China News Service, October 6 (Zhang Aolin) According to the official website of the Nobel Prize, on the afternoon of the 6th Beijing time, the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was announced. American scientist David MacMillan and German scientist Benjamin List "Progress in research" was awarded the award.

Image source: Screenshot of the Nobel Prize official social networking site account.

　　The Nobel Prize in Chemistry seems to be out of reach. In fact, behind the “high and big” is closely related to each of us’s daily lives. In recent years, the gradual expansion of women’s influence in this field has also added to this award. More weight.

　　The chemistry prize "above the cloud",

　　What does it have to do with ordinary people?

　　If it is said that the Nobel Prize in Literature allows ordinary people to comment on it, then the Chemistry Prize is too high and profound. In addition to looking at "who has won this year", the overall impression given to people is still "high. Cloud".

　　In fact, the scientific research achievements of the Chemistry Prize have long been integrated into the lives of ordinary people.

Consider two examples:

　　--cell phone battery

　　Imagine that if a mobile phone must be plugged in before it can be used, the power will be cut off when the plug is unplugged. Will there still be the technological advancement of today's "one phone in the world"?

　　That's right, the "heritor" that frees the phone from the socket is the lithium battery.

Data map: Akira Yoshino, winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

　　In October 2019, Goodenough, the "father of lithium batteries", Akira Yoshino, the inventor of modern lithium batteries, and Whittingham, who had pioneered research in the field of lithium batteries, shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry that year.

　　The reason given by the official website of the Nobel Prize is: "They created a rechargeable world."

　　Look at your hands, and then look at your side. In the world we live in, are lithium batteries already ubiquitous?

　　--plastic

　　Toothbrushes, takeaway boxes, mobile phone cases, aircraft parts...It can be said that plastics have been integrated into all aspects of modern society.

Data map: During the new crown epidemic, a plastic baffle was installed on the desks of a school in Daejeon, South Korea to prevent the spread of the virus.

　　However, when we use these inconspicuous plastic products "as a matter of course", we have ever thought that they are all derived from advanced theories, and they are not too far away.

　　In 1953, German scientific Staudinger won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to polymer chemistry; in 1963, Italian scientist Nata and German scientist Ziegler won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for synthesizing polymer plastics.

　　Thanks to their discoveries and research, the development process of human society has also been greatly promoted.

　　However, in recent years, when people talk about plastics, they seem to be "discolored" because this white garbage has brought us convenience while also causing serious damage to the environment.

　　However, although environmental protection issues make people feel disgusted with plastics, scientific research is endless. Maybe the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in a few years will really be awarded to a scientist who can properly solve plastic pollution.

　　In addition to these two examples, the "MRI" technology that has been popularized in hospitals and the neon lights that decorate the night are all typical examples of the application of Nobel Prize achievements in practice.

　　As Ignaro, the Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine in 1998, said, "Any scientific discovery that wins the Nobel Prize should not be shelved, but should benefit the public."

Data map: Carpentier and Dudner, winners of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

　　Increased influence of women

　　"Preferring son to daughter" has changed

　　Looking through the list of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, there are almost all men.

For women, there are only a handful of them including Madame Curie.

　　This problem has also been widely criticized by the outside world, and has even been criticized for the existence of "boys over girls" gender discrimination.

　　However, after entering the 21st century, especially in recent years, this situation has changed. Look at a set of data and feel intuitively.

　　From 1901 to 2020, 185 people have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, of which only 7 are women, and 4 of them have won awards after entering the 21st century.

　　Especially in 2020, because of their contributions to gene editing technology, French scientist Carpentier and American scientist Doudna shared the chemistry award that year, marking the first time in history that two women have won the award, and they were also awarded by the United Nations. Rated as one of the top ten female moments in 2020.

　　Carpentier also sent a message to female researchers: "Women can also make a difference in the scientific world through their research."

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　　Who have won awards in the past ten years?

　　The following is the list of Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry in the past 10 years, and their main achievements:

　　2020:

　　Emmanuel Carpentier (French) and Jennifer Dudner (U.S.) in recognition of their contributions to gene editing technology.

　　2019:

　　John Goodenough (United States), Stanley Whittingham (United States) and Akira Yoshino (Japan) shared the Nobel Prize for their contributions in the field of lithium battery research and development.

　　2018:

　　The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Francis Arnold (U.S.), George Smith (U.S.), and Gregory Winterley (U.S.) for their directed evolution of enzymes and phage display technology for peptides and antibodies The results achieved.

　　2017:

　　Joachim Frank (German/American), Richard Henderson (English), Jacques Dubocher (Switzerland) developed cryo-electron microscopy technology, which determined the organisms in the solution with high resolution Molecular Structure.

　　2016:

　　Three scientists, Jean-Pierre Sovic (France), Fraser Stoddart (English) and Bernard Felinga (Netherlands), were awarded for "designing and synthesizing molecular machines".

　　2015:

　　Thomas Lindahl (Sweden), Paul Modric (U.S.), Aziz Sanjar (Turkey/U.S.), won awards for their contributions to the study of gene repair mechanisms.

　　Year 2014:

　　Eric Bezig (United States), William Mona (United States), Stefan Hale (Germany) won awards for "developing a super-resolution fluorescence microscope".

　　year 2013:

　　Martin Capras (U.S./Austria), Michael Levitt (U.S./U.S.), and Ariel Vachel (U.S./Israel) shared the Nobel Prize, and the three of them contributed to the development of multi-scale complex chemical system models contribute.

　　2012:

　　Robert Lefkowitz (U.S.) and Brian Kabilka (U.S.) won awards for "G Protein Coupled Receptor Research".

　　year 2011:

　　Daniel Shechtman (Israel) won the award for the discovery of quasicrystals.

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