Why Was Reprogramming Mature Cells Worth a Nobel Prize?

[ChiralWaltz]

Nobel Prizes have started again this year. Physics on the 9th, Chemistry on the 10th, Peace Prize on the 12th and some others on different days.

The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent".

http://www.nobelprize.org/

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I thought Yamanaka would get a nobel prize one day, although I expected it to be after iPSCs had been developed into therapeutic products rather than at this early stage.

 

[AJKing]

Is there a live stream? I think this might be fun to watch, if I can a few people over.

 

[Zarqon]

Just announced at the live stream, the nobel prize in physics 2012 is shared by

Serge Haroche and Dave Wineland for
"for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems"

 

[Drakkith]

Just announced at the live stream, the nobel prize in physics 2012 is shared by

Serge Haroche and Dave Wineland for
"for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems"

What's that mean exactly?

 

[ChiralWaltz]

http://www.nobelprize.org/

^^

Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland have independently invented and developed methods for measuring and manipulating individual particles while preserving their quantum-mechanical nature, in ways that were previously thought unattainable.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2012/press.html(short read)

 

[ZapperZ]

More in-depth description of their work can be found here:

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2012/popular-physicsprize2012.pdf

Zz.

 

[Redbelly98]

As I said to my former thesis advisor in an email earlier today, it's a great day for AMO physics.

 

[Tosh5457]

Will the result of that work change anything in the theory of Quantum Mechanics? Isn't it somehow related to the Heisenberg's principle?

 

[cobalt124]

I thought Yamanaka would get a nobel prize one day, although I expected it to be after iPSCs had been developed into therapeutic products rather than at this early stage.

I thought it was an amazing discovery in its own right, irrespective of the therapeutic applications.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I thought it was an amazing discovery in its own right, irrespective of the therapeutic applications.

I agree it's an amazing discovery but that pales in comparison to the potential therapeutic applications.

 

[Zarqon]

What's that mean exactly?

It's a unusually general statement, and I interpreted it as they got the price at least partially as a lifetime achievement thing, since they have contributed to the control of quantum particles in a series of many experiments over decades.

 

[Drakkith]

It's a unusually general statement, and I interpreted it as they got the price at least partially as a lifetime achievement thing, since they have contributed to the control of quantum particles in a series of many experiments over decades.

Ah, I see. From the link in ZapperZ's post it seems they have done some pretty interesting things.

 

[Zarqon]

And as for more particular statements, the Chemistry Prize has now also been announced:

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2012 was awarded jointly to Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian K. Kobilka "for studies of G-protein-coupled receptors"

Overview of their work Here

 

[Einstein Mcfly]

Wow, the nobel committee folks sure love atom trapping experiments.

Can one of the local experts please explain how these contributions are that different from those of Chu/Cohen-Tanudji etc?

 

[lisab]

Congrats to all European PFers on your Nobel Peace Prize!

 

[lisab]

Congrats to all European PFers on your Nobel Peace Prize!

I'd like to know what the European PFers' view of this year's Peace Prize.

My view: another wasted opportunity by the Nobel committee. Look at some of their recent choices: Al Gore (won't go into why I think this is laughable). Barack Obama (he had just got into office - hadn't even figured out where the bathrooms are, for crying out loud! He did make a good speech though ). The UN (for doing their job from the comfy confines of New York city?).

Don't get me wrong - I'm very happy Europeans have resisted raping, pillaging, and killing each other for 67 years. Really I am! But there are a lot of people and organizations doing good work all over the world - in difficult situations, risking their lives to promote peace.

Just one woman's opinion here.

 

[Vanadium 50]

It is certainly true that it's difficult to understand how an organization that has been around for less than 20 years has kept the peace for 60.

 

[rootX]

It is certainly true that it's difficult to understand how an organization that has been around for less than 20 years has kept the peace for 60.

I believe the peace prize to EU as well Obama was a very meticulous political move. It appears the Nobel committee intends to influence the decisions of others and the way to do is by giving others peace prizes. During Obama time, I felt they wanted Obama to clear up the US-ME mess and now they want EU not to get dissolved over current financial crisis.

