Daily Tech News Show Why We Celebrate Nobel Prize Winners - DTNS Weekend
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Oct 18, 2025 Nicole Ackermans, a research scientist and a regular on tech discussions, delves into the Nobel Prizes' significance. She explains how the recent physics award for quantum tunneling impacts modern tech like computers and qubits. The conversation shifts to chemistry innovations with metal-organic frameworks and their practical applications in water harvesting. They also explore the implications of discoveries in regulatory T cells for cancer therapies, the influence of Nobel winners on academia, and ongoing debates about representation in award selections.
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Quantum Tunneling Powers Modern Tech
- The 2024 Physics Nobel recognized experiments proving quantum tunneling using superconducting circuits.
- That foundational work underpins modern electronics and helps enable qubits and efficient transistors.
Metal‑Organic Frameworks Trap Molecules
- The Chemistry Nobel honored metal-organic frameworks that act like 3D nets to capture and hold molecules.
- These structures enable harvesting water from air and trapping pollutants for cleanup and resource extraction.
Support Basic Research Without Immediate Goals
- Value basic science even when immediate uses are absent because usefulness can emerge decades later.
- Fund and pursue foundational research without demanding immediate practical outcomes.