Trending Topics of the Month Oct-23

2023 Nobel Prize Winner

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023 was awarded jointly to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier “for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter”

1. Pierre Agostini  
The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
2. Ferenc Krausz
Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Garching and 
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
3. Anne L'Huillier 
Lund University, Sweden 

“for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter”

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Know what they have been awarded for:The three Nobel Laureates in Physics 2023 are being recognised for their experiments, which have given humanity new tools for exploring the world of electrons inside atoms and molecules. Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier have demonstrated a way to create extremely short pulses of light that can be used to measure the rapid processes in which electrons move or change energy.Fast-moving events flow into each other when perceived by humans, just like a film that consists of still images is perceived as continual movement. If we want to investigate really brief events, we need special technology. In the world of electrons, changes occur in a few tenths of an attosecond – an attosecond is so short that there are as many in one second as there have been seconds since the birth of the universe. The laureates’

Know what they have been awarded for:

The three Nobel Laureates in Physics 2023 are being recognised for their experiments, which have given humanity new tools for exploring the world of electrons inside atoms and molecules. Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier have demonstrated a way to create extremely short pulses of light that can be used to measure the rapid processes in which electrons move or change energy. Fast-moving events flow into each other when perceived by humans, just like a film that consists of still images is perceived as continual movement.

If we want to investigate really brief events, we need special technology. In the world of electrons, changes occur in a few tenths of an attosecond – an attosecond is so short that there are as many in one second as there have been seconds since the birth of the universe. The laureates experiments have produced pulses of light so short that they are measured in attoseconds, thus demonstrating that these pulses can be used to provide images of processes inside atoms and molecules.

In 1987, Anne L’Huillier discovered that many different overtones of light arose when she transmitted infrared laser light through a noble gas. Each overtone is a light wave with a given number of cycles for each cycle in the laser light. They are caused by the laser light interacting with atoms in the gas; it gives some electrons extra energy that is then emitted as light. Anne L’Huillier has continued to explore this phenomenon, laying the ground for subsequent breakthroughs.

In 2001, Pierre Agostini succeeded in producing and investigating a series of consecutive light pulses, in which each pulse lasted just 250 attoseconds. At the same time, Ferenc Krausz was working with another type of experiment, one that made it possible to isolate a single light pulse that lasted 650 attoseconds. The laureates’ contributions have enabled the investigation of processes that are so rapid they were previously impossible to follow.

There are potential applications in many different areas. In electronics, for example, it is important to understand and control how electrons behave in a material. Attosecond pulses can also be used to identify different molecules, such as in medical diagnostic

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 was awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov “for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots”

1. Moungi G. Bawendi
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 
Cambridge, MA, USA
2. Louis E. Brus
Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
3. Alexei I. Ekimov
Nanocrystals Technology Inc., New York, NY, USA

“for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots”

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Know what they have been awarded for: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 rewards the discovery and development of quantum dots, nanoparticles so tiny that their size determines their properties. These smallest components of nanotechnology now spread their light from televisions and LED lamps, and can also guide surgeons when they remove tumour tissue, among many other things.Everyone who studies chemistry learns that an element’s properties are governed by how many electrons it has. However, when matter shrinks to nanodimensions quantum phenomena arise; these are governed by the size of the matter. The Nobel Laureates in Chemistry 2023 have succeeded in producing particles so small that their properties are determined by quantum phenomena. The particles, which are called quantum dots, are now of great importance in nanotechnology.Physicists had long known that in theory size-dependent quantum effects could arise in nanoparticles, but at that time it was almost impossible to sculpt in nanodimensions. Therefore, few people believed that this knowledge would be put to practical use. However, in the early 1980s, Alexei Ekimov succeeded in creating size-dependent quantum effects in coloured glass. The colour came from nanoparticles of copper chloride and Ekimov demonstrated that the particle size affected the colour of the glass via quantum effects.A few years later, Louis Brus was the first scientist in the world to prove size-dependent quantum effects in particles floating freely in a fluid. In 1993, Moungi Bawendi revolutionised the chemical production of quantum dots, resulting in almost perfect particles. This high quality was necessary for them to be utilised in applications.Quantum dots now illuminate computer monitors and television screens based on QLED technology. They also add nuance to the light of some LED lamps, and biochemists and doctors use them to map biological tissue.Quantum dots are thus bringing the greatest benefit to humankind. Researchers believe that in the future they could contribute to flexible electronics, tiny sensors, thinner solar cells and encrypted quantum communication – so we have just started exploring the potential of these tiny particles.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to

“for their discoveries concerning base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19”

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet

Know what they have been awarded for:

The discoveries by the two Nobel Laureates were critical for developing effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 during the pandemic that began in early 2020. Through their groundbreaking findings, which have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.

