Fame， at last
遲到的名望
Prizes for the elimination of stomach ulcers， an explanation of light， a better clock and a better way of making chemicals
為消除胃潰瘍、解釋光本質(zhì)、制造精密鐘表和改進(jìn)化學(xué)物質(zhì)制造技術(shù)頒獎(jiǎng)
IT IS one of the paradoxes of the Nobel prizes—at least of those awarded for science—that while everyone agrees they are terribly important， usually no one has heard of either the winners or what they have done. For this year's medicine prize， though， that is only half true. It is， to be sure， unlikely that many readers will be familiar with the names of Barry Marshall and Robin Warren. But quite a few will be aware of their discovery. For Dr Marshall and Dr Warren are responsible for abolishing what was once one of the most frequent and unpleasant pieces of abdominal surgery： the cutting out of stomach and duodenal ulcers.
As the Karolinska Institute， the Swedish medical-research university that decides who gets the prize for medicine， realised， “their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease” was one of the most important medical findings of the 20th century. Until the two winners identified the bug responsible and showed what it was doing （in Dr Marshall's case by deliberately infecting himself）， ulcers were seen as the result of a biochemical error （the production of too much stomach acid）， often brought on by stress. In some circles， indeed， an ulcer was the badge of a hard-working executive： perhaps not as definitive proof of dedication to the job as a heart attack， but a lot less lethal. Now they are treated with antibiotics and a drug that reduces stomach-acid production.
The work of Dr Marshall and Dr Warren has certainly had an effect on everyday life. But if the Karolinska could be seen as playing to the gallery in giving them a prize， such an accusation could not be levelled at Sweden's Royal Academy of Science， which awards the physics and chemistry prizes. This year's winners could hardly be geekier. The academy gave half the physics prize to Roy Glauber “for his contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence”。 The other half， divided evenly， went to John Hall and Theodore H？nsch “for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy， including the optical frequency comb technique”。 Meanwhile the chemistry prize， also split three ways， was awarded for “the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis”。 In this case Yves Chauvin， Robert Grubbs and Richard Schrock were the recipients.
Fiat lux
Dr Glauber's contribution to science， translated into English， was to drag the field of optics into the modern， quantum world. Quantum theory started at the beginning of the 20th century， in part with work on light. But it was， ironically， not until the invention of the laser in 1960 that understanding the quantum nature of optics became crucial. Before then， although physicists knew that light was a quantum phenomenon， they had been able to get away with using the old wave-based descriptions. Afterwards， they needed a proper quantum theory， and Dr Glauber provided it. If the length of time this took is ironic， however， the 40-plus years that elapsed before the achievement was acknowledged are even more so.
Dr Hall and Dr H？nsch， meanwhile， are responsible for taking the art of measurement to new extremes. An optical frequency comb is a way of measuring the frequency of light with great precision. That， in turn， can be used to measure time in segments a few billionths of a billionth of a second long， and distance with similar accuracy—which might seem pointless， but is vital when studying such things as the speed of the chemical reactions for which the chemistry prize was awarded.
