2013 Nobel Prize In Chemistry Goes To Three Computer Chemist For Taking Chemistry Into Cyberspace

Three U.S.-based scientists won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their pioneering computer works that took the field of chemistry, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced.

Martin Karplus of Harvard University and University of Strasbourg in France, Ariel Warshel of University of Southern California, and Michael Levitt of Stanford University were awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences the prize of $1.25 million for their work that they began during the 1970's.

The pioneering work of the three computer chemists led to the creation of computer programs that simulate a complex chemical process, which became useful and revolutionized drug research related to solar energy.

According to the academy, chemical reactions happen at lightning speed, which makes it almost impossible to track every step in the chemical process.

But the computer models of Karplus, Levitt, and Warshel was able to map out such reactions and their work became one of the most useful tools for research in a huge number of academic laboratories worldwide.

"Today the computer is just as important a tool for chemists as the test tube," the academy said in a statement as reported by Reuters. "Computer models mirroring real life have become crucial for most advances made in chemistry today."

The effectiveness of the computational techniques pioneered by the three chemists also improved as computers today become more powerful, leading to more sophisticated details on the chemical reactions that are useful in designing new medicines.

"It has revolutionized chemistry," said Uppsala University organic chemistry professor Kersti Hermansonn in a Reuters interview. "When you solve equations on the computer, you obtain information that is at such detail it is almost impossible to get it from any other method. You can really follow like a movie, in time and in space. This is fantastic detail."

Warshel and his co-awardees were elated by the decision of the academy to cite their work. According to Warshel, their computer works suffered early setbacks during the 1970s as it was received coldly by their colleague. But Levitt pointed out that such criticism did not stop them from developing the computer system.

"I am a computer geek," Levitt said. "That's not to say that I became a computational chemist in order to play with computers, but a large part of any creative activity is to feel that you're playing. I think if everybody did everything with passion, the world would be a better place."