The 2024 Nobel Prize announcements started on October 7 to honour remarkable contributions that have shaped modern science and society.
This year’s first prize, awarded in physiology or medicine, honoured American researchers Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for discovering and uncovering the critical role of microRNAs, small molecules that regulate gene expression, influencing health conditions like cancer and heart disease. The physics prize went to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton, whose pioneering work with artificial neural networks has propelled advancements in machine learning, impacting fields from particle physics to everyday technologies like facial recognition.
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry honours David Baker for pioneering computational protein design and Demis Hassabis and John Jumper for breakthrough protein structure prediction.
The prize money for each recipient is approximately $1.1 million, and the memorabilia includes a medal and diploma. Established through a fund set up with the fortune Alfred Nobel bequeathed in his last will, the Nobel prizes have been awarded since 1901.
Read on to see the list of Nobel Prize winners in all disciplines in 2024.
2024 Nobel Prize Winners: Full List
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2024: Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun
Ambros and Ruvkun’s discovery of microRNAs revealed a novel mechanism of gene regulation, providing insights into cellular behaviors linked to diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Their breakthrough, first published in 1993, demonstrated how microRNAs bind to messenger RNA, controlling protein production crucial for cell function. Thomas Perlmann of the Nobel Committee called their work “fundamental for all physiology”.
Nobel Prize in Physics for 2024: John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton
Their integration of statistical physics into artificial neural networks has been instrumental in machine learning and artificial intelligence, allowing complex pattern recognition across vast datasets. At a Nobel press conference, Ellen Moons, chair of the Physics Committee, highlighted the broad applications of their work while cautioning about the ethical implications of AI’s rapid development, urging collective responsibility for its use.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2024: David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper
Baker's work has enabled the creation of new proteins with applications in medicine and nanotechnology, while Hassabis and Jumper's AlphaFold2 AI model solved a decades-long challenge, predicting the structures of over 200 million proteins. These advancements highlight proteins’ essential roles as life’s chemical engines, driving reactions and forming tissue, hormones, and antibodies. Together, these discoveries promise vast scientific and practical benefits, from combating antibiotic resistance to advancing environmental solutions.
Nobel Prize in Literature for 2024
To be announced on Thursday, October 10
Nobel Prize in Peace for 2024
To be announced on Friday, October 11
The 2024 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
To be announced on Monday, October 14