There are people like that who excel in almost everything they do. And among the most prestigious distinctions in the world, what recognition best celebrates excellence if not the Nobel Prizes? A lifelong dream for many scientists.
And for five of them, a quest they completed twice. while this week the list of selected ones is revealed for the 2024 Nobel Prizes, 20 Minutes tells you who these five scientists are whose prowess has been recognized twice.
Linus Pauling, war and peace
How do chemical elements bond together? Why and how hydrogen and carbon hang together to give us water. Linus Pauling knew all this. And for his discoveries on the nature of chemical bonds and its applications in understanding the structures of complex substances, the Californian chemist was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954.
Eight years later, in 1962, it was his militant activities in favor of stopping nuclear testing which earned him a Nobel Peace Prize even though the US administration suspected him of working for the USSR, going so far as to confiscate his passport. Ironically, during the Second World War, he helped the American army develop explosives and fuels for conventional missiles.
Marie Curie, first in all
The first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first among mankind to win it twice, it goes without saying that Marie Curie was a genius. His first Nobel Prize was awarded to him in 1903 in the physics category, for his work on radioactivity.
A feat repeated in 1911, in chemistry this time, for the discovery of radium and polonium, which were thus able to complete the periodic table of elements.
Karl Barry Sharpless, the double in chemistry
He has (almost) the head of Heizenberg in Breaking Bad and two Nobel Prizes in his pocket. American chemist Karl Barry Sharpless is the only living legend in this ranking of double Nobel Prize winners. His first title dates back to 2001 for his work on the chiral catalysis of oxidation reactions which allowed the industry to progress in the production of refrigerant liquids, additives for lubricants, rubbers and synthetic fibers, and plastics.
Rebelote in 2022 with “click chemistry”. Basically (very roughly), it involves making two molecules react to create a strong bond, like when a seat belt clicks.
Fred Sanger, the father of DNA sequencing
Rather unknown to the general public, the name of Fred Sanger is undoubtedly reviled by certain criminals. We owe the sequencing of DNA to this British chemist specializing in molecular biology.
His first Nobel Prize was awarded to him in 1958 for his work on the structure of insulin. He won his second twenty-two years later for developing a DNA sequencing technique that is still used today.
John Bardeen, it’s in the bag
From the smartphone that we have in our pocket, to the computer with which this article is written, passing through the induction oven where a tomato pie is cooked, the transistors, which make it possible to control or amplify voltages and electric currents, are absolutely everywhere these days. An invention that we owe to John Bardeen, an American physicist, and for which he won his first Nobel Prize in 1956.
A feat repeated in 1972 for his work on superconductivity, which notably makes it possible to transport electricity without loss of energy.
Source: www.20minutes.fr
