Francois Englert and Peter W. Higgs Awarded Nobel Prize For Boson Discovery

The 2013 Nobel season is underway. Reader rtoz writes "Francois Englert and Peter W. Higgs won the 2013 Nobel Prize For Physics. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences cited the two scientists for the 'theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles.'" Update: 10/08 13:18 GMT by T : More Nobel news: The New York Times reports that "Three Americans won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for discovering the machinery that regulates how cells transport major molecules in a cargo system that delivers them to the right place at the right time." The three are James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman; and Dr. Thomas C. Südhof, of Yale, UC Berkeley, and Stanford, respectively.

Comments

Huh, earlier than expected

[sandytaru]

I suppose since the Higgs boson has been more or less validated at this point (at least as close as we can with our feeble technology), the Nobel committee decided it was time to recognize them.

Sorry, no respect

[DNS-and-BIND]

On an intellectual level, I know that the Nobel science prizes have no relationship to the Nobel Peace Prize.

But on an emotional level, fuck the Nobels on general principles. They awarded a man a prize for no accomplishments. Anything labeled "Nobel Prize" has about as much meaning as an Emmy or an Oscar (both are insider 1%ers giving tribute to other insider 1%ers). To be quite frank, I have more respect for the Ignobel Awards or the Confucius Peace Prize.

Sorry, but that's how it is, and that's how it has to be. And don't say the Nobel committee didn't know this when it awarded the Prize to an undeserving recipient. They knew exactly what they were doing and took great delight in giving the middle finger to the rest of us.