SciGenius Academy

22/08/2026

20/08/2026

Hideki Shirakawa (pictured) shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with physicist Alan Heeger and chemist Alan MacDiarmid for discovering and developing conductive polymers.

His interest in science and chemistry commenced at an early age:
"For the ten years from the third grade of elementary school to the end of high school, I lived in the small city of Takayama, a town of less than sixty thousand, located in the middle of Honshu, Japan. In this small town, rich in natural beauty, I spent my days enthusiastically collecting insects and plants, and making radios. My affinity for science was awakened..."

Read his full biography: https://bit.ly/2XK7E7F

20/08/2026

Impatiens nimspurjai (also spelled nimspurjae) is a recently identified Himalayan flowering plant species named in honor of the late Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal "Nimsdai" Purja. First spotted in 2011 by botanist Bhakta Bahadur Raskoti, the plant underwent over a decade of rigorous scientific study before being formally described in the journal PLOS ONE. Endemic to Purja's home region in Nepal's western Myagdi District, this unique flora thrives on humid, moist slopes and temperate forest margins at elevations between 2,800 and 2,900 meters. Its scientific name beautifully pairs "Nims Purja" with jai—the Nepali word for jasmine—symbolizing a legacy that continues to spread like a sweet fragrance in recognition of his historic high-altitude climbing achievements and his dedicated environmental advocacy, including his impactful Big Mountain Cleanup campaigns.

19/08/2026

The 2026 Nobel Prize Dialogue in Seoul asks how AI will transform the future of science, and seeks to explore what these changes mean for our ability to develop scientific solutions to the urgent challenges we face.

Bringing Nobel Prize laureates David MacMillan, Craig Mello and Brian Schmidt together with a diverse group of leading scholars and experts, this Nobel Prize Dialogue aims to frame the next questions for science, and help plot the next directions for society.

Make sure to secure a spot for the event in September: https://www.nobelprize.org/events/nobel-prize-dialogue/seoul-2026

19/08/2026

"How the first woman to win the Nobel Prize and her brilliant teenage daughter set out to mend the ugliness of war with ingenuity and sheer human courage."

Read about World War I humanitarian and heroine Marie Skłodowska Curie: https://t.co/YaEmfp9jrm

19/08/2026

Double Nobel Prize laureate Linus Pauling is the only person to have received two unshared Nobel Prizes.

Pauling was a chemist who lived on the frontiers of science. Working in the 1930s, he was among the pioneers who used quantum mechanics to understand and describe chemical bonding. His interests and contributions were many – he published the structure of the alpha helix, investigated sickle cell anaemia as the first molecular disease, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954.

After the bombing of Hiroshima, Pauling turned his attention to a different cause: peace. He campaigned vehemently against nuclear weapons and spearheaded a petition to ban nuclear testing. His efforts led to a second prize – the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize "for his fight against the nuclear arms race between East and West."

Learn more about Linus Pauling: https://bit.ly/3k4g1n7

19/08/2026

This might be one of the most famous images in photographic history.

The first ever X-ray image was taken in 1895 by Wilhelm Röntgen, who was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.

The image of his wife Bertha's hand (wedding ring clearly visible) propelled Röntgen into an international celebrity. The medical implications were immediately realised. Röntgen named the discovery X-radiation, or X-rays, after the mathematical term 'X', which denotes something unknown.

Read the story 'A Helping Hand from the Media' at: https://bit.ly/2S3TlUS

19/08/2026

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki convinced chemistry laureate Linus Pauling that nuclear weapons posed a threat to human existence. Together with other scientists, he sought to end the arms race. He helped to found the Pugwash movement, which received the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to diminish the role of nuclear weapons in the international political arena.

He continued to fight against the nuclear arms race between East and West for the rest of his life and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 for helping to achieve the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, although he also received criticism at the time.

Learn more about his commitment to peace: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1962/pauling/speedread/