GUWAHATI: The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M. Jumper for groundbreaking achievements in the field of protein. Baker was recognised “for computational protein design,” while Hassabis and Jumper were honoured “for protein structure prediction.” This announcement, made on Wednesday, October 9, follows the awarding of the physics Nobel to two AI pioneers just a day earlier.
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The chemistry laureates have collectively transformed the understanding of proteins—the fundamental components of life. David Baker’s work on creating new proteins from scratch is nothing short of revolutionary, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in molecular biology.
Meanwhile, Hassabis and Jumper, co-founders of the AI-driven research initiative at DeepMind, have made significant strides in predicting the structure of proteins. Their accomplishments have cracked the complex code of protein architecture, a crucial step for advancements in medical science and biotechnology.
Last year’s chemistry award went to researchers focused on quantum dots, ultra-tiny particles that shine in vivid colors and are used in applications from medical imaging to electronic displays.
The annual Nobel announcements kicked off on Monday, with Americans Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun winning the medicine prize for their work in RNA. The physics award went to machine learning trailblazers John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton. This week’s announcements continue with the Literature Prize on Thursday, the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, and the Economics Prize following on October 14.
The Nobel Prizes, established by Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, come with a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million), and laureates will receive their prizes on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, at the annual Nobel ceremony in Stockholm.