 

[atyy]

The UN (for doing their job from the comfy confines of New York city?).

Not to argue about who should have won the prize, but the UN does have offices in not so comfy places too, eg. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13253896.

I believe the peace prize to EU as well Obama was a very meticulous political move. It appears the Nobel committee intends to influence the decisions of others and the way to do is by giving others peace prizes. During Obama time, I felt they wanted Obama to clear up the US-ME mess and now they want EU not to get dissolved over current financial crisis.

I hope they award it to Romney next

 

[drizzle]

Not to argue about who should have won the prize, but the UN does have offices in not so comfy places too, eg. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13253896.



I hope they award it to Romney next

 

[kloptok]

I'd like to know what the European PFers' view of this year's Peace Prize.

My view: another wasted opportunity by the Nobel committee. Look at some of their recent choices: Al Gore (won't go into why I think this is laughable). Barack Obama (he had just got into office - hadn't even figured out where the bathrooms are, for crying out loud! He did make a good speech though ). The UN (for doing their job from the comfy confines of New York city?).

Don't get me wrong - I'm very happy Europeans have resisted raping, pillaging, and killing each other for 67 years. Really I am! But there are a lot of people and organizations doing good work all over the world - in difficult situations, risking their lives to promote peace.

Just one woman's opinion here.

And one man's opinion too! Couldn't agree more, I don't know what the Norwegian committee is doing these days. It seems like every other year there is a meltdown in the committee and the prize is just randomly tossed out to someone that they feel like showing their political support for. Nowadays the Sacharov prize (ironically awarded by the EU) is something I respect more. My bet is that the peace prize next year goes to Madonna!

 

[Andre]

- I'm very happy Europeans have resisted raping, pillaging, and killing each other for 67 years. .

Both Bosnia and Serbia are candidate members of the EU, when they enter, that 67 years would reduce to something like 15 years.

 

[chiro]

The Nobel Peace Prize has lost any shred of decency if it had any: give someone a prize for doing absolutely nothing (President), then give some shoddy organization a prize when the whole experiment is in chaos (EU), and riots in multiple countries are happening in large part due to this ridiculous experiment of financial theatre.

Have you seen what's going on lately? Have you seen the chaos that's happening right now as we speak? Have you seen the breakdown that's happening again as we speak?

What a joke.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

It is certainly true that it's difficult to understand how an organization that has been around for less than 20 years has kept the peace for 60.

Actually the EU has a history stretching back to just after the second world war with the European Coal and Steel Community which was intended to minimise future risk of war by encouraging interconnected economies in Europe. This later merged with another organisation to form the European Economic Community which later formed the European Union.

Even with recent economic problems I think the EU is a fantastic institution. However I have little respect for the Nobel Peace prize, it's credibility disappeared for me when it started giving the prize to people who had yet to do anything in a vain attempt to encourage them to do so in future.

 

[gravenewworld]

Not sure why the IPS stem cells discovery got the prize. They don't even work, unless of course you're trying to cause a teratoma. It should have been given later and split w someone that can figure out how to apply it.

How much would an IPS therapy even cost? That issue is huge and almost always ignored. What's the point of a therapy that's going to cost >$100k when it won't be accessible to 99% of people?

 

[cobalt124]

Nobel prizes should not be awarded to institutions IMO. It becomes devalued. As for the EEC/EU the one thing it has more or less achieved is peace in Europe for sixty years or so.

 

[arildno]

Mr. Jagland, who is an EUtriot (and vain idiot as well), happens to be the President in the European Council organization, as well as leader of the Nobel Committee.

He is dealing out the prize to his various pet projects, like his first prize to (an understandably embarassed) Obama, and now to the EU

 

[arildno]

Nobel prizes should not be awarded to institutions IMO. It becomes devalued. As for the EEC/EU the one thing it has more or less achieved is peace in Europe for sixty years or so.

Nope.
NATO did that, or the value of having a common ideological enemy in the communis regimes.