Vaccines before the pandemic

Vaccination stimulates the formation of an immune response to a particular pathogen. This gives the body a head start in the fight against disease in the event of a later exposure. Vaccines based on killed or weakened viruses have long been available, exemplified by the vaccines against polio, measles, and yellow fever. In 1951, Max Theiler was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for developing the yellow fever vaccine.Thanks to the progress in molecular biology in recent decades, vaccines based on individual viral components, rather than whole viruses, have been developed. Parts of the viral genetic code, usually encoding proteins found on the virus surface, are used to make proteins that stimulate the formation of virus-blocking antibodies. Examples are the vaccines against the hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus. Alternatively, parts of the viral genetic code can be moved to a harmless carrier virus, a “vector.” This method is used in vaccines against the Ebola virus. When vector vaccines are injected, the selected viral protein is produced in our cells, stimulating an immune response against the targeted virus. Producing whole virus-, protein- and vector-based vaccines requires large-scale cell culture. This resourceintensive process limits the possibilities for rapid vaccine production in response to outbreaks and pandemics. Therefore, researchers have long attempted to develop vaccine technologies independent of cell culture, but this proved challenging.

The breakthrough

Karikó and Weissman noticed that dendritic cells recognize in vitro transcribed mRNA as a foreign substance, which leads to their activation and the release of inflammatory signaling molecules. They wondered why the in vitro transcribed mRNA was recognized as foreign while mRNA from mammalian cells did not give rise to the same reaction. Karikó and Weissman realized that some critical properties must distinguish the different types of mRNA.RNA contains four bases, abbreviated A, U, G, and C, corresponding to A, T, G, and C in DNA, the letters of the genetic code. Karikó and Weissman knew that bases in RNA from mammalian cells are frequently chemically modified, while in vitro transcribed mRNA is not. They wondered if the absence of altered bases in the in vitro transcribed RNA could explain the unwanted inflammatory reaction. To investigate this, they produced different variants of mRNA, each with unique chemical alterations in their bases, which they delivered to dendritic cells. The results were striking: The inflammatory response was almost abolished when base modifications were included in the mRNA. This was a paradigm change in our understanding of how cells recognize and respond to different forms of mRNA. Karikó and Weissman immediately understood that their discovery had profound significance for using mRNA as therapy. These seminal results were published in 2005, fifteen years before the COVID-19 pandemic.Through their discoveries that base modifications both reduced inflammatory responses and increased protein production, Karikó and Weissman had eliminated critical obstacles on the way to clinical applications of mRNA

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2023

The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2023 is awarded to the Norwegian author

“for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”.

Mats Malm, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academ

Know what he has been awarded for:

Jon Fosse, one of the world’s most performed playwrights, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The versatile Norwegian’s work includes everything from plays and novels, written in a pared-back minimalist style, to poetry collections, essays and children’s books.

There have been more than 1,000 different productions of his plays, while his work, written in “new Norwegian”, has been translated into 40 different languages.

Among them is the Septology series of three books: The Other Name (2019), I is Another (2020), and A New Name (2021).

Swedish Academy member Anders Olsson said Fosse’s work “touches on the deepest feelings that you have, anxieties, insecurities, questions of life and death … It has a sort of universal impact”. His immense oeuvre written in Norwegian Nynorsk (one of Norway’s written forms of languages) and spanning a variety of genres consists of a wealth of plays, novels, poetry collections, essays, children’s books and translations”.

While he is today one of the most widely performed playwrights in the world, he has also become increasingly recognised for his prose.Fosse grew up in a family which followed a strict form of Lutheranism and rebelled by playing in a band and declaring himself an atheist. He ended up converting to Catholicism in 2013.

After studying literature, he made his debut in 1983 with the novel Red, Black which moves back and forth in time and between perspectives.His latest book, Septology, a semi-autobiographical magnum opus, seven parts spread across three volumes about a man who meets another version of himself, runs to 1,250 pages without a single full stop.

