Major Developments Major Developments by Calendar Year

The Nobel Prizes are universally regarded as the most prestigious and renowned awards given for intellectual performance in the world. The Nobel Foundation started in 1900 based on the will and testament of Alfred Nobel written on 27th November 1895. As per his wish, the award should be given to those who make outstanding contributions to the mankind in the five areas, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine or Physiology, Literature, and Peace, while Economics category added later in 1968.

Nobel Prize in Physics
Nobel Prize in physics for 2009 was awarded to three people. Charles K. Kao of china was awarded half of prize for his innovative achievements dealing with the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication. Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith of USA shared remaining half value of prize equally for the discovery of CCD sensor, an imaging semiconductor circuit.

In 1966, Charles K. Kao carefully worked on how to transmit light covering long distances through optical glass fibers. He discovered that fiber of purest glass can transmit light signals over 100 kilometers which was an innovation in fiber optics technology.

In 1969 Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith discovered the first outstanding imaging technology using a digital sensor, a CCD. The CCD is a digital camera’s electronic eye which revolutionized the way how images were gathered from spacecraft, by telescopes, in medical imaging, and finally replaced the film camera in whole aspects of photography.

Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nobel Prize in chemistry for 2009 was awarded jointly to Venkatraman Ramakrishnan of United Kingdom, Thomas A. Steitz of USA and Ada E. Yonath of Israel for their research on the structure and function of the ribosome.

Three scientists created atom-by-atom maps of the hidden, life-giving ribosome which helped researchers to develop powerful new antibiotics. They used three-dimensional models to illustrate how antibiotics attaches to the ribosome. These models are used to develop new antibiotics, depending on the interpretation of the molecular structure and framework of the ribosomes in every cell.

Nobel Prize in Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Medicine for 2009 was shared by Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider, Jack W. Szostak of USA. It was awarded for the discovery of how chromosomes are guarded by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.

They discovered telomeres which are created in the reproduction sequences of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that helps in protecting the purity of the chromosomal DNA, and discovered the enzyme telomerase which builds the telomeres.

Their work revealed some of the basic secrets about functioning of cells. Their studies were also applicable to cancer biology as cancer cells have excessively active telomerase, which makes them to divide uncontrollably.

Nobel Prize in Literature
The 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Herta Müller of Germany. She is the 12th woman in 108 years to receive Nobel prize for literature. Mueller, a representative of Romania’s ethnic German minority, was honored for her work as described by Nobel foundation “with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed,”

Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 was awarded to Barack H. Obama who is the 44th President of the United States of America for his outstanding efforts to establish international diplomacy and cooperation between people. The Committee also gave special significance to Obama’s vision and his work for a world without nuclear weapons. After this announcement, some people raised their concern that the decision had come too early, before any significant achievements were made in his foreign policy. Whereas many world leaders were supportive of the award. Some raised their concern that the prize was awarded to encourage the US leader early in his presidency.

Nobel Prize in Economics
The Nobel Prize in Economics for 2009 was awarded jointly to Elinor Ostrom and Oliver E. Williamson of USA. It was awarded to Elinor Ostrom for her studies on economic governance, mainly in the commons and to Oliver E. Williamson for his studies on economic governance, particularly in an organization.

Elinor Ostrom was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in economics. Ostrom showed how common resources like forests, fisheries, oil fields or grazing lands can be managed well by the people who use them, instead of governments or private companies.

Williamson, focused on how firms and markets differ in the methods they solve conflicts. He found that companies can resolve conflicts better than markets when competition is fixed.

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