Nobel week 2026: the prizes announced so far, explained
Three Nobel Prizes have been announced this week, honouring breakthroughs in medicine, physics and chemistry.
On Wednesday, the chemistry prize went to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for work on asymmetric organic synthesis. Their discoveries help explain why life favours one mirror image of a molecule over another, a puzzle key to making drugs.
On Tuesday, the physics prize went to Francis Halzen for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole. His work led to the discovery of high-energy neutrinos from space, opening a new kind of astronomy. He is the first solo physics winner since 1992.
On Monday, the medicine prize went to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for optogenetics, a technique that uses light to study the brain.
Each prize is worth 12 million Swedish kronor, about $1.2 million. The literature prize comes Thursday, peace on Friday, and economics on October 12.
Kagan was reportedly out shopping when he received the prize call.
Related stories
View all →
Bitcoin’s $83,000 rebound explained
Why bitcoin bounced above $83,000: Trump's Iran statement, ETF outflows, and the key levels traders watch.
Starlink Mobile explained: SpaceX’s carrier play
How SpaceX's 800 MHz spectrum deal and 15,000 new satellites could turn Starlink Mobile into a US carrier.
El Nino explained: why Maharashtra is parched
What El Nino is, how it weakens the monsoon, and why it left Maharashtra declaring drought in 265 talukas.
Khabar 24h Editorial Desk — our explainers are prepared by the Khabar 24h editorial team using AI-assisted research tools, and every piece is reviewed by a human editor before publishing. We do not claim original reporting: our work is turning complex topics into simple, accurate summaries. Spotted an error? Write to contact@khabar24h.com — our corrections policy aims for same-day review.
More from this author →
Leave a Reply