Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nobel Prize For Physics Honors Scientists Who Developed Lasers Into 'Optical Tweezers' That Aid In Eye Surgery
Stat: Physics Nobel Honors Discoveries That Advanced Eye Surgery, Virus Manipulation
The 2018 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to scientists who advanced the development of lasers into fields as different as eye surgery and manipulating objects as tiny as viruses and other living cells, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Tuesday in Stockholm. American Arthur Ashkin of the old Bell Laboratories was awarded one half of the 9 million Swedish kronor ($1.01 million) prize for “optical tweezers,” and the other half went to France’s Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland of Canada’s University of Waterloo for laser advances that were turned into the beams that correct nearsightedness. (Begley, 10/2)
CNN: Nobel Prize In Physics Shared By First Woman In 55 Years
Donna Strickland, a Canadian physicist, was awarded the 2018 prize jointly with Gérard Mourou, from France, for their work on generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses. They share the award with an American, Arthur Ashkin, who at 96 becomes the oldest Nobel Laureate, for developing "optical tweezers." Both inventions had "revolutionized laser physics," the Royal Swedish Academy said. (Mackintosh, 10/2)
Los Angeles Times: Physicists Who Turned Science Fiction Into Reality Share The Nobel Prize For Their Work On Lasers
"Billions of people make daily use of optical disk drive, laser printers and optical scanners ... millions undergo laser surgery," said Nobel committee member Olga Botner after the award was announced Tuesday in Stockholm. "The laser is truly one of the many examples of how a so-called blue sky discovery in a fundamental science eventually may transform our daily lives." (Kaplan, 10/2)
