The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has announced that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded jointly to NAS member Karl Deisseroth, NAS international member Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to NAS member Francis Halzen for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded to NAS member Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford for the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilization.
Rocks are the source of many of the materials we rely on every day, but they also play a much broader role in shaping our planet. For Earth Science Week, which this year highlights critical minerals, we spoke with NAS member and geochemist Susan Brantley about her research on the processes that transform rocks over time—from weathering and interactions with water and living organisms, to their influence on soils, nutrients, and climate.
For Malnutrition Awareness Week, biologist and NAS member Jeffrey Gordon discusses how scientists are changing the way we understand and treat childhood undernutrition. Gordon explains what researchers have learned about the developing gut microbiome, how foods can be designed to support healthy microbial communities, and why the next generation of treatments may need to address not only calories and nutrients, but also the complex relationship between food, microbes, and the growing child.
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October 1, 2026 - March 4, 2027
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