Alfred Nobel
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www.bibalex.org/bioalex2004conf The BioVisionAlexandria 2004 Conference Newsletter November 2003 Volume 1, Issue 2 BioVisionAlexandria ALFRED NOBEL 2004 aims to celebrate the The inventor, the industrialist outstanding scientists and scholars, in a he Nobel Prize is one of the highest distinctions recognized, granting its winner century dominated by instant fame. However, many do not know the interesting history and background technological and T that led to this award. scientific revolutions, through its It all began with a chemist, known as Alfred Nobel, born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1833. Nobel Day on 3 April Alfred Nobel moved to Russia when he was eight, where his father, Immanuel Nobel, 2004! started a successful mechanical workshop. He provided equipment for the Russian Army and designed naval mines, which effectively prevented the British Royal Navy from moving within firing range of St. Petersburg during the Crimean War. Immanuel Nobel was also a pioneer in the manufacture of arms, and in designing steam engines. INSIDE Scientific awards .........3 Immanuel’s success enabled him to Alfred met Ascanio Sobrero, the Italian Confirmed laureates ....4 Lady laureates ............7 provide his four sons with an excellent chemist who had invented Nitroglycerine education in natural sciences, languages three years earlier. Nitroglycerine, a and literature. Alfred, at an early age, highly explosive liquid, was produced by acquired extensive literary knowledge, mixing glycerine with sulfuric and nitric mastering many foreign languages. His acid. It was an invention that triggered a Nobel Day is interest in science, especially chemistry, fascination in the young scientist for many dedicated to many of was also apparent. His father sent him years to come. the scientists that abroad for further training in chemical were inspired to engineering. It was in Paris, in 1851, that struggle against odds, to withstand ANNOUNCEMENT disappointments and defeats, and to We are happy to announce that the conference, formerly known as BioAlexandria resolve never to give 2004 is now officially BioVisionAlexandria 2004. BioVisionAlexandria, held in up! Alexandria, EGYPT, will focus on Life Sciences and Sustainable Development, giving priority to concrete actions between the South and the North. It will be held every even year, therefore alternating with the World Life Sciences Forum BioVision, held every odd year in Lyon, France. Page 2 BioVisionAlexandria 2004 Alfred was very interested in the the name of dynamite. He invented a practical use of nitroglycerine in detonator (blasting cap), which could be construction. Nitroglycerine explosive ignited by lighting a fuse, to set off the power was much higher than that of dynamite rods. These inventions, gunpowder. However, it could explode in together with the use of the diamond a very unpredictable manner if subjected drilling crown, greatly reduced the cost of to heat and pressure. It was therefore blasting, drilling, and other types of considered to be too dangerous to be construction work. used practically, and Alfred was aware The market for dynamite and blasting that a method for the controlled caps grew very quickly, and Alfred’s detonation of nitroglycerine had to be factory was soon exporting nitroglycerine developed for its safe use. Immanuel Nobel explosives to many countries in Europe, Alfred returned to Russia in 1852 to America and Australia. He founded assist in his father’s enterprise, and factories in over 20 countries in 90 started experimenting with nitroglycerine different locations, and worked in them with the aim of developing it into a himself. Many of these companies have commercially and technically useful grown into industrial enterprises that still explosive. However, when the war play a major role in today’s world ended, his father went bankrupt and economy. They include AB Bofors, a returned to Sweden with his sons Alfred globally known firearm factory in and Emil. His other two sons remained in Sweden, as well as many others in Russia and developed successful France, Norway and Great Britain. careers in the oil industry. Alfred’s inventions were not limited to In Stockholm, Alfred concentrated on the explosives industry only. His developing nitroglycerine as an inventions included artificial silk, synthetic Alfred Nobel explosive. This was very dangerous, rubber and leather. He also played a leading to several explosions in the lab major role in the development of gelatin and killing many, including his brother, dynamite, which is safer to handle than Emil. This prompted the authorities to the original dynamite. He was granted a forbid further nitroglycerine experimen- total of 355 patents over his lifetime. tation within