Metathesis， the technique for which Dr Chauvin， Dr Grubbs and Dr Schrock will receive their prizes， is a form of chemical sleight of hand that allows groups of atoms to be moved efficiently from one molecule to another. Dr Chauvin worked out the theory in the early 1970s， while in the 1990s Dr Grubbs and Dr Schrock used that theory to design catalysts that make the process far more effective. Since the molecules involved （so-called organic molecules， which are organised around a core of interconnected carbon atoms） are the basis of industries as diverse as petrochemicals and drugs， this technique has had as great a practical impact in its area as the discovery of H. pylori has had on medicine. Not all that is famous is important， and not all that is important is famous. -
遲到的名望這是諾貝爾獎(jiǎng)的矛盾之一，至少對(duì)那些諾貝爾科學(xué)獎(jiǎng)得主是如此：盡管大家都認(rèn)為他們非常重要，但通常人們既沒(méi)聽說(shuō)過(guò)他們，也不知道他們做了些什么。但對(duì)于今年的醫(yī)學(xué)獎(jiǎng)來(lái)說(shuō)，這只說(shuō)對(duì)了一半。的確，許多讀者可能不熟悉巴里－馬歇爾和羅賓－沃倫兩人的名字。但是不少人可能熟悉他們的發(fā)現(xiàn)。因?yàn)轳R歇爾博士和沃倫博士廢除了曾是最常見、但最令人不快的胃腸手術(shù)之一：切除胃潰瘍和十二指腸潰瘍。
決定醫(yī)學(xué)獎(jiǎng)得主的瑞典醫(yī)學(xué)研究大學(xué)卡羅林斯卡醫(yī)學(xué)院認(rèn)為，“他們對(duì)幽門螺桿菌及其導(dǎo)致胃炎和消化性潰瘍作用的發(fā)現(xiàn)”是20世紀(jì)最重要的醫(yī)學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)之一。在這兩位獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)哒页鲋虏〖?xì)菌并顯示該細(xì)菌如何致?。R歇爾博士有意使自己感染了此細(xì)菌）之前，人們都認(rèn)為潰瘍是因精神壓力導(dǎo)致生化反應(yīng)出現(xiàn)錯(cuò)誤造成的（致使產(chǎn)生大量的胃酸）。的確，在某些領(lǐng)域，潰瘍病是勤勉工作的行政人員的標(biāo)記，也許并不像心臟病那樣被認(rèn)為是敬業(yè)的確證，只是致命率要低得多?，F(xiàn)在，胃潰瘍和十二指腸潰瘍可以通過(guò)服用抗生素和減少胃酸產(chǎn)生的藥物來(lái)治療。
馬歇爾博士和沃倫博士的研究肯定對(duì)人們的日常生活有所影響。但是如果卡羅林斯卡醫(yī)學(xué)院給他們頒獎(jiǎng)有可能被看作是嘩眾取寵的話，那么，頒發(fā)物理學(xué)獎(jiǎng)和化學(xué)獎(jiǎng)的瑞典皇家科學(xué)院不會(huì)受到同樣的指責(zé)。今年的獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)卟豢赡芨吓闪?。科學(xué)院把物理學(xué)獎(jiǎng)的一半授予了羅伊－格勞伯，獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)他“對(duì)光相干量子理論作出的貢獻(xiàn)”。另一半平分成兩半，分別授予約翰－霍爾和西奧多－漢施，獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)他們“對(duì)基于激光的精密光譜學(xué)的發(fā)展作出了貢獻(xiàn)，其中包括光梳技術(shù)”。同時(shí)，化學(xué)獎(jiǎng)也被分成三部分，授予了“創(chuàng)造有機(jī)合成中的復(fù)分解法”的人，他們分別是伊夫－肖萬(wàn)、羅伯特－格拉布和理查德－施羅克。
讓光出現(xiàn)吧
如果翻譯成英文的話，格勞伯對(duì)科學(xué)的貢獻(xiàn)是將光學(xué)領(lǐng)域拖進(jìn)了現(xiàn)代量子世界中。量子理論始于20世紀(jì)初，是光學(xué)研究的一部分。但是，具有諷刺意義的是，直到1960年激光發(fā)明后，認(rèn)識(shí)光學(xué)的量子本質(zhì)才變得至關(guān)重要。在此之前，雖然物理學(xué)家知道光是一種量子現(xiàn)象，但還是能用老的基于光波的描述搪塞過(guò)去。后來(lái)，他們需要一種合適的量子理論，而格勞伯博士提供了這樣的理論。如果說(shuō)研究所花的時(shí)間跨度具有諷刺意義的話，那么，40多年后才承認(rèn)這項(xiàng)成就就更是如此了。
同時(shí)，霍爾和亨施博士使測(cè)量技術(shù)達(dá)到了新的極致。光梳技術(shù)是精密測(cè)量光譜頻率的一種方法。它還可以用來(lái)測(cè)量時(shí)間，可以把一秒種分割成幾個(gè)十億分之一的十億分之一來(lái)測(cè)量，同樣也可以精密地測(cè)量距離。這也許顯得毫無(wú)意義，但是在研究諸如化學(xué)反應(yīng)速度等問(wèn)題時(shí)就至關(guān)重要?；瘜W(xué)獎(jiǎng)就是授予這一研究的。
復(fù)分解是一種化學(xué)技術(shù)，能使原子團(tuán)有效地從一個(gè)分子轉(zhuǎn)移到另一個(gè)分子。伊夫－肖萬(wàn)、羅伯特－格拉布和理查德－施羅克博士將因此項(xiàng)技術(shù)而獲獎(jiǎng)。肖萬(wàn)博士在20世紀(jì)70年代初創(chuàng)立了該理論，20世紀(jì)90年代，羅伯特－格拉布和理查德－施羅克博士運(yùn)用該理論研制出催化劑，使化學(xué)反應(yīng)效率大為提高。由于涉及的分子（所謂的有機(jī)分子，通常由分布在互相鏈接的碳原子核心周圍的原子構(gòu)成）是許多工業(yè)的基礎(chǔ)，比如石油化學(xué)和制藥業(yè)，因此，這一技術(shù)在其領(lǐng)域產(chǎn)生的實(shí)際影響不亞于幽門螺桿菌的發(fā)現(xiàn)對(duì)醫(yī)學(xué)產(chǎn)生的影響。不是所有的都是重要的，也不是所有重要的都是的。
遲到的名望
Prizes for the elimination of stomach ulcers， an explanation of light， a better clock and a better way of making chemicals
為消除胃潰瘍、解釋光本質(zhì)、制造精密鐘表和改進(jìn)化學(xué)物質(zhì)制造技術(shù)頒獎(jiǎng)
IT IS one of the paradoxes of the Nobel prizes—at least of those awarded for science—that while everyone agrees they are terribly important， usually no one has heard of either the winners or what they have done. For this year's medicine prize， though， that is only half true. It is， to be sure， unlikely that many readers will be familiar with the names of Barry Marshall and Robin Warren. But quite a few will be aware of their discovery. For Dr Marshall and Dr Warren are responsible for abolishing what was once one of the most frequent and unpleasant pieces of abdominal surgery： the cutting out of stomach and duodenal ulcers.