The Nobel Peace Prize 2023

The Nobel Peace Prize 2023 was awarded to

“for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee

Know what she has been awarded for:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 to Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.Her brave struggle has come with tremendous personal costs. Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. Ms Mohammadi is still in prison.

In September 2022 a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Jina Amini, was killed while in the custody of the Iranian morality police. Her killing triggered the largest political demonstrations against Iran’s theocratic regime since it came to power in 1979. Under the slogan

hundreds of thousands of Iranians took part in peaceful protests against the authorities’ brutality and oppression of women. The regime cracked down hard on the protests: more than 500 demonstrators were killed. Thousands were injured, including many who were blinded by rubber bullets fired by the police. At least 20 000 people were arrested and held in regime custody.

The motto adopted by the demonstrators – “Woman –Life – Freedom” – suitably expresses the dedication and work of Narges Mohammadi.Woman. She fights for women against systematic discrimination and oppression.

She supports women’s struggle for the right to live full and dignified lives. This struggle across Iran has been met with persecution, imprisonment, torture and even death.

She fights for freedom of expression and the right of independence, and against rules requiring women to remain out of sight and to cover their bodies. The freedom demands expressed by demonstrators apply not only to women, but to the entire population.

In the 1990s, as a young physics student, Narges Mohammadi was already distinguishing herself as an advocate for equality and women’s rights. After concluding her studies, she worked as an engineer as well as a columnist in various reform-minded newspapers.

In 2003 she became involved with the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Tehran, an organisation founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. In 2011 Ms Mohammadi was arrested for the first time and sentenced to many years of imprisonment for her efforts to assist incarcerated activists and their families.

Two years later, after her release on bail, Ms Mohammadi immersed herself in a campaign against use of the death penalty. Iran has long been among the countries that execute the highest proportion of their inhabitants annually. Just since January 2022, more than 860 prisoners have been punished by death in Iran. Her activism against the death penalty led to the rearrest of Ms Mohammadi in 2015, and to a sentence of additional years behind walls.

Upon her return to prison, she began opposing the regime’s systematic use of torture and sexualised violence against political prisoners, especially women, that is practised in Iranian prisons.Last year’s wave of protests became known to the political prisoners held inside the notorious Evin prison in Tehran.

Once again, Ms Mohammadi assumed leadership. From prison she expressed support for the demonstrators and organised solidarity actions among her fellow inmates. The prison authorities responded by imposing even stricter conditions. Ms Mohammadi was prohibited from receiving calls and visitors.

She nevertheless managed to smuggle out an article which the New York Times published on the one-year anniversary of Mahsa Jina Amini’s killing. The message was: “The more of us they lock up, the stronger we become.” From captivity, Ms Mohammadi has helped to ensure that the protests have not ebbed out.Narges Mohammadi is a woman, a human rights advocate, and a freedom fighter. In awarding her this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honour her courageous fight for human rights, freedom, and democracy in Iran.

This year’s Peace Prize also recognises the hundreds of thousands of people who, in the preceding year, have demonstrated against the theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women. Only by embracing equal rights for all can the world achieve the fraternity between nations that Alfred Nobel sought to promote. The award to Narges Mohammadi follows a long tradition in which the Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Peace Prize to those working to advance social justice, human rights, and democracy. These are important preconditions for lasting peace.

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2023

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2023 was awarded to

“for having advanced our understanding of women’s labour market outcomes”

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Know what she has been awarded for:

This year’s Laureate in the Economic Sciences, Claudia Goldin, provided the first comprehensive account of women’s earnings and labour market participation through the centuries. Her research reveals the causes of change, as well as the main sources of the remaining gender gap.

Women are vastly underrepresented in the global labour market and, when they work, they earn less than men. Claudia Goldin has trawled the archives and collected over 200 years of data from the US, allowing her to demonstrate how and why gender differences in earnings and employment rates have changed over time. Goldin showed that female participation in the labour market did not have an upward trend over this entire period, but instead forms a U-shaped curve.

The participation of married women decreased with the transition from an agrarian to an industrial society in the early nineteenth century, but then started to increase with the growth of the service sector in the early twentieth century. Goldin explained this pattern as the result of structural change and evolving social norms regarding women’s responsibilities for home and family.

