The Nobel Prizes are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. He died in 1896. In his will, he bequeathed all of his "remaining realizable assets" to be used to establish five prizes which became known as "Nobel Prizes." Nobel Prizes were first awarded in 1901. Continue reading

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to a pair of scientists who developed the technology that led to the mRNA Covid vaccines. Professors Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman will share the prize. The technology was experimental before the pandemic, but has now been given to millions of people around the world to protect them against serious Covid-19. The same mRNA technology is now being researched for other diseases, including cancer.

This year's Nobel Prize in Physics rewards experiments with light that capture "the shortest of moments" and opened a window on the world of electrons. The award goes to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier. Their work demonstrated a way to create extremely short pulses of light that can be used to capture and study rapid processes inside atoms.

Quantum dots: TV screen crystals win Chemistry Nobel Prize   BBC - October 4, 2023

The Nobel Prize for chemistry has been awarded to three scientists for their work in developing what are called quantum dots. People may have come across these tiny crystals in their QLED TV sets where the nanoparticles create color. They are also used in medical imaging to guide surgeons, in better targeting of cancer drugs, and in solar panels. Winners Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov will share the 11m Swedish krona prize equal to $1,019,453.

Jon Fosse: Norwegian author and playwright wins Nobel Literature Prize for his innovative plays and prose which gives voice to the unsayable   BBC - October 5, 2023

He admitted he was overwhelmed and somewhat frightened by the win, which he said rewarded his work that first and foremost aims to be literature, without other considerations. Fosse's works span 40 plays plus novels, essays, children's books and translations. His works touch on the deepest feelings that you have - anxieties, insecurities, questions of life and death - such things that every human being actually confronts from the very beginning.

Jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi wins Nobel Peace Prize   BBC - October 6, 2023

Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian activist, was named as the recipient of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all. The closely watched announcement, made by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, comes after women-led protests in Iran that convulsed the country following the death in police custody of a 22-year-old who had been arrested by the country’s morality police.

The head of the Nobel committee lauded Mohammadi's fight against the oppression of women in the country, saying she was "freedom fighter". The activist is currently serving a lengthy sentence in Tehran's notorious Evin prison - the committee said it hoped Iran would soon release her. The award comes after more than a year of protests in Iran spearheaded by women Her family said the award was a historic and profound moment for Iran's fight for freedom.

Nobel economics prize awarded to Claudia Goldin for work on women's pay   BBC - October 9, 2023

This year's Nobel economics prize has been awarded to Claudia Goldin, an American economic historian, for her work on women's employment and pay. Prof Goldin's research uncovered key drivers behind the gender pay gap. She is only the third woman to receive the prize, and the first to not share the award with male colleagues. The 77-year-old academic currently teaches labour market history at Harvard University in the US.