There Is Life After The Nobel Prize

One day in 1996, the neuroscientist Eric R. Kandel took a call from his program officer at the National Institute of Mental Health, who informed him that he had been awarded a key grant. Also, the officer said, he and his colleagues thought Kandel would win the Nobel Prize. “I hope not soon,” Kandel’s wife, Denise, said when she heard this. Sociologists had found that Nobel Prize winners often did not contribute much more to science, she explained. In this book, Kandel recounts his remarkable career since receiving the Nobel in 2000—or his experience of proving to his wife that he was not yet “completely dead intellectually.” He takes readers through his lab’s scientific advances, including research into how long-term memory is stored in the brain, the nature of age-related memory loss, and the neuroscience of drug addiction and schizophrenia. Kandel relates how the Nobel Prize gave him the opportunity to reach a far larger audience, which in turn allowed him to discover and pursue new directions. He describes his efforts to promote public understanding of science and to put brain science and art into conversation with each other. Kandel also discusses his return to Austria, which he had fled as a child, and observes Austria’s coming to terms with the Nazi period. Showcasing Kandel’s accomplishments, erudition, and wit, There Is Life After the Nobel Prize is a candid account of the working life of an acclaimed scientist.

Lively and engaging conversations with 24 Nobel Prize winners, revealing their stories and providing inspiration for the next generation.

The Nobel Prizes m natural sciences have achieved the reputation of being the ultimate accolade for scientific achievements. This honk gives a unique insight into the selection of Nobel Prize recipients, in particular the life sciences. The evolving mechanisms of selection of prize recipients are illustrated by reference to archives, which have remained secret for 1) years. Many of the prizes subjected to particular evaluation concern awards given for discoveries in the field of infectious diseases and the interconnected field of genetics. The book illustrates the individuals and environments that are conducive to scientific creativity. Nowhere is this enigmatic activity'-- the mime mover in advancing the human condition highlighted as lucidly as by identification individuals worthy of Nobel Prizes. --Book Jacket.

Each year the Nobel Prizes in the natural sciences reveal amazing discoveries. New milestones in the relentless advance of science are identified. The growth of knowledge and its evolution can be researched in the Nobel archives where nominations are kept secret for 50 years after the awards have been made. They represent a treasure for real-time assessment of science. Norrby's earlier book, Nobel Prizes and Life Sciences (2010) examined the unique archival records until 1959. The present book takes us up to 1962, surveying a range of dazzling discoveries. All prizes in immunology are reviewed. Their impact on our capacity to control infectious diseases and transplant organs are highlighted. The Nobel year 1962 is exceptional in recognizing the most major advance in biology since Darwin in 1859 presented his theory of evolution. This was the dramatic discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1953. The era of molecular biology had begun. Its explosive development continues into the present. Contents:A Magician of Virology from AustraliaA Divided Nobel Prize and a New Era in ImmunologyMore Nobel Prizes in ImmunologyImmunity, Infections and TransplantationsTransgressing Borders in Science and Scenes of LifeMaking Sense of HearingUnraveling the Complexity of Protein Folding“It's So Beautiful, You See, So Beautiful”Coda Readership: General. Keywords:DNA;Nobel Prize;Life Science;Medical Disoveries;Molecular BiologyReviews: "This book describes and explains one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century. It is a seminal work, that scholars of the History of Science will use to be able to understand how science evolves. Young scientists will find this book a valuable resource." Sir Aaron Klug Nobel laureate in Chemistry, 1982 "Speculation about what happens in the selection of Nobel Prize winners is part of both the narrative and the ‘gossip’ of science. Interpreting what went on in the Nobel selection committees 50 years ago requires both an intimate understanding of how the process works and familiarity with subtleties of the Swedish language. Erling Norrby has the proper personal experiences to make such evaluations. In the present, his second, book he mainly reviews Medical Nobel awards during 1960 and 1962. Coming as it does near the beginnings of the modern medicine — recognizing exceptional advances in immunology and molecular biology — this is a fascinating era for those who are intrigued by the history of discovery." Peter C Doherty Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, 1996 "The moment the Nobel Foundation announces its Prizes in the sciences, decades of struggle and turmoil toward discovery enter the spotlight. To skillfully examine some of the most dramatic scientific advances in the middle of the twentieth century, Erling Norrby has reached deeply into the Nobel archives to examine firsthand how many of the most illustrious Prizes from that era came to be awarded. As a superb scientist, educator and administrator, Dr Norrby is able to tell these stories within the context of the scientific discoveries." Stanley B Prusiner Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, 1997 “I particularly enjoyed Norrby's lengthy treatment of the 1962 chemistry prize — to James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins, 1962 for their structural work on the structure of DNA … This well-referenced and copiously illustrated book, featuring meditations, poetry, quotations, and miscellaneous musings, is a true labour of love. I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in the history of scientific discovery, the personalities of those who pursue it, and how it actually happens and is received.” Chemistry & Industry

"Riveting."—Science A Forbes, Physics Today, Science News, and Science Friday Best Science Book Of 2018 Cosmologist and inventor of the BICEP (Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization) experiment, Brian Keating tells the inside story of the mesmerizing quest to unlock cosmology’s biggest mysteries and the human drama that ensued. We follow along on a personal journey of revelation and discovery in the publish-or-perish world of modern science, and learn that the Nobel Prize might hamper—rather than advance—scientific progress. Fortunately, Keating offers practical solutions for reform, providing a vision of a scientific future in which cosmologists may finally be able to see all the way back to the very beginning.

