This is Science Friday. I'm Ira Flato. A bit later in the hour, how we can use logic to navigate our way through everyday arguments, divisive political issues, with a little help for mathematician, Eugenia Cheng. But first, this week, one of those rituals of science, the early morning wake-up call from Stockholm to a handful of researchers whose work has changed

their fields. Joining me now to talk about the prizes and other selected short subjects in science

is Sarah Kaplan, science reporter at the Washington Post. Welcome back. Thanks, good to be here.

Nice to have you. Let's walk through the Nobel's. We're planning to speak with chemistry Nobel-Nobelist Francis Arnold later this hour, but briefly, what did she win for?

Yeah, so Dr. Arnold and two other researchers, George Smith and Gregory Winter, were awarded the Chemistry Nobel for their work on directed evolution.

So this is basically, one person called it, applying the principles of Darwin in a test tube,

taking advantage of natural selection and using it to kind of direct bacteria or viruses

to produce molecules that can be used for all kinds of useful purposes, whether it's making

antibodies or biofuels or drugs.

And the chemistry prize was split with two other researchers, right?

Yeah, George Smith and Gregory Winter.

And what did they win for?

So they both work on this technique called phage display, which harnesses bacteria phages.

They are viruses that infect bacteria. And it's kind of

the similar principle, where you're taking advantage of these living systems to produce useful

molecules, proteins and antibodies that have all kinds of biological and medical applications.

And what about physics?

So in physics, the prize was awarded to three researchers who work with lasers.

Pretty cool.

Arthur Ashkin, Gerard Moreau, and Donna Strickland.

And they basically not just use lasers, but use lasers as tools.

So Ashkin developed this technique called optical tweezers, where he basically figured out that when you

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