As the Karolinska Institute， the Swedish medical-research university that decides who gets the prize for medicine， realised， “their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease” was one of the most important medical findings of the 20th century. Until the two winners identified the bug responsible and showed what it was doing （in Dr Marshall's case by deliberately infecting himself）， ulcers were seen as the result of a biochemical error （the production of too much stomach acid）， often brought on by stress. In some circles， indeed， an ulcer was the badge of a hard-working executive： perhaps not as definitive proof of dedication to the job as a heart attack， but a lot less lethal. Now they are treated with antibiotics and a drug that reduces stomach-acid production.
The work of Dr Marshall and Dr Warren has certainly had an effect on everyday life. But if the Karolinska could be seen as playing to the gallery in giving them a prize， such an accusation could not be levelled at Sweden's Royal Academy of Science， which awards the physics and chemistry prizes. This year's winners could hardly be geekier. The academy gave half the physics prize to Roy Glauber “for his contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence”。 The other half， divided evenly， went to John Hall and Theodore H？nsch “for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy， including the optical frequency comb technique”。 Meanwhile the chemistry prize， also split three ways， was awarded for “the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis”。 In this case Yves Chauvin， Robert Grubbs and Richard Schrock were the recipients.
Fiat lux
Dr Glauber's contribution to science， translated into English， was to drag the field of optics into the modern， quantum world. Quantum theory started at the beginning of the 20th century， in part with work on light. But it was， ironically， not until the invention of the laser in 1960 that understanding the quantum nature of optics became crucial. Before then， although physicists knew that light was a quantum phenomenon， they had been able to get away with using the old wave-based descriptions. Afterwards， they needed a proper quantum theory， and Dr Glauber provided it. If the length of time this took is ironic， however， the 40-plus years that elapsed before the achievement was acknowledged are even more so.
Dr Hall and Dr H？nsch， meanwhile， are responsible for taking the art of measurement to new extremes. An optical frequency comb is a way of measuring the frequency of light with great precision. That， in turn， can be used to measure time in segments a few billionths of a billionth of a second long， and distance with similar accuracy—which might seem pointless， but is vital when studying such things as the speed of the chemical reactions for which the chemistry prize was awarded.
