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: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too