The 2025 Breakthrough Prizes honored major scientific achievements. In physics, 13,508 CERN scientists won for Higgs boson research. Life Sciences winners advanced gene editing, MS treatment, and weight-loss drugs. Dennis Gaitsgory earned the math prize. Early-career researchers and women PhD students also received special awards, celebrating global scientific excellence.
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The 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics was awarded to 13,508 physicists across four collaborative projects at CERN, the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland.
They were started in 2013 by some big names in tech, including Mark Zuckerberg (creator of Facebook), his wife Priscilla Chan, Sergey Brin (one of Google's founders), and others. These awards celebrate scientists who do amazing work and inspire young people to follow their footsteps.
They are called the "Oscars of Science" because they celebrate great achievements in science just like the Oscars celebrate achievements in movies.
The prizes focus on three main areas: Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics, and Mathematics. Each prize is worth $3 million, which makes them the richest science awards in the world.
Life Sciences Prize
Weight-Loss Drugs: Five scientists helped create Ozempic and Wegovy, two drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity. They discovered how a hormone called GLP-1 works in the body. Their research has already helped millions lose weight and manage diabetes
ultiple Sclerosis Treatment: Two researchers figured out that the Epstein-Barr virus plays a key role in causing Multiple Sclerosis (MS). They also found ways to target specific immune cells (called B-cells) to treat MS, giving hope to patients worldwide.
Gene Editing: A scientist named David Liu invented tools to edit DNA without cutting it apart. This means doctors can fix genetic mistakes directly in the DNA, potentially curing diseases caused by faulty genes.
Fundamental Physics Prize
In physics, the prize went to 13,508 scientists working on four projects at CERN, a huge lab in Switzerland. CERN uses the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s biggest machine, to smash tiny particles together so scientists can study what they’re made of.
These teams studied something called the Higgs boson , or the "God Particle," which gives other particles their mass. Their work helps us understand why the universe exists and how the Big Bang happened billions of years ago.
Mathematics Prize
A mathematician named Dennis Gaitsgory won this year’s math prize. He worked for over 30 years to solve part of a very hard problem called the Langlands Program. His solution connects different areas of math in exciting new ways.
Other Awards
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Mark your answer as per the codes provided: Assertion (A): Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is marked by the formation of sclerotic plaques within the central nervous system. Reason (R): These plaques are composed of inflated collagen deposits resulting from a systemic fibrotic process. Which of the options given below is correct? A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation for A. B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation for A. C) A is true, but R is false. D) A is false, but R is true. Answer: C Explanation: Assertion (A) is true. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is characterized by the presence of hardened patches or scars, known as sclerotic plaques or lesions, within the white matter of the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves). These plaques are the hallmark pathological feature of the disease, resulting from immune-mediated inflammation and demyelination. Reason (R) is false. The plaques in MS are not primarily composed of excessive collagen deposits resulting from a systemic fibrotic process similar to scleroderma. While scarring (gliosis, involving proliferation of glial cells like astrocytes) occurs, the primary pathology is inflammation and loss of myelin. MS is an inflammatory autoimmune disease targeting the CNS, not a systemic fibrotic condition like Systemic Sclerosis (Scleroderma), which is characterized by widespread excessive collagen deposition in skin and internal organs due to different underlying mechanisms. The nature and cause of sclerosis in MS are distinct from those in scleroderