Wow! For Graphene! Excellent:
The announcement:
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2010 to Andre Geim (University of Manchester, UK) and Konstantin Novoselov (University of Manchester, UK) “for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene”
I like the opening descriptive paragraph in the press release:
Graphene is a form of carbon. As a material it is completely new – not only the thinnest ever but also the strongest. As a conductor of electricity it performs as well as copper. As a conductor of heat it outperforms all other known materials. It is almost completely transparent, yet so dense that not even helium, the smallest gas atom, can pass through it. Carbon, the basis of all known life on earth, has surprised us once again.
Graphene’s discovery has quite an interesting story behind it, involving serendipity with ordinary sticky scotch tape. No, really. Read more. (It is also worth noting that Andre Geim was awarded the IgNobel prize for Physics in 2000, for, er, levitating a frog…)
There is a new and disturbing feature at the Nobel Prize site. Seems you can put comments under the announcement. Very odd choice.
-cvj
Pingback: Nobel Scrutiny at Asymptotia
Pingback: Make some Graphene at Home Today at Asymptotia
How can the mysteries of the universe be irrelevant to anyone? Breath-holding to commence now 🙂
Pingback: Carbon Focus at Asymptotia
Hola Ruthie!
If it is just parties that can get you to return to La, I am sure several of us here will commit to making sure there is at least one party a week for a long stretch! That I can work on for sure….Since (among other reasons) I work on pleasantly irrelevant things, from the point of view of the Nobel peeps, I wouldn’t hold your breath on the prize bit.
Cheers!
-cvj
I very much look forward to when you receive the Nobel and the festivities that will ensue. Please get on that, won’t you? I need a good excuse to come back to LA, and even more dire–to attend an excellent party 🙂
So did you leave a comment? “Wow! For Graphene! Excellent” should work.
I think this again reinforces that individuals and smaller groups can still make a difference in physics (and the world) and that everything need not be grand coalitions of hundreds (if not thousands) working at some giganormously expensive facility.