皮皮蝦：【這是諾貝爾化學獎嗎？】

今天諾貝爾化學獎出爐，由Tomas Lindahl、Paul Modrich和Aziz Sancar分享，以表彰他們在DNA修複的細胞機製方麵的研究。這是諾貝爾化學獎嗎？

 

最近幾年，諾貝爾化學獎總是被搞成理綜獎。大分子、和生物有關的成果每每奪得化學獎。一方麵可能是小分子田裏的草都拔光了，難有突破性成就；另一方麵科學的發展有時各科間的界限也很難劃清。

 

我們熟知的居裏夫人兩得諾獎，大家都知道她的貢獻應該是化學領域，但其實她的諾獎一次是化學，一次卻是物理。

 

 

過去我們總是想問誰是華人的居裏夫人？以前人們認為是吳健雄。她雖沒有得到諾貝爾物理學獎，但成就舉世公認。正是她用實驗物理學證實了此前提出的理論，成就了別人的諾貝爾獎。為尊者諱，她畢業於汪偽政權的中央大學（1943屆）這段曆史，官方從不提及（正牌中央大學在當時已遷往重慶沙坪壩）。另一不大宣傳的事實是，她的先生袁家餾是袁世凱的孫子。當年鄙人上大學時，吳健雄來校作報告，因中文不流利，學生聽不下去，紛紛離席，令校領導很尷尬。其實按中共國賓規格，諾貝爾獎獲得者以國家元首的規格接待，吳健雄雖未得諾獎但也在其列。

 

 

去年哈佛的雙料教授（物理、化學）莊曉威又被認為是華人的居裏夫人，她去年呼聲極高卻沒得上諾貝爾獎令許多人為她婉惜。她隻有三十多歲，據說其後續的研究仍有希望有大突破。二〇〇四年，鄙人在新英格蘭的劍橋短暫工作時，曾見過此女中豪傑的風采。

 

 

還有一奇女，南大化學係的鮑哲南，大學三年級時出國留學，後在貝爾實驗室工作，現為斯坦福教授，也在科學界揚名立萬。她和她的德國老板在貝爾實驗室曾有十三篇《Science》上發表的文章，引起轟動，但隨後又有紛爭。但她被認定清白，《Science》還為她作了專訪，間接為她恢複名譽。

 

然而，屠呦呦橫空出世，以八十多歲高齡捷足先登，不但是首位中國本土諾獎獲得者，而且是首位華人女性獲得者。這華人的居裏夫人應該是她了。順便說一下，她的突破性思路是用乙醚提取青蒿素(其實是黃花蒿有效成份)，這應該是化學手段，為什麽不是化學獎呢？因為這手段本身並非什麽化學上了不起的理論突破或技術創新，但卻是尋找解決治瘧藥的關鍵。

 

 

居裏夫人兩獲諾獎，其女兒女婿也獲諾獎(差點也是兩次獲獎)，當是難以超越的記錄。如果有哪位華人女性能兩奪諾獎，那華人中的居裏夫人就該是她了。

 

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[皮皮蝦]

回複 'Calypso' 的評論 : Thank you very much for your nice words. That might be an impossible dream.

[Calypso]

Speaking of Brian and potential father-son Laureates, how about buddy Laureates? Weinberg and Glashow were buddy's at Bronx High and they went to win the Nobel prize together. Maybe your son and Brian can achieve that too?

[Calypso]

"這是諾貝爾化學獎嗎"
Good question. I guess in the future we'll have more questions like this. "Is this the Noble prize for physics? It looks like material science!" "It looks like chemistry!"

Your son's buddy Brian, his dad is a true physicist and he will definitely win the Nobel prize for physics. But one of his co-laureates will be a chemist (or a physical-chemist) because that guy observed the topological insulator experimentally, as predicted by Brian's dad.

[皮皮蝦]

回複 'Calypso' 的評論 : Thank you for your correction. Seems like you know a lot on this.

[Calypso]

"鮑哲南的德國老板豈止是紛爭,那是轟動一時的學術欺騙".
Not completely accurate.

The German guy Schon is not Bao's boss. He was a postdoc himself. He published numerous papers as first authors in Science and Nature, rare in physics though not uncommon in biology. The boss and the corresponding author was Bertram Batlogg. He probably did not intend to cheat but was blind to Schon's deeds.

Bao was neither first nor corresponding authors of any of the series of papers. She is not a true physicist and only provided samples for Schon. So if Schon's result were correct, Bao would still get only marginal credit.

[matrix123]

鮑哲南的德國老板豈止是紛爭,那是轟動一時的學術欺騙.