Nobel Prizes Announced

A few hours ago the Nobel committee of Sweden chose the winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry.
The Nobel Prize in Physics was won by Serge Haroche of France and David Wineland of America, for finding ways to measure quantum particles without destroying them. Wineland described their work as a ‘parlor trick’ that performed the seemingly magical feat of putting an object in two places at once.
The achievement could make it possible to build a new kind of computer far more powerful than any seen before. Here is a simple explanation of how their research might revolutionise the world of quantum computing:
In a normal computer, a switch must either be on or off. A quantum computer would work with switches that, like the particles in Wineland's experiment, behaved as if they were in more than one position at the same time.
An example is a computer trying to work out the shortest route around town for a travelling salesman. A traditional computer might try every possible route and then choose the shortest. A quantum computer could do the calculation in one step, as if the salesman travelled each route simultaneously.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was one by two American scientists- Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka. They studied protein receptors that let body cells sense and respond to outside signals like danger or the flavour of food.
Since the 1980s they have accomplished groundbreaking discoveries on an important family of receptors, known as G-protein-coupled receptors. About half of all medications act on these receptors, including beta blockers and antihistamines, so learning about them will help scientists come up with better drugs.

Techkriti’13 appreciates and applauds their efforts to bring to life what could previously only be imagined in equations and thought experiments. Here at Techkriti we will strive to, in our own little way, create a scientific environment that will enable brilliant minds to bring alive the wildest dreams of science fiction.