The Nobel Prizes 2025: All You Need To Know

This October, Nobel Prizes were awarded in six different categories. The Nobel Prize in Physics this year was awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.” This discovery coincides with the 100th anniversary of the initial discovery of the field of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics is a discipline of physics that aims to explain the movement of atoms and microscopic particles. Today, innovations from this field are used for a multitude of applications, from precise measurements to medical imaging and computer chips. The scientists proved that quantum phenomena are actually present at a much larger scale than previously believed, opening new doors to possibilities of quantum computers. These computers are primarily used to find answers to extremely large-scale problems that can’t be performed by regular computers, as they use qubits (quantum particles) instead of binary code, making them more efficient. Many large companies, such as Google, Microsoft, and Intel, are already planning to invest millions in these technologies, which have the potential to revolutionize our daily lives by automating more tasks and making them quicker and more energy-efficient.
The prize in chemistry was awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal–organic frameworks.” These frameworks, known as MOFs, are small metal structures that help absorb molecules such as hydrogen and oxygen, eventually extracting water molecules from the atmosphere. They do this without the use of electricity, using more natural forms of energy, such as solar and even excess heat produced by factories. This is critical in times when more and more energy is spent on technologies such as AI. These efforts will also help provide water to areas in critical need, such as arid or drought-prone regions.
The prize in medicine was given to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.” This included research concerning the immune system, and how it protects itself continuously in the background while also simultaneously fighting infections that might attack at any given time, and how to enhance these systems. It also zoomed in on and isolated for the first time a specific class of genes, the FOXP3 cells, that are linked to white blood cells in the way that they stop our bodies from attacking themselves. These studies could go far to help cancer research and perhaps find a cure in time.
The Nobel Prize in Literature was granted to László Krasznahorkai “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.” His books, including Satantango, War & War, and The Melancholy of Resistance, are known throughout the literary world for being dystopian, somber, and despairing. They draw inspiration from apocalyptic themes and Krasznakorkai’s own experiences, including his early life growing up in communist Hungary, and his travels across the world after he left in 1987. Many of his books have already won international acclaim, and some have been adapted into films. He is known for his long, dense writing style, consisting of many long sentences and paragraphs without breaks, in a distinctly postmodern manner. While many perceive his books as bleak, they possess a dichotomy: humor and misery, light and dark, hardness and humanity.
The Peace Prize was bestowed upon María Corina Machado “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.” Machado is a democratic opposition leader and political activist who ran for the presidency last year. She continues to work against the current Maduro regime, which has brought humanitarian crises, harsh economic policies, and the ever-expanding rise of authoritarianism in Venezuela, to hopefully eventually implement a free, democratic government in the country. She is a strong advocate for economic liberalism and the un-displacement of Venezuelans forced to relocate under the last administration.
The newest Nobel Prize, the prize in Economics, was awarded to Joel Mokyr “for having identified the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress” and to Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt “for the theory of sustained growth through creative destruction.” For all, it was awarded “for having explained innovation-driven economic growth.” Mr. Mokyr’s studies were on how innovation and technology impact economic growth and how the introduction of new technologies can improve the quality of life in communities. He backed up this research using evidence from historical events, such as the British Industrial Revolution, the French Renaissance, and the Enlightenment. This analysis comes at a time when AI might be beginning to set up another radical change in our technological advancements and possibilities, contributing to a “technological revolution” of sorts. Mr Aghion and Mr Howitt’s research was on “creative destruction,” or how new, better tech products continuously replace their older counterparts. It also showed how this continues to happen steadily, even if this is not a company’s main goal. Together, these discoveries help us understand innovation and both its positive and detrimental effects on the economy.