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Nobel 2024:  Take Chances

By Shlomo Maital

Alfred Nobel

    The Nobel Prizes 2024 for physics, chemistry and medicine have been awarded.  Here they are:

   Physics:  John Hopfield, “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks”,  Geoffrey Hinton“for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks;

   Chemistry: David Baker, “for computational protein design”,  Demis Hassabis “for protein structure prediction”

 Medicine:  Victor Ambros, “for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation”; Gary Ruvkun, “for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation”  

     There is a rare link.  AI was a key tool used to discover the structure of proteins (the secret of life, and how DNA impacts our lives),  and indirectly to help decipher microRNA.  And another link.  The winning scientists mostly left their comfort zones, to venture into new and risky fields, simply because they were curious.  And they did so mainly against the best advice of the ‘experts’. 

        Take calculated risks, as General George Patton urged, before he did so in World War II and saved the Allies from the German Battle of the Bulge.

         Good advice.