Science Takes Center Stage at the 2024 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony
This story was created in partnership with The Breakthrough Prize.
Science and pop culture are seen as worlds apart. But Breakthrough Prize is on a mission to bring them together. The world’s largest science prize — which annually awards at least $3 million for significant contributions to physics, life sciences and mathematics.–Pulling scientists into the orbit of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
In 2012, Sergey Brin (co-founder of Google), Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook), Priscilla Chan (co-founder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative), Julia and Yuri Milner (technology investors and science philanthropists), and Anne Wojciech. established by (co-founder of 23andMe), the Breakthrough Prize celebrates advances in basic science—with hopes to raise the profile of great scientists in pop culture, inspire the public, and inspire more young people to pursue careers in science. (As part of this mission, the prize also honors one high school student a year through the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, a global science video competition for students ages 13-18.)
Since its inception, the star-studded ceremony has eclipsed the traditional science awards, earning a reputation as the “Oscars of Science” due to its outstanding production values and the great entertainment talent in attendance. , and has generated billions of media impressions worldwide. . Kristen Bell, Vin Diesel, Gal Gadot, Kate Hudson, Chris Pine, Lupita Nyong’o, Pharrell Williams, John Legend and Lionel Richie are just some of the presenters and actors who have graced the show over the years.
This will be the tenth Breakthrough Prize ceremony, and the milestone will be celebrated in style on April 13 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Hosted by actor and comedian James Corden, it will feature stars including Robert Downey Jr., Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys, Venus Williams, and Michelle Yeoh, among the world’s greatest athletes, Hollywood stars, musicians, and entrepreneurs. Together will be in front of a crowd. The Scientologists Glamorous 2024 show will certainly be one for the books—especially since it will be produced by Vanity Fair and Don Mascher Productions, whose work includes the Oscars, Emmys, Olympic Games kickoff, and Super Bowl halftime show. are
Each year, Breakthrough Prize recipients are selected for outstanding contributions to human knowledge—including human biology and diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Prizes celebrated this year include 11 winners of the $3 million Breakthrough Prizes in the life sciences, fundamental physics, and mathematics. 12 early career physicists and mathematicians; and three Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prizes that recognize young women mathematicians.
Life Science Laureates Carl H. June and Michael Sedelin re-engineered T cells, key players in the body’s immune system, to recognize individual patients’ cancer cells, leading to highly effective liquid cancer treatments. developed, including some aggressive leukemias. The scientists’ work is proving to be transformative: some patients’ tumors have completely disappeared, not returning even after years without treatment.
Other Life Science laureates include Damis Hassabis and John Jumper for designing the revolutionary AlphaFold—a machine learning system that accurately predicts the structure of proteins, one of the hardest to crack in all organisms. is a puzzle. Thomas Gasser, Alan Sidrinsky, Andrew Singleton and Richard Yule, who discovered the most common genetic causes and key mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease. And Sabine Hadida, Paul Negulescu and Frederick Van Gore, who invented life-changing treatments for cystic fibrosis, created drugs that target the root of the deadly disease and greatly improve quality.–and the length of life for people living in this state.
In basic physics, the award goes to Hidetoshi Katori and Jun Ye, who made atomic clocks so precise that they lose less than a second in 15 billion years; and John Cardy and Alexander Zmoludchikov for their profound contributions to statistical physics and quantum field theory. His work spans from particle physics to magnetic and superconducting materials and even black holes.
In mathematics, Simon Brendel is celebrated for his advances in differential geometry, a field that uses the tools of calculus to study smooth surfaces and spaces. Many of its consequences are of manifold concern in higher dimensions.
“I am inspired by the ideas, discoveries and commitment to growth of the women and men who win the Breakthrough Prize each year,” commented Anne Wojcicki, prize co-founder and founder of 23andMe.
Tune in to the Breakthrough Prize YouTube channel on Sunday, April 21 to celebrate science in Hollywood.