This year’s Nobel prizes in chemistry, physics and physiology or medicine have celebrated work that has been used to develop countless drugs and transform modern medicine, allowed physicists to observe one of the most mysterious particles, and provided a tool that could act as an on/off switch for brain cells. To find out more, Madeleine Finlay talks to our science editor, Ian Sample, and correspondents Nicola Davis and Linda Geddes

Nobel prize in medicine 2026 awarded for research into mysteries of brain

Nobel prize in physics goes to Francis Halzen for south pole work on neutrinos

Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for work on mirror-image molecules

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© Photograph: Niklas Halle’n/AFP Pool/AP

© Photograph: Niklas Halle’n/AFP Pool/AP

© Photograph: Niklas Halle’n/AFP Pool/AP

DNA analysis of oldest living land animal reveal patterns on genes that appear to protect functioning of mitochondria

The ancient quest to extend human lifespan has received a boost after scientists analysed the genetic code of the world’s oldest living land animal, a giant tortoise called Jonathan.

The tortoise, which lives in the grounds of Plantation House, the official residence of the governor of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, is believed to be 194 years old, making him a contemporary of Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin.

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© Photograph: St Helena Government, Communications Hub

© Photograph: St Helena Government, Communications Hub

© Photograph: St Helena Government, Communications Hub

The Nobel Committee recognized Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai for solving a century-old mystery about molecules with mirror images. Their work is crucial for pharmaceuticals and carries clues to the origins of life.

© Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency, via Reuters

We asked 100 scientists about unsolved problems in their fields. They sent back provocations — on the origins of life, the possibilities for human progress and much more.

© Photo illustration by Jane Stockdale for The New York Times

Found in 70 percent of cancers, the gene is seen as a grand orchestrator, but has been surprisingly difficult to stop.

Scientists have found a human gene lurking in a virus that causes skin infections. It may be using our own DNA to infect us.

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Scientists at the company announced their first finding: a group of enzymes whose function is unknown.

© Jason Henry/Bloomberg

Found in volcanic streams in California, the newfound organism has the highest heat tolerance of any complex life on Earth.

Scientists have discovered a powerful gene-targeting system in viruses. Billions of years old, VIPR seems to predate CRISPR and may be even more effective.

The Japanese chemist played a key role in the discovery of electricity-conducting plastics, largely by accident.

© Henrik Montgomery/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Her mapping of the ribosome, which led to new designs for antibiotics, faced years of derision, as many scientists saw it as a dead-end effort.

© Gali Tibbon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Even the most adept researchers may not know exactly what they do to get successful results. An A.I. model is trying to figure it out by watching every move.

© Ann Hermes for The New York Times