Canadian-American cosmologist James Peebles and Swiss scientists Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics on Tuesday for revealing the wonder of the evolution of the universe and discovering planets orbiting distant suns. Peebles, of Princeton University in the US, was awarded half of the 9-million-Swedish-crown (US$910,000) prize while Mayor and Queloz, from Switzerland’s University of Geneva and Britain’s Cambridge University, shared the rest.
“This year’s Nobel laureates have painted a picture of our universe far stranger and more wonderful than we could ever have imagined,” Ulf Danielsson, a professor and member of the Nobel Committee for Physics, told reporters as the prize was announced. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the scientists’ research had “transformed our ideas about the cosmos.” Mayor and his one-time doctoral student Queloz announced the first discovery of a planet outside our own solar system, a so-called “exoplanet,” in 1995.
Since their discovery, more than 4,000 exoplanets have been found in the Milky Way, many of them nothing like our own world. Indeed, the first planet they found, 51 Pegasi b, orbits a sun 50 light years away that heats its surface to more than 1,000 degrees Celsius, the award-giving academy said. With numerous ongoing searches for more exoplanets, this science might eventually also “find an answer to the eternal question of whether other life is out there,” it said.
Photo: REUTERS
照片:路透
At a news conference in London, Queloz said the focus of research had now shifted from finding more planets to finding out more about them — about their atmosphere, chemistry and formation. Queloz also fielded inevitable questions about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. “I can’t believe that we’re the only living entities in the universe,” he said when asked if he believes “aliens” exist. “The chemistry that led to life is everywhere, so I’m a strong believer that there must be life elsewhere.”
Peebles thanked the Nobel committee for the award, although he said his advice to young people wishing to go into science would be not to be lured by the prospect of such prizes. “The awards and prizes, well, they are charming and very much appreciated, but ... you should enter science because you are fascinated by it. That’s what I did,” he told reporters by telephone after the award announcement.
Physics is the second Nobel awarded last week; William Kaelin, Gregg Semenza and Peter Ratcliffe shared the medicine prize on Monday for discoveries about how cells sense and respond to oxygen levels. Among the Nobels, physics has often taken center stage with winners featuring some of the greatest names in the history of science such as Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and Niels Bohr, as well as inventors such as radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
Using theoretical tools and calculations, Peebles was able to interpret trace radiation from the infancy of the universe and discover new physical processes, the Nobel academy said. He showed that matter readily seen around us, be it pebbles, mountains or stars, actually make up only 5 percent, with the rest made up of dark energy and dark matter.
(Reuters)