Lively and engaging conversations with 24 Nobel Prize winners, revealing their stories and providing inspiration for the next generation.

In 1989 Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery that normal genes under certain conditions can cause cancer. In this book, Bishop tells us how he and Varmus made their momentous discovery. More than a lively account of the making of a brilliant scientist, How to Win the Nobel Prize is also a broader narrative combining two major and intertwined strands of medical history: the long and ongoing struggles to control infectious diseases and to find and attack the causes of cancer. Alongside his own story, that of a youthful humanist evolving into an ambivalent medical student, an accidental microbiologist, and finally a world-class researcher, Bishop gives us a fast-paced and engrossing tale of the microbe hunters. It is a narrative enlivened by vivid anecdotes about our deadliest microbial enemies--the Black Death, cholera, syphilis, tuberculosis, malaria, smallpox, HIV--and by biographical sketches of the scientists who led the fight against these scourges. Bishop then provides an introduction for nonscientists to the molecular underpinnings of cancer and concludes with an analysis of many of today's most important science-related controversies--ranging from stem cell research to the attack on evolution to scientific misconduct. How to Win the Nobel Prize affords us the pleasure of hearing about science from a brilliant practitioner who is a humanist at heart. Bishop's perspective will be valued by anyone interested in biomedical research and in the past, present, and future of the battle against cancer. Table of Contents: List of Illustrations Preface 1. The Phone Call 2. Accidental Scientist 3. People and Pestilence 4. Opening the Black Box of Cancer 5. Paradoxical Strife Notes Credits Index Reviews of this book: Despite his book's encouraging title, Bishop--who won a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1989--cautions that "I have not written an instruction manual for pursuit of the prize." Instead, he has written an amiable reflection on the experience of being a Nobelist, intertwined with some history and anecdotes about the award, and balanced by a wide-ranging review of his own career as an "accidental scientist"...Along the way, Bishop reflects on the history of our knowledge of microbes, cancer, the politics of funding research and present-day disenchantment with science. His main purpose in writing this book, Bishop says, is to show that "scientists are supremely human"--which he does with grace and charm. --Publishers Weekly Reviews of this book: How to Win the Nobel Prize is typical Bishop: modest, funny, insightful and offering an extremely clear and brief explanation of the basic scientific achievement that won the 1989 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for himself and longtime colleague, Harold Varmus, now president of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. --David Perlman, San Francisco Chronicle Reviews of this book: In these pages Bishop reveals himself as a good writer blessed with enviable clarity, someone sensible and levelheaded who likes people and is enamored of his science. --John Tyler Bonner, New York Times Book Review Reviews of this book: This is a treasure...Above all, How to Win the Nobel Prize is a civilised book and a lavishly rewarding one. --Roy Herbert, New Scientist Reviews of this book: At its heart this analysis of science and the scientific world is a jewel. How to Win the Nobel Prize is an inspirational book, full of careful analysis and judgement. --John Oxford, Times Higher Education Supplement Reviews of this book: Bishop is a gifted communicator and teacher, and he sets about his task of educating scientists and the public by describing his career in science and science politics...In the end, Bishop's book provides a road map for scientists and the public to build a robust scientific community that serves our society well. --Andreas Trumpp and Daniel Kalman, Nature Cell Biology J. Michael Bishop has written his book 'to show that scientists are supremely human.' The book is also a lucid explanation of how science has been harnessed to fight the human afflictions of cancer and infectious disease. And the story ends with a wide-ranging overview of today's challenges to the scientific enterprise. Overall, a must-read for all those interested in science and scientists--even those with absolutely no interest in winning a Nobel Prize! --Bruce Alberts, President, National Academy of Sciences J. Michael Bishop is that rare scientist who is widely read in literature and poetry. Most importantly, he remembers what he reads and thinks deeply about it, as well as about all else in his rich life. The Nobel Prize he won and richly deserved, his political activism, his understanding of cancer and microbiology, his devotion to the practice of science--all these provide fodder for his writerly craft. Quite a wonderful book! --David Baltimore, Nobel Laureate and President, California Institute of Technology

This book is a biography of François Englert, the first Belgian Nobel Laureate in Physics. Jointly awarded to him and British physicist Peter Higgs, the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics was celebrated for the understanding of the origin of massive particles in the emerging Universe, one of the most important breakthroughs in Physics in the second half of the 20th century.From his childhood as the son of Jewish emigrants, a 'hidden child' during the Second World War, a rebellious youth — still a rebel fond of poetry and music, aware of the 'sound and fury' of the world — to his achievements as a physicist and his contributions that won the Nobel Prize, readers will find the life story of François Englert imbued with the epitome of resilience. The epilogue further expresses Englert's philosophical and scientific standpoints about the future of Physics. Although written with a great concern for scientific accuracy, the book's primary goal is to offer the lay reader an accessible account of the life and scientific work of François Englert. This is to address the fact that the development of fundamental physics, one of the greatest intellectual revolution in the history of mankind, remains largely unknown to the general public.The author, Danielle Losman, is a former student of François Englert and a literary translator. When the suggestion came about to write his biography, it seemed natural to the professor and his former student to embark together in this adventure.