2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for Molecular Machines

[todofwar]

I have mixed feelings this year. On the one hand, at least it went to a chemist, far too often it gets handed to biologists or physicists. Still, I'll say the prize is extremely premature. Those kinds of molecular machines fall into the "looks cool but useless" branch of science. If any of those things actually did something I would be all for the Nobel.

Anyone else have thoughts?

[Scotius]

I don't think it's so bad. It's a very young field, and i personally think we reach a bit ahead of ourselves with nanomachines. I mean, we are not 100% sure how all structures in our own cells work, what all the genes in our DNA do - yet we are trying to build microscopic machines performing similiar tasks? I feel like we are sticking our arm in a dark hole and groping around in hopes of finding something useful. Shining a torch inside first could be much more productive Still, isn't it what science is supposed to do? Find the boundaries, then push beyond them?

[KSK]

Well dang. I nearly did my PhD. in Prof Stoddart's lab, working on that kind of stuff. Good to see it getting a Nobel!

Edited October 23, 2016 by KSK

[todofwar]

4 hours ago, KSK said:

Well dang. I nearly did my PhD. in Prof Stoddart's lab, working on that kind of stuff. Good to see it getting a Nobel!

Small world, I also almost did my PhD there, didn't end up going to northwestern though.