During the twentieth century, women’s education levels continuously increased, and in most high-income countries they are now substantially higher than for men.Goldin demonstrated that access to the contraceptive pill played an important role in accelerating this revolutionary change by offering new opportunities for career planning

Despite modernisation, economic growth and rising proportions of employed women in the twentieth century, for a long period of time the earnings gap between women and men hardly closed. According to Goldin, part of the explanation is that educational decisions, which impact a lifetime of career opportunities, are made at a relatively young age.

If the expectations of young women are formed by the experiences of previous generations – for instance, their mothers, who did not go back to work until the children had grown up – then development will be slow.Historically, much of the gender gap in earnings could be explained by differences in education and occupational choices. However, Goldin has shown that the bulk of this earnings difference is now between and women in the same occupation, and that it largely arises with the birth of the first child.

About – Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize is a set of annual international awards bestowed in several categories by Swedish and Norwegian institutions in recognition of academic, cultural, or scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist, engineer and industrialist Alfred Nobel established the five Nobel prizes in 1895. The prizes in Chemistry, Literature, Peace,Physics, and Physiology or Medicine were first awarded in 1901. In 1968, Sweden’s central bank Sveriges Riksbank established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.

The prize is not awarded posthumously; however, if a person is awarded a prize and dies before receiving it, the prize may still be presented.

Prize may not be shared among more than three individuals, although the Nobel Peace Prize can be awarded to organizations of more than three people.

Outstanding contributions for humanity in chemistry, literature, peace, physics, physiology or medicine, and economic sciences

Sweden (all prizes except the Peace Prize), Norway (Peace Prize only)

Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute (Physiology or Medicine), Norwegian Nobel Committee (Peace), Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Chemistry, Economic Sciences, Physics), Swedish Academy (Literature)

The Nobel Prize amount for 2023 is set at Swedish kronor (SEK) 11.0 million per full Nobel Prize

Asian Games Hangzhou 2022

The 2022 Asian Games, officially the 19th Asian Games, is a continental multi-sport event which was held from 23 September to 8 October 2023 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

The games marked the 110th anniversary since the creation of the first continental event, starting with the 1913 Far Eastern Championship Games. Originally scheduled to take place from 10 to 25 September 2022, on 6 May 2022 the Games were postponed to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new dates were announced on 19 July 2022. Hangzhou is the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games, after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010. Note: Hangzhou was officially awarded as the host city on 16 September 2015 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, during the 34th OCA General Assembly.

Emblem

The emblem of the Games, “Surging Tides”, was unveiled on 6 August 2018; it is designed to resemble a traditional hand fan from Zheijang, a running track, the Qiantang River tidal bore, and radio waves (symbolising wireless connectivity).

Mascot

The three mascots of the Games, Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen, known collectively as the “Memories of Jiangnan” whose name derives from the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi’s famous sentence “When I recall Jiangnan, Hangzhou brings back most of my memories,” were unveiled on 3 April 2020. They are depicted as robotic superheroes originating from the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, the West Lake and the Grand Canal respectively. Congcong derives its name from the Cong jade pendant unearthed from the Archeological Ruins. Lianlian derives its name from the lotus leaves in the West Lake. Chenchen derives its name from the Gongchen Bridge, a landmark structurein the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal.

Motto

The official motto of the 2022 Asian Games, “Heart to Heart, @Future” was announced on 15 December 2019 to mark 1,000 days before the opening ceremonies. The motto is intended to symbolise the connectivity that the Asian Games create between the countries of Asia.

Medals

On 15 June 2023, the medal design named “Shan Shui” was released. Its design was inspired by Jade Cong in the Liangzhu Culture. The obverse featured the Games edition logo, misty hills, the city, a rippling lake and undulating mountains, while the reverse featured the Asian Games Sun Emblem and the name of the event in Chinese and English.

Music

The official theme song of the Games, “With You and Me”, was released along with its music video on April27, 2023. It is performed by Angela Zhang, Jackson Wang, Sunnee and JC-T. The song was selected through a global song contest and was originally created by a production team from Thailand, Nadao Music. The original title of the song is “Let’s Celebrate” and was sung by Ice Paris, Billkin, PP Krit and Nana Sawanya.

Torch relay

On 10 September 2021, the final torch design of the 2022 Asian Games called “Eternal Flame” was unveiled. It has an overall height of 730 millimetres and a net weight of 1.2 kilograms.

