Japanese, US nanotechnology experts win Spain's Asturias award
MADRID (AFP) — Two Japanese and three American scientists were Wednesday awarded Spain's prestigious Prince of Asturias prize for scientific and technical research for their work in nanotechnology.
Sumio Iijima and Shuji Nakamura from Japan and Americans George M. Whitesides, Tobin Marks and Robert Langer were honoured as "worldwide leaders in the creation of new materials for the benefit of mankind," the foundation said.
"Groundbreakers in the field of nanotechnology worldwide, these scientists have created new, revolutionary materials and transcendental techniques for fighting diseases, such as those related to the brain and cancer, and for producing artificial tissues and organs," it said.
"Their work also stands out for its contribution to the protection of the environment and energy saving via the use of new sources of clean energy that may be produced at a low cost."
Nanotechnology is the creation of systems and objects on atomic and molecular scale.
Last year's science award was won by Britain's Peter Lawrence and Spain's Gines Morata for their findings in the field of developmental biology.
The Asturias foundation annually hands out eight awards, each worth 50,000 euros (66,000 dollars) in the fields of communication and humanities, scientific and technical research, social science, arts, letters, international cooperation, international understanding and sport.
This year's arts prize went to the Youth and Children Orchestra of Venezuela, while the award for international cooperation was shared between four malaria research centres in Africa.
