Nobel prize glory - but no passport!

Published 08 October, 2008, 11:08

One of this year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in physics won’t be able to receive the award in Stockholm – as he doesn’t have a passport! Toshihide Maskawa, a Japanese introvert obsessed with physics, is one of three scientists honoured by the prestigious award.

He charmed reporters when, despite trying to hide his shyness over his victory, he sobbed and made a grin that saw his tongue accidentally stick out. 

The laureate, who teaches theoretical physics in Kyoto Sangyo University, didn’t seem excited about the news at all. He called the award ceremony, which is scheduled for October 10, to be just “another society party”. Moreover, his wife said that he “feels allergic” to the idea of having to speak English at the event.
  
However, a little later Maskawa appeared to change his tune and said that he likes to be valued by the scientific community. 

“As a scientist, I feel the most pleased when fellow scientists tell me I was right. Of course I get happy when I get compliments,” he said.

Maskawa shares the award with his colleague Makoto Kobayashi. In 1970s both scientists worked out a theory on why antimatter sometimes does not obey the same rules as matter. They found that nature had three families of quarks, an elementary particle.

0/5 (0 votes)

rate this story