2022 Asian Games medal table: Country Wise

India in Asian Games 2022

Important Points to Consider:

1. India’s medal haul comprised 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze with the country achieving its best performance in terms of specific colours as well.
2. Shooting fetched India the most number of gold medals (7) followed by athletics (6) and archery (5).
3. Compound archers Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Deotale won the most gold medals (3) for the country.

Supreme Court’s verdict on same-sex marriages: Explained

A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court has announced a 3:2 verdict on petitions seeking the rights for members of the LGBTQ community to marry and choose family. The Court declined to legalise same-sex marriage, placing it upon the Parliament and State governments to decide if non-heterosexual unions can be legally recognised.

Though all five judges (comprises of Justices DY Chnadrachud, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha) accepted that it was time to end discrimination against same-sex couples, they failed to reach a consensus on giving queer couples the status of a legally recognised “civil union,” with a majority of three judges holding that any legal status to such a union can only be through enacted law.

Opinions:

• The CJI and Justice Kaul batted for civil unions for non-heterosexual couples. The CJI added that the SC cannot strike down the provisions of the Special Marriage Act (SMA) or read words differently. The focus of the petitions filed is the gender-neutral interpretation of the SMA. It is a secular legislation designed to facilitate inter-caste and inter-faith marriages. The petitioners have sought a broader interpretation of the SMA to include same-sex marriages too
• Justice Kaul said the legal recognition of civil unions for non-heterosexual couples represents a step towards marriage equality. But all five judges agreed that there is no fundamental right to marry and in a majority verdict, the court has ruled against same-sex marriage. The majority view is that the legislature or Parliament must decide on bringing in same-sex marriage.
• The top court had heard the arguments over 10 days in April and May. Arguments ranging from the right to equality to the right to privacy, the legal privileges and rights bestowed by marriage, and the impact of same sex marriages on children were made. Those opposing the petitioners included the Central government, the national child rights body NCPCR, and the Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind, a body of Islamic scholars.

Legality of Same-Sex Marriages in India

The right to marry is not expressly recognized either as a fundamental or constitutional right under the Indian Constitution but a statutory right. Though marriage is regulated through various statutory enactments, its recognition as a fundamental right has only developed through judicial decisions of India’s Supreme Court. Such declaration of law is binding on all courts throughout India under Article 141 of the Constitution. All marriages in India can be registered under the respective personal law Hindu Marriage Act, 1955,Muslim Marriage Act, 1954, or under the Special Marriage Act, 1954. It is the duty of the judiciary to ensure that the rights of both the husband and wife are protected. The Special Marriage Act, 1954 is an Act of the Parliament of India with provision for civil marriage for people of India and all Indian nationals in foreign countries, irrespective of religion or faith followed by either party.

What is the Special Marriage Act:

A marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 allows people from two different religious backgrounds to come together in the bond of marriage. The Special Marriage Act, 1954 lays down the procedure for both solemnization and registration of marriage, where either of the husband or wife or both are not Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, or Sikhs.According to this Act, the couples have to serve a notice with the relevant documents to the Marriage Officer 30 days before the intended date of the marriage.

Arguments in Favour of Same Sex Marriage

1. Same-sex couples should have the same legal rights and protections as opposite-sex couples
2. Non-recognition of same-sex marriage amounted to discrimination that struck at the root of the dignity of LBTQIA+ couples.
3. Marriage provides social and economic benefits to couples and their families which will also benefit the same-sex people.
4. Cohabitation is a fundamental right, and it is the government’s obligation to legally recognize the social impact of such relationships.
5. The biological gender is not absolute, and that gender is more complex than just one’s genitals. There is no absolute concept of a man or a woman.
6. Same-sex marriage is legal in many countries around the world, and denying this right to individuals in a democratic society goes against the global principles.

Arguments Against Same Sex Marriage

1. They argue that changing the traditional definition of marriage would go against the fundamental principles of their beliefs and values.
2. Some people argue that the primary purpose of marriage is procreation, and that same-sex couples cannot have biological children.
3. There are concerns that allowing same-sex marriage will create legal problems, such as issues with inheritance, tax, and property rights.
4. When queer couples adopt children, it can lead to societal stigma, discrimination, and negative impacts on the child’s emotional and psychological well-being, especially in Indian society where acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community is not universal.

Conclusion:

The legalisation of same-sex marriage requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders, including the LGBTQIA+ community, the government, civil society, and religious leaders. By working together, we can create a more inclusive society where everyone has the right to love and marry whomever they choose, regardless of their gender.