加拿大裔美國籍宇宙學家詹姆斯‧皮博,以及瑞士科學家米歇爾‧梅爾和迪第爾‧奎洛茲分別因為揭示宇宙演化的奧秘,以及發現繞著遙遠恆星運行的行星,於週二贏得二○一九年諾貝爾物理學獎。目前任教於美國普林斯頓大學的皮博獲頒獎金九百萬瑞典克朗(九十一萬美金,約新台幣兩千八百萬元)的一半,而瑞士日內瓦大學的梅爾以及英國劍橋大學的奎洛茲則對分另一半獎金。
Photo: AP
照片:美聯社
諾貝爾物理學委員會的成員烏爾夫‧丹尼爾森教授,在宣布獎項時告訴記者:「今年的諾貝爾獎桂冠得主所描繪出我們的宇宙,樣貌遠比我們能夠想像的還要更加奇異、更加驚人。」瑞典皇家科學院表示,這三位科學家的研究「改變了我們對於宇宙的觀念。」梅爾和他當時的博士生奎洛茲在一九九五年宣布首次發現一顆位於我們太陽系外的行星,也就是所謂的「系外行星」。
自從他們的發現以來,天文學家已經在銀河系內找到超過四千顆系外行星,其中多數迥異於我們的地球。事實上,瑞典皇家科學院指出,梅爾和奎洛茲發現的第一顆行星「飛馬座51b」繞著一顆距離地球五十光年的恆星運行,後者將行星表面加熱到超過攝氏一千度。瑞典皇家科學院表示,隨著眾多搜尋持續進行、尋找更多系外行星,這個科學領域可能最終也會「解答宇宙中是否有其他生命這個永恆問題。」
在倫敦的記者會上,奎洛茲表示,現在的研究焦點已經從尋找更多行星,改成找出更多有關於這些行星的資訊──包括它們的大氣層結構、化學元素,以及形成歷史。奎洛茲也不能免俗地回應關於外星生命的可能性問題。被問到是否相信「外星人」存在時,他表示:「我無法相信我們是宇宙中唯一的生物。」他補充說:「造成生命出現的化學作用在宇宙中俯拾皆是,所以我強烈相信別的地方一定也有生命。」
皮博感謝諾貝爾委員會將獎項頒給他,雖然他也指出,他對有意投入科學研究的年輕人建議會是,不要被獲得這類獎項的可能性所誘惑。他在獎項宣布後以電話向記者表示:「這些獎項和獎金,呃,是很吸引人,也令人非常感激。不過……你應該要因為對科學著迷而進入科學領域,我當初就是這樣。」
物理學是諾貝爾獎上週頒發的第二個獎項;威廉‧凱林、葛雷格‧塞門薩,以及彼得‧雷克里夫三人於週一共同獲頒諾貝爾醫學獎,以表彰他們發現細胞如何感知並回應氧氣濃度的變化。在諾貝爾眾獎項中,物理學獎經常是引人注目的焦點,歷年來的得獎者囊括好幾位科學史上的偉大人物,例如艾伯特.愛因斯坦、瑪麗‧居禮、尼爾斯.波耳,以及包括無線電先驅古列爾莫.馬可尼在內的多位發明家。
頒發諾貝爾獎的瑞典皇家科學院表示,皮博利用理論工具和計算方式,得以解釋宇宙形成初期遺留下來的輻射痕跡,並且發現新的物理過程。皮博的研究顯示,我們身邊輕易可見的物質,無論是小鵝卵石、山脈,或是星體,只佔了宇宙的百分之五,其他的百分之九十五則都是由暗能量與暗物質所構成。
(台北時報章厚明編譯)
A: I want to go to Neihu to see the cherry blossoms. B: Do you want to go by YouBike? A: Well, how much does it cost? B: The Taipei City Government just announced that riders can use the bicycles for free for the first 30 minutes! A: Great! Riding bikes is also more eco-friendly than driving. A: 我想去內湖賞櫻花耶。 B: 那要不要騎YouBike微笑單車去? A: 車費怎麼算? B: 台北市政府最近宣布︰前30分鐘免費! A: 太棒了,而且也比開車更環保。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
One of us is a murderer. The terrifying thought fills your head. There’s a corpse in the next room, and one of your fellow diners put it there. As the evening progresses, you learn disturbing secrets about everyone, and you’re forced to confess to a few yourself. You all have motives for the crime, but who committed it? Fortunately, it’s just a game. Murder mystery games are multiplayer role-playing games designed to be played over the course of an evening. The concept likely originated with “wink murder,” an amusing pastime that became popular in the early 1900s. In this game, a “murderer” kills
A: How does Taipei’s YouBike service charge after the free ride for the first 30 minutes? B: It’s NT$10 every 30 minutes within four hours. A: What a bargain. No wonder Taipei is listed by Britain’s “Time Out” magazine as one of the best 50 cities in the world. B: But I spotted a few English mistakes on YouBike’s Web site. A: I guess that aspect of it still has room for improvement. A: 台北市YouBike前30分鐘免費,之後怎麼算? B: 4小時內每30分鐘10元。 A: 真劃算,難怪台北市會入選英國《Time Out》雜誌全球最佳的50座城市。 B: 不過我在YouBike的網站上看到了好幾個英文錯誤。 A: 看來這個部分還有改善的空間。(By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/ 台北時報張聖恩)
Mullet roe is a highly-priced delicacy typically served during special occasions like wedding banquets or Chinese New Year’s dinners, where families come together in celebration. The mullet roe can be prepared in various ways. It is usually pan-fried but can also be roasted or torched. To cook a pan-fried mullet roe, soak it in liquor or wine and peel off its membrane. Then, it is browned over a low fire and turned several times. Finally, the fried mullet roe is cut diagonally and is ready to be served. This dish is usually served with garlic scapes and daikon slices, but