The Science Nobel Prizes Explained in 3 Minutes

The Nobel Prize Committee gives awards to those who provide the greatest benefit to mankind. And a handful of those scientists make the cut every year. This year's winners tinkered with evolution in the lab, developed therapeutics that help fight cancer, and created lasers so powerful they can peek inside an atom. They're investigating science at the micron level, and their groundbreaking discoveries are completely changing the way we look at our own world. There are three major science categories for the Nobel Prizes Medicine, Chemistry, and Physics. And the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for breakthroughs in immunotherapy. James Allison and Tasuku Honjo developed research that led to the rise of new immunotherapy drugs. See, our immune system has specialized cells called T-cells that attack any foreign invaders, like viruses and bacteria. Think of them like your system's bodyguard. They're looking out for the enemies in your midst. But the thing with cancer is, your own cells are the enemy. So the T-cells don't know to fight them off. So Allison and Honjo found a way to tweak the T-cells by blocking two specific receptors, CTLA-4 and PD-1. This helped activate the immune system to go after cancer cells. Human trials started in the 2010s, and they've been effective against a whole host of cancers. Next up, Chemistry. Francis Arnold, George Smith, and Sir Gregory Winter split the Nobel Prize for their respective work on directing the evolution of enzymes and antibodies. You see, enzymes are the workhorses of the cell. They're biomolecules with distinct jobs that help us live, like synthesizing our nutrients into energy. Arnold's research used enzymes' natural ability to adapt and mutate. And she mutated them to the point where they would perform even better than nature intended. This was used by other scientists for years, and goes beyond medical practices. For instance, she converted sugars to alcohol for biofuels, which could help pave the path for fewer fuel emissions. Smith discovered something called phage display, a method of hacking bacteriophages, which are viruses that infect bacteria to create new proteins. And then Winter used the technique to direct the evolution of antibodies, leading to new therapies to treat diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. And finally, let's roll in those lasers. The Physics Prize was split among Arthur Ashkin, who developed optical tweezers, and Gerard Maroux and Donna Strickland, who won for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses. Ashkin's optical tweezers started off with the idea that focused laser beams have concentrated photons in the center, and by placing the two beams near each other, they create a radiative pressure on small objects. This causes objects to be trapped between the two lasers, like a tractor beam out of a movie. This is useful for scientists who want to trap tiny things, like cells and atoms. Now, Strickland and Maroux created controllable, ultra-sharp laser beams. Back in the 1980s, instruments weren't equipped to handle super-powerful lasers yet, but Strickland and Maroux found that if they stretched out the laser pulses, it could reduce its peak power enough. The laser then could be compressed into the ultra-short, high-intensity pulses they wanted, allowing us to look inside individual atoms. This laser tool is used for semiconductors, medical stints, and corrective eye surgeries. So, there are immeasurable applications to what these Nobel winners have created. Each one of them has made a technique or a tool that's revised our view of the microscopic world that we're only still learning about. We've laid important foundations in science that are extending our frontiers of knowledge about the bigger world around us. Like science in your day? Go ahead and subscribe. And if groundbreaking science to benefit mankind is too low of a bar for you, check out this detailed video about what else you need to win a Nobel Prize. Although Nobel Prizes have been awarded to 923 people, only 48 of them have been women, and Donna Strickland marks the third woman ever to win the Nobel Prize in Physics. You go, Donna! Thanks for watching.