Nobel Prizes Reward Both Practical And Fundamental Science
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - 08:30
in Astronomy & Space
The 2011 Nobel Chemistry prize was awarded for the 1980's discovery of quasicrystals which have an ordered but aperiodic structure, a combination that did not fit well with atomic theory at the time. The physics prize was given for discovering that the universe's expansion is accelerating by using very distant type IA supernovae as standard candles of luminosity. These are clear-cut examples of prizes that reward fundamental science. read more