Current:Home > InvestBalzan Prizes recognize achievements in study of human evolution, black holes with $840,000 awards-LoTradeCoin
Balzan Prizes recognize achievements in study of human evolution, black holes with $840,000 awards
View Date:2024-12-23 21:03:15
MILAN (AP) — An American literary historian, a French paleoanthropologist, a Danish evolutionary geneticist and a German-Dutch astrophysicist have been named the winners of this year’s Balzan Prize. Their work in the humanities and natural sciences advances the study of comparative literature, human evolution and black holes.
David Damrosch, chair of Harvard University’s comparative literature department, was recognized for “his creative approach to world literature as a translational circulation of works that remain alive because they are embraced and changed,’’ the Balzan Foundation said in its citation.
Frenchman Jean-Jacques Hublin of the Max-Planck-Institute for evolutionary anthropology in Leipzig was cited for his discoveries of the oldest Homo sapiens in Africa, contributing to the study of human evolution. The citation also praised his ability to synthesize data, organize scientific teams and his qualities as a teacher “and popularizer.”
Also awarded for contributions to the study of human evolution, Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark was cited for studies of human DNA, focusing on population migrations to “transform our understanding of human history.” The citation said he used ancient DNA from teeth to identify human pathogens and retrieved DNA from environmental samples “opening a new scientific field.”
The final individual award went to Heino Falcke, an astrophysicist at Radboud University in the Netherlands, for his role in producing high-resolution images of what surrounds black holes as leader of the Event Horizon Telescope. The work validated “Einstein’s General Relativity in situations where gravity is so strong that spacetime is significantly curved,’’ the judges said.
The Balzan Foundation awards prizes in the sciences and humanities each year, rotating specialties to highlight new or emerging areas of research and sustain fields that might be overlooked elsewhere. Recipients receive 750,000 Swiss francs ($840,000), half of which must be used for research, preferably by young scholars or scientists.
This year, a special prize for humanity, peace and brotherhood among peoples was made to the Francesca Rava Foundation, an Italian organization that helps responds to humanitarian and natural disasters in Italy and Latin America. The prize, also worth 750,000 Swiss francs, is give out at intervals of at least three years.
The prizes will be awarded in Bern, Switzerland on Nov. 17.
veryGood! (3767)
Related
- American arrested in death of another American at luxury hotel in Ireland
- Why Taylor Lautner Says Hanging With Wife Tay and Ex Taylor Swift Was the Perfect Situation
- Nordstrom Clear the Rack Sale: Find Deals on Your Next Go-To Shoes from Adidas, Dr. Martens, ECCO & More
- Here's What Kourtney Kardashian Has Been Eating and Drinking During Her Pregnancy
- Judge weighs the merits of a lawsuit alleging ‘Real Housewives’ creators abused a cast member
- Love Is Blind’s Bartise Bowden Debuts Romance With Cait Vanderberry
- Selena Gomez Celebrates 31st Birthday With Paris Hilton, Christina Aguilera and Other Friends
- Camila Cabello’s NSFW Vacation Photos Will Have You Saying My Oh My
- Women suing over Idaho’s abortion ban describe dangerous pregnancies, becoming ‘medical refugees’
- Constance Wu Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2
Ranking
- Contained, extinguished and mopping up: Here’s what some common wildfire terms mean
- Coast Guard rescues 2 from capsized boat off Georgia coast
- Maria Menounos and Husband Keven Undergaro Welcome First Baby via Surrogate
- As an Obscure United Nations Gathering Deliberates the Fate of Deep-Sea Mining, the Tuna Industry Calls for a Halt
- Review: 'Emilia Pérez' is the most wildly original film you'll see in 2024
- Constance Wu Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2
- Bodybuilder Justyn Vicky Dead at 33 After 450-Pound Barbell Falls on His Neck
- As Youngkin Tries to Pull Virginia Out of RGGI, Experts Warn of Looming Consequences for Low-Income Residents and Threatened Communities
Recommendation
-
Are Ciara Ready and Russell Wilson Ready For Another Baby? She Says…
-
Toby Keith to Receive Country Icon Award at the 2023 People's Choice Country Awards
-
After Litigation and Local Outcry, Energy Company Says It Will Not Move Forward with LNG Plant in Florida Panhandle
-
Megan Fox Caught in Middle of Scuffle After Man Attempts to Punch Machine Gun Kelly
-
Subway rider who helped restrain man in NYC chokehold death says he wanted ex-Marine to ‘let go’
-
Barack and Michelle Obama's Chef Dies While Paddleboarding Near Their Martha's Vineyard Home
-
Funding Poised to Dry Up for Water Projects in Ohio and Other States if Proposed Budget Cuts Become Law
-
The Baffling Story of Teen Rudy Farias: Brainwashed at Home and Never Missing Amid 8-Year Search