 

[arildno]

I believe the peace prize to EU as well Obama was a very meticulous political move. It appears the Nobel committee intends to influence the decisions of others and the way to do is by giving others peace prizes. During Obama time, I felt they wanted Obama to clear up the US-ME mess and now they want EU not to get dissolved over current financial crisis.

Certainly.
There is no doubt in Norway that Mr. Jagland is a man of limitless ambition and bottomless stupidity.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Nope.
NATO did that, or the value of having a common ideological enemy in the communis regimes.

They both have helped in different ways. To suggest that the EU has had no effect on peace in Europe is a hard position to defend.

 

[arildno]

They both have helped in different ways. To suggest that the EU has had no effect on peace in Europe is a hard position to defend.

Not really.
1. What specific prewar escalations have happened witin the Eurozone during the last 60 years where it is provable that it was the mediating efforts of the (proto-)EU that helped ameliorate?

2. What wars have broken out with at least one of the european antagonists a non-EU-member?

Do come with any specific instances of EUs critical peace-saving role on the European continent.

 

[Vanadium 50]

NATO did that, or the value of having a common ideological enemy in the communis regimes

Perhaps, but the chances of getting Jagland to admit that (much less reward it) are about the same as having the Plebiscite of 1905 repealed.

 

[arildno]

Perhaps, but the chances of getting Jagland to admit that (much less reward it) are about the same as having the Plebiscite of 1905 repealed.

Eeh, which of them?
We had two..

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Not really.
1. What specific prewar escalations have happened witin the Eurozone during the last 60 years where it is provable that it was the mediating efforts of the (proto-)EU that helped ameliorate?

You're looking at it backwards, the purpose of interconnected european economies was to mitigate the need for escalation.

 

[arildno]

You're looking at it backwards, the purpose of interconnected european economies was to mitigate the need for escalation.

So the establishment of the Coal and Steel union prevented Great Britain from attacking Finland in 1952?
Or Spain from attacking Portugal in 1964??

There are no incidents (or non-incidents) whatsoever in which EU can be shown to have had any peace-keeping role whatsoever, that idea is a merely religious dogma, without any sort of empirical foundation.

 

[Redbelly98]

The Economics Prize was announced today.

http://news.yahoo.com/americans-roth-shaply-win-nobel-prize-economics-110737894.html

The award citation said Shapley had used game theory to study and compare various matching methods and how to make sure the matches were acceptable to all counterparts, including the creation of a special algorithm.

Roth followed up on Shapley's results in a series of empirical studies and helped redesign existing institutions so that new doctors could be matched with hospitals, students with schools or patients with organ donors.

When I read that, I thought of eBay and craigslist, matching people who want to get rid of stuff they no longer want with people who want that stuff.

 

[AlephZero]

Roth followed up on Shapley's results in a series of empirical studies and helped redesign existing institutions so that new doctors could be matched with hospitals, students with schools or patients with organ donors.

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19946503 I got the impression that (1) Gales and Shapley invented some theory, (2) Roth discovered that the hospitals were already doing the same thing as the theory predicted they ought to be doing, (3) therefore the theory must be right.

You could draw the alternative conclusion that (3) having the theory didn't add any value to the situation - but hey, this is economics, not "hard science".

Actually, this is a bit more informative (though even Ms Flanders doens't have much time for macro-economists, it seems): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19954671

 

[Redbelly98]

You could draw the alternative conclusion that (3) having the theory didn't add any value to the situation - but hey, this is economics, not "hard science".

But the theory has been used to improve other situations. From your 2nd link to the Flanders article:

Mr Roth helped New York City redesign its system for allocating children to public school places. Using his algorithm led to a 90% fall in the number of students who ended up in schools that they had not even included among their five listed preferences. Now cities all over the US use some form of Mr Roth's algorithm for allocating students to schools.

 

[AlephZero]

But the theory has been used to improve other situations.

An audio explanation of why solving this problem was worth a Nobel prize: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nbrjc

Skip to time 18:30. (Note this will only be available for a few days).