arose with these impulses - they needed to be made more powerful and shorter, despite the fact that their duration was already short. Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland suggested how this could be done: stretch the impulses over time, slowly amplify them and compress them back.

Who got it last year?

Rainer Weiss, Kip Thorne and Barry Barish - awarded "for their decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the discovery of gravitational waves."

Chemistry

Francis Arnold, George Smith and Gregory Winter.

For what?

Frances Arnold - "for directed evolution of enzymes", George Smith and Gregory Winter - "for phage display of peptides and antibodies" Smith first described this method, and Winter used it to develop drugs.

What does it mean?

This means that it has become possible to change enzymes and create new antibodies.

The first method is “directed evolution of enzymes.” As a result of experiments with the gene, only those bacteria that produce the most effective enzymes in the desired area will survive. That is, an evolutionary process is taking place, only the selection system is created by scientists themselves.

New enzymes help speed up processes and clear the product of side effects that sometimes occur during chemical reactions. They are used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. With their help, biofuels, detergents, reagents and medicines are created.

The second method is phage display. One area of ​​its use is directed evolution in relation to antibodies. Only here it is not bacteria that are used, but bacteriophages - viruses that can infect bacteria. They have proteins on the surface, and a relatively large piece of some other protein can be embedded there. Thanks to this, various drugs from the group of monoclonal antibodies appeared. For example, against autoimmune diseases - rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

Who got it last year?

Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for "the development of high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy techniques for determining the three-dimensional structures of biomolecules in solution."

Literature

On October 4, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature could be named. But in May, the Nobel Committee announced that in 2018, for the first time in 75 years, the literature award would not be given due to a data leak at the Swedish Academy (it selects applicants and awards). The award ceremony will be resumed in 2019, and the winners will be announced two years in advance. In 2017, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Kazuo Ishiguro, who, as the Nobel Prize organizing committee said in a statement, “exposes in his novels of incredible emotional power the abyss hidden behind our illusory sense of connection with the world.”

Peace Prize

Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad.

For what?

Behind combating sexual violence in armed conflict.

What does it mean?

Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist and the founder and director of Panzi Hospital, which provides medical care to women victims of gang rape, a common practice by rebels during the Kivu conflict.

Nadia Murad is an Iraqi human rights activist and former captive of the Islamic State.

Who got it last year?

International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons - "for its efforts to draw attention to the catastrophic consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for efforts to ban such weapons through agreements."

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A little more about the Nobel Prize

This is one of the most prestigious international prizes, awarded annually for outstanding scientific research, revolutionary inventions or major contributions to culture and society.

When did they start giving?

• Physics - awarded since 1901 in Sweden;
• chemistry - since 1901 in Sweden;
• physiology and medicine - since 1901 in Sweden;
• literature - since 1901 in Sweden;
• The prize for promoting world peace has been awarded since 1901 in Norway.

How is the award structured?

The main document regulating the rules for awarding the prize is the Nobel Foundation.

The prize can only be awarded to individuals and not to institutions (except for peace prizes). The Peace Prize can be awarded to individuals as well as official and public organizations.

Requests for nominations are sent by the Nobel Committee to approximately three thousand individuals, usually in September of the year preceding the year the prize is awarded. These individuals are often researchers working in the relevant field.

The award procedure is preceded by a lot of work, which is carried out all year round by numerous organizations around the world. In October, the laureates are finally approved and announced. The final selection of laureates is carried out by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska Institutet and the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The award procedure takes place annually on December 10. In Stockholm, prizes in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and economics are presented by the King of Sweden. And in the field of defense of peace - the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee presents it - in Oslo, at the city hall, in the presence of the King of Norway and members of the royal family. Along with a cash prize, the amount of which varies depending on the income received from the Nobel Foundation, laureates are awarded a medal and a diploma.

Unusual laureates

Barack Obama, who received the Peace Prize with the wording “For outstanding efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation among peoples,” was nominated for the award two weeks after becoming president.

American poet, musician, composer and singer Bob Dylan became a Nobel Prize laureate in literature. The choice of the organizing committee in favor of Bob Dylan was a complete surprise. Many are accustomed to perceiving Dylan solely as a musician, but not as a poet.

Received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1958 Boris Pasternak. The award was presented with the wording: “For significant achievements in modern lyric poetry, as well as for continuing the traditions of the great Russian epic novel.” Pasternak himself was forced to refuse the medal under threat of exile from Russia. In 1989, the medal and diploma were transferred to his son after the writer’s death.

What is the Ig Nobel Prize?

Ig Nobel Prizes, Ignobel Prize, Anti-Nobel Prize - a parody of the Nobel Prize. The ten Ig Nobel Prizes are awarded in early October, which is the time when the real Nobel Prize winners are named - for achievements that first make you laugh and then make you think. The prize was created by Mark Abrahams and the humor magazine Annals of Incredible Research.

Illustrations: nobelprize.org.

Text: Natalia Beley, regular contributor to F&F.

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The scientist was one of the advisers to US President Barack. Thaler also starred in Adam McKay's film The Big Short, about the mortgage financial crisis of 2008-2009.

The lists of applicants are closed, the names of future laureates are always kept secret. They themselves will learn about the award on the day of the announcement.

Nobel's descendants themselves are not happy that the economic award bears the name of Alfred Nobel. Doctor of Law Peter Nobel is sure that the very fact of the existence of such an award contradicts the will of his ancestor, who did not like economists and did not intend to reward them.

The head of the Nobel Family Society, Thomas Tuden, believes that the award from the State Bank of Sweden should be separated from the Nobel Prizes specified in the will of the philanthropist.

The announcement of the winner of the Economics Prize completed the 2017 Nobel Prize award cycle, which began on Monday, October 2, in Stockholm. Within a week, the names of Nobel Prize winners in medicine or physiology, physics, chemistry, and literature became known. The peace prize winner was announced in Oslo on Friday.