Two scientists from Japan and Canada won the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday, for discovering that neutrinos have mass, which changed our views of the universe.
The prize was awarded to Takaaki Kajita, a professor at the University of Tokyo, and Arthur B. McDonald, a professor emeritus at Queen’s University, announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
“It’s very important because neutrinos are elementary particles. There are very many of them. They are the second most abundant particles in the universe, just after the photons, which are light. Before, we thought neutrinos had no mass. And, now, because of this discovery, we know that they have a mass. And, this is very important because it really changed our understanding of the universe,” said Anne L’Huillier, member of the Nobel Committee for Physics.
She said the researches on neutrinos are the fundamental discoveries in physics. Although it cannot be connected with people’s daily life, it has great importance to the whole world of physics. (Reuters)