Stockholm city limits. Alfred, Alfred Nobel died, a very wealthy man, in still not discouraged, moved his San Remo, Italy, on 10 December 1896. experimentation to a large boat anchored Nobel’s will designated his fortunes to on Lake Mälaren. In 1864, he founded Sites on Nobel the awarding of yearly Nobel Prizes in the the company Nitroglycerine AB, and fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology started mass production of nitroglycerine. www.nobel.se and Medicine, Literature, and Peace. He discovered that when mixed with These prizes can be considered as an www.almaz.com/nobel silica, nitroglycerine turned from a liquid extension of his lifetime interest, for he into a paste. This paste could be shaped www.nobelchannel.com was both the scientist and the poet. Many into rods suitable for insertion into drilling believe that Nobel’s friendship with www.nobel.no holes, therefore solving the safety Countess Bertha von Suttner, a famous problem of handling nitroglycerine. In www.nobelprizes.com figure in the peace movement, is the 1867, he patented this invention under November 2003 BioVisionAlexandria 2004 Page 3 reason for including a Prize in Peace. In 1968, the Sveriges Riksbank (Bank of OTHER SCIENTIFIC Sweden) introduced the Prize in ACHIEVEMENT Economic Sciences in his memory. AWARDS The executors of his will were two engineers who established the Nobel Fields Medal - commonly regarded Foundation, an organization responsible as mathematics' closest analog to the for the financial assets left by Nobel for Nobel Prize (which does not exist in this purpose. The Prize, being awarded The Fields Medal is made of mathematics). gold, and shows the head of since 1901 for works of greatest benefit Archimedes (287-212 BC) together with a quotation to mankind, consists of a medal, a Rolf Nevanlinna Prize - Prize in attributed to him: "Transire suum pectus personal diploma and a monetary prize. mathematical aspects of information mundoque potiri" The number of prizewinners that can science. ("Rise above oneself and grasp the world") share a Nobel Prize was restricted, in Wolf Prize - In Science, the fields are 1968, to three. Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, The Nobel Prize ceremony is held in Medicine, Physics, while in Arts, the Stockholm on 10 December each year, prize rotates annually among and the King of Sweden personally Architecture, Music, Painting and hands over the Prize in each field. Sculpture. However, the ceremony for the Nobel World Food Prize – It is given to Prize in Peace is held in Oslo, Norway. individuals who have advanced human The Nobel Prize is by far one of the development by improving the quality, most prestigious awards a scientist may quantity or availability of food in the receive, and one of the few that the world. general public is familiar with. It Einstein Prize – It aims to recognize recognizes men and women, who outstanding accomplishments in the through sheer will and determination field of gravitational physics. have changed the world, sometimes single-handedly. Tyler Prize - Award for environmental science, energy and medicine that give BioVisionAlexandria 2004 aims to great benefit to mankind. celebrate these outstanding scientists and scholars, in a century dominated by Welch Prize – Award for basic technological and scientific revolutions, chemical research. Nobel Prize medal through its Nobel Day on 3 April 2004. E.O. Lawrence Award – Award given Nobel Day is dedicated to many of the to scientists and engineers for their scientists that were inspired to struggle exceptional contributions in the field of against odds, to withstand atomic energy, broadly defined. disappointments and defeats, and to resolve never to give up! ¯ King Faisal Prize - Awards for Medicine, Science, Islamic Studies, Register Now at Service to Islam, and Arabic Literature. www.bibalex.org/bioalex2004conf November 2003 Page 4 BioVisionAlexandria 2004 MEET THESE NOBEL LAUREATES IN BioVisionAlexandria 2004! Werner Arber (Nobel 1978) Werner Arber is a Swiss microbiologist born in 1929. A For this work, Arber received the professor at the University of Geneva (1960–70) and later 1978 Nobel Prize in Physiology at the University of Basel (1971–). Arber’s research or Medicine in (with Daniel Adams focuses on microbial evolution, with special attention to and Hamilton Smith). the molecular mechanisms by which bacterial viruses He is Vice President of the Swiss (bacteriophages) transfer genes to other bacteria. He also Science Council, President of the explored host defenses against such transfer and International Council of Scientific identified "restriction" sites where the viral DNA is Unions (since October 1996) and of Werner Arber attacked. The discovery that this process is controlled by the recently appointed International Scientific Advisory