As co-winner of this year’s Nobel Prize for medicine, Italian-born American Mario Capecchi has been celebrated all over the world and all over the media this week. Rightly so, as his genetics research may define the science of the 21st century, contributing to humanity in ways we can’t yet imagine. In fact, his life story is a contribution to humanity as well. From feral four-year-old child in the streets of Nazi-occupied Italy to Nobel winner, Capecchi's life provides testimony to the tenacity of the human mind and spirit.
Click here to read Andrew Gumbel’s excellent “Mario Capecchi: The Man Who Changed Our World.”
And while you're at it, why not do a little Nobel Prize exploring. You'll be informed and inspired:
For a year-by-year listing of former Nobel recipients in the various fields (it's fun to browse the categories) click here.
Share the Noble Laureate Facts page with your kids. Who was the youngest recipient? The oldest? Did you know that Madame Curie was one of only four people to have one the Prize more than once? She won in 1903 for physics and 1911 for chemistry. Not only that, her husband won the Prize and so did her daughter. Can you imagine what the conversations around the Curie dinner table must have been like?
Refresher Course: Since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded each year for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. It's an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize. Each prize consists of a medal, personal diploma, and a cash award.
