This year’s Nobel science prizes are real-life sci-fi - The Economist

Four NSF-supported researchers are among the 2026 Nobel Prize laureates, recognized for breakthroughs that transformed neuroscience, created a new way to explore the universe, and improved understanding of economic stability The bottom lineKarl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel, physiology or medicine — Pioneered optogenetics, a technique that uses light-sensitive proteins to control nerve-cell activity and investigate brain function. NSF supported Deisseroth's research advancing optogenetic tools. Francis Halzen, physics — For major contributions to the NSF IceCube Neutrino Observatory and its discoveries of elusive neutrino particles. NSF invested in the design, construction, and ongoing operations of NSF IceCube, which has enabled greater understanding of astrophysical neutrinos and their origins. Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences — Developed economic models explaining how the decisions of households and businesses influence economic fluctuations, helping improve policies to stabilize inflation, employment, and economic activity. NSF supported both laureates' research on economic fluctuations and stabilization policy.

The 2026 Nobel Prizes will be announced from October 5 to 12, marking the 125th anniversary of the awards, with the prize amount for each category raised to SEK 12 million (approximately $1.2 million). Nine ethnic Chinese scientists appear on hotly tipped shortlists across the three science categories. In physics, Xue Qikun and Jun Ye each secured major bellwether honors within the past month—the Clarivate Citation Laureates and the Wolf Prize in Physics, respectively. In physiology or medicine, Dennis Lo, Zhijian Chen, and David Huang all hold Lasker Awards or Citation Laureate recognition. In chemistry, David R. Liu's base editing and prime editing technologies, along with Ching W. Tang's invention of OLED, are considered strong contenders. Japanese researchers are also in the mix: Masashi Yanagisawa of the University of Tsukuba and Chihaya Adachi of Kyushu University hold a Lasker Award and a Citation Laureate, respectively. Artificial intelligence has become deeply embedded in these scientists' research, emerging as a new variable in Nobel-caliber discoveries.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researcher Isaiah Santistevan led the development of three-dimensional simulations exploring how a nuclear device could deflect or disrupt an asteroid threatening Earth. Credit: Blaise Douros/LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers are developing three-dimensional simulations to examine how a nuclear device could be used to deflect or potentially disrupt an asteroid threatening Earth.

Milky Way’s first microblazar candidate sits 12,000 light-years away, offering a rare ground-level lab for studying relativistic jetsA black hole 12,000 light-years away is firing a jet of plasma almost directly toward Earth. At that distance, no known or expected danger to Earth has been identified by the researchers or the institutions involved. What astronomers have actually found is rarer and more interesting than a threat. Researchers have identified IRAS 18293-0941 as a compelling candidate for the Milky Way’s first microblazar, a class of object that gives astrophysicists a close-up laboratory for studying some of the most violent physics in the galaxy. What Astronomers FoundThe discovery centers on a binary system whose black hole expels plasma jets at close to three-quarters the speed of light, pointed almost directly toward Earth. The system pairs a hot, massive star with a black hole that completes a full orbit roughly every 11.38 days. Material drawn from the companion star feeds the black hole, and some of that matter gets expelled outward as opposing jets traveling at approximately three-quarters the speed of light. Terminology matters here.