Nobels go to maps, LEDs, microscopy
Research at boundaries of disciplines garners prizes
By Andrew Grant, Beth Mole, Meghan Rosen and Laura Sanders
As if to recognize that walls separating scientific fields are falling, the 2014 Nobel Prizes in chemistry, physics and physiology or medicine went to discoveries that defy single-discipline labels.
“Biology has turned into chemistry. Chemistry has turned into biology,” says Sven Lidin, chairman of the chemistry Nobel committee. This year’s chemistry laureates developed microscopy techniques that allow researchers to peer into the depths of cells, watch neurons shift shapes in learning brains and glimpse clumped-together proteins in diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s (SN: 6/15/13, p. 20).