Ryan Chester is the 2015 'Breakthrough Junior Challenge' winner for this video explaining the special theory of relativity and its relation to time. Ryan Chester
The Breakthrough Prize has been running for just three years, but is already becoming one of the most glamorous awards in maths and science.
Created by a team of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, including Yuri Milner, Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sergey Brin, the 2015 Breakthrough awarded £14.6m in prize money, with just under £2m going to the winners -- three times that given to Nobel Prize winners.
"By challenging conventional thinking and expanding knowledge over the long term, scientists can solve the biggest problems of our time," said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "The Breakthrough Prize honours achievements in science and maths so we can encourage more pioneering research and celebrate scientists as the heroes they truly are."
This year seven prizes were awarded for breakthroughs in life sciences, maths and physics at a star-studded ceremony led by Seth MacFarlane and Pharrell Williams.
Here are some of the highlights.
The Breakthrough Prize has been running for just three years, but is already becoming one of the most glamorous awards in maths and science.
Edward Boyden, winner of the Life Sciences Breakthrough PrizeC Flanigan/Getty
"By challenging conventional thinking and expanding knowledge over the long term, scientists can solve the biggest problems of our time," said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "The Breakthrough Prize honours achievements in science and maths so we can encourage more pioneering research and celebrate scientists as the heroes they truly are."
This year seven prizes were awarded for breakthroughs in life sciences, maths and physics at a star-studded ceremony led by Seth MacFarlane and Pharrell Williams.
Here are some of the highlights.
BRAIN HACKING
One of the Life Sciences Breakthrough Prizes went to two researchers for their roles in developing optogenetics -- the manipulation of electrical brain activity using light signals.Edward Boyden and Karl Deisseroth were part of a team that published research on optogenetics back in 2005.
Since the discovery, optogenetics has been used to stop rats binge drinking, wipe and restore memories in rats, and helptreat depression.
One of the Life Sciences Breakthrough Prizes went to two researchers for their roles in developing optogenetics -- the manipulation of electrical brain activity using light signals.Edward Boyden and Karl Deisseroth were part of a team that published research on optogenetics back in 2005.
Since the discovery, optogenetics has been used to stop rats binge drinking, wipe and restore memories in rats, and helptreat depression.
ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH
Another Life Sciences award went to the discovery of a genetic mutation that causes early onset of Alzheimer's disease. John Hardy's discovery of the "amyloid precursor protein" mutation has led to new avenues of research for detecting and understanding dementia.
GHOSTLY PARTICLES
Five teams of 1,377 researchers were awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for the discovery of neutrinos. The "ghostly" particles emitted by the sun are so small that billions are continuously passing through our bodies. The researchers behind its discovery hail from universities in Canada, the US, Japan, and China.
FIGHTING CHOLESTEROL
Helen Hobbs received a Life Sciences award for discovering genetic variants that affect the levels of cholesterol and lipids in humans. Her research led to new approaches for preventing cardiovascular and liver disease.
MAKING SCIENCE SIMPLE
The 2015 Junior Challenge prize went to 18-year-old Ryan Chester for making a fun, simple YouTube video explaining the special theory of relativity and its relation to time.
No comments:
Post a Comment