Metathesis， the technique for which Dr Chauvin， Dr Grubbs and Dr Schrock will receive their prizes， is a form of chemical sleight of hand that allows groups of atoms to be moved efficiently from one molecule to another. Dr Chauvin worked out the theory in the early 1970s， while in the 1990s Dr Grubbs and Dr Schrock used that theory to design catalysts that make the process far more effective. Since the molecules involved （so-called organic molecules， which are organised around a core of interconnected carbon atoms） are the basis of industries as diverse as petrochemicals and drugs， this technique has had as great a practical impact in its area as the discovery of H. pylori has had on medicine. Not all that is famous is important， and not all that is important is famous. -
遲到的名望這是諾貝爾獎(jiǎng)的矛盾之一，至少對(duì)那些諾貝爾科學(xué)獎(jiǎng)得主是如此：盡管大家都認(rèn)為他們非常重要，但通常人們既沒(méi)聽說(shuō)過(guò)他們，也不知道他們做了些什么。但對(duì)于今年的醫(yī)學(xué)獎(jiǎng)來(lái)說(shuō)，這只說(shuō)對(duì)了一半。的確，許多讀者可能不熟悉巴里－馬歇爾和羅賓－沃倫兩人的名字。但是不少人可能熟悉他們的發(fā)現(xiàn)。因?yàn)轳R歇爾博士和沃倫博士廢除了曾是最常見、但最令人不快的胃腸手術(shù)之一：切除胃潰瘍和十二指腸潰瘍。
決定醫(yī)學(xué)獎(jiǎng)得主的瑞典醫(yī)學(xué)研究大學(xué)卡羅林斯卡醫(yī)學(xué)院認(rèn)為，“他們對(duì)幽門螺桿菌及其導(dǎo)致胃炎和消化性潰瘍作用的發(fā)現(xiàn)”是20世紀(jì)最重要的醫(yī)學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)之一。在這兩位獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)哒页鲋虏〖?xì)菌并顯示該細(xì)菌如何致?。R歇爾博士有意使自己感染了此細(xì)菌）之前，人們都認(rèn)為潰瘍是因精神壓力導(dǎo)致生化反應(yīng)出現(xiàn)錯(cuò)誤造成的（致使產(chǎn)生大量的胃酸）。的確，在某些領(lǐng)域，潰瘍病是勤勉工作的行政人員的標(biāo)記，也許并不像心臟病那樣被認(rèn)為是敬業(yè)的確證，只是致命率要低得多?，F(xiàn)在，胃潰瘍和十二指腸潰瘍可以通過(guò)服用抗生素和減少胃酸產(chǎn)生的藥物來(lái)治療。
馬歇爾博士和沃倫博士的研究肯定對(duì)人們的日常生活有所影響。但是如果卡羅林斯卡醫(yī)學(xué)院給他們頒獎(jiǎng)有可能被看作是嘩眾取寵的話，那么，頒發(fā)物理學(xué)獎(jiǎng)和化學(xué)獎(jiǎng)的瑞典皇家科學(xué)院不會(huì)受到同樣的指責(zé)。今年的獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)卟豢赡芨吓闪?。科學(xué)院把物理學(xué)獎(jiǎng)的一半授予了羅伊－格勞伯，獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)他“對(duì)光相干量子理論作出的貢獻(xiàn)”。另一半平分成兩半，分別授予約翰－霍爾和西奧多－漢施，獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)他們“對(duì)基于激光的精密光譜學(xué)的發(fā)展作出了貢獻(xiàn)，其中包括光梳技術(shù)”。同時(shí)，化學(xué)獎(jiǎng)也被分成三部分，授予了“創(chuàng)造有機(jī)合成中的復(fù)分解法”的人，他們分別是伊夫－肖萬(wàn)、羅伯特－格拉布和理查德－施羅克。
讓光出現(xiàn)吧
如果翻譯成英文的話，格勞伯對(duì)科學(xué)的貢獻(xiàn)是將光學(xué)領(lǐng)域拖進(jìn)了現(xiàn)代量子世界中。量子理論始于20世紀(jì)初，是光學(xué)研究的一部分。但是，具有諷刺意義的是，直到1960年激光發(fā)明后，認(rèn)識(shí)光學(xué)的量子本質(zhì)才變得至關(guān)重要。在此之前，雖然物理學(xué)家知道光是一種量子現(xiàn)象，但還是能用老的基于光波的描述搪塞過(guò)去。后來(lái)，他們需要一種合適的量子理論，而格勞伯博士提供了這樣的理論。如果說(shuō)研究所花的時(shí)間跨度具有諷刺意義的話，那么，40多年后才承認(rèn)這項(xiàng)成就就更是如此了。
同時(shí)，霍爾和亨施博士使測(cè)量技術(shù)達(dá)到了新的極致。光梳技術(shù)是精密測(cè)量光譜頻率的一種方法。它還可以用來(lái)測(cè)量時(shí)間，可以把一秒種分割成幾個(gè)十億分之一的十億分之一來(lái)測(cè)量，同樣也可以精密地測(cè)量距離。這也許顯得毫無(wú)意義，但是在研究諸如化學(xué)反應(yīng)速度等問(wèn)題時(shí)就至關(guān)重要?；瘜W(xué)獎(jiǎng)就是授予這一研究的。
復(fù)分解是一種化學(xué)技術(shù)，能使原子團(tuán)有效地從一個(gè)分子轉(zhuǎn)移到另一個(gè)分子。伊夫－肖萬(wàn)、羅伯特－格拉布和理查德－施羅克博士將因此項(xiàng)技術(shù)而獲獎(jiǎng)。肖萬(wàn)博士在20世紀(jì)70年代初創(chuàng)立了該理論，20世紀(jì)90年代，羅伯特－格拉布和理查德－施羅克博士運(yùn)用該理論研制出催化劑，使化學(xué)反應(yīng)效率大為提高。由于涉及的分子（所謂的有機(jī)分子，通常由分布在互相鏈接的碳原子核心周圍的原子構(gòu)成）是許多工業(yè)的基礎(chǔ)，比如石油化學(xué)和制藥業(yè)，因此，這一技術(shù)在其領(lǐng)域產(chǎn)生的實(shí)際影響不亞于幽門螺桿菌的發(fā)現(xiàn)對(duì)醫(yī)學(xué)產(chǎn)生的影響。不是所有的都是重要的，也不是所有重要的都是的。