http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/science/09nobel.html?ref=us

This is so fascinating to me. People start out studying jellyfish, of all things, to see why they glow green, and the next thing you know, we have a tool to help track the growth of nerve cells and is being used to learn more about Alzheimer's disease.

I am constantly in awe of researchers. If we had to rely on people like me to help us understand the world without and within, we'd still be sitting in caves gnawing on raw meat. I remember years ago reading an article by Isaac Asimov on how chemists figured out the molecular composition of elements and set up the Periodic Table, and I realized back in High School when I spent every day staring at that thing, it never occurred to me to ask where it came from. It might as well have been handed to Moses on a rock for all I knew.

Anyway, I know it is wa-a-ay off topic, but probably not more so than movie reviews.

Yes, impressive. I had the privilege of working with a Nobel Laureate years ago when I was just out of college. They are all very smart dudes.


OTOH we also have the Ig Nobel Prize and the Darwin Awards:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ig_Nobel_Prize

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_awards

Check out the list of winners and their accomplishments. Especially 2007’s.

Did anyone hear THIS on NPR this morning?