farmer in Scotland without electricity,Nobel Prize-winning

James Fraser Stoddart (1942–2025): The Scientist Who Built Machines from Molecules

James Fraser Stoddart, a Nobel Prize-winning chemist, turned his childhood love of building toys into groundbreaking science. His work with tiny, interlocked molecules—like links in a chain—led to the creation of the world’s smallest machines, laying the foundation for futuristic technologies in medicine and computing.

Born on a farm in Scotland without electricity, Stoddart grew up valuing hard work and creativity. He spent hours tinkering with Meccano construction sets, a passion that later shaped his revolutionary discoveries. Instead of using nuts and bolts, he found ways to thread molecules together, allowing them to move in controlled ways—much like mechanical gears or pistons. This breakthrough in nanotechnology earned him the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, alongside Jean-Pierre Sauvage and Bernard L. Feringa.

His pioneering research paved the way for molecular machines that could one day deliver medicine inside the body or power ultra-efficient electronics. Through his dedication, Stoddart turned tiny molecules into something with the potential to change the world—proving that a curious mind, no matter where it starts, can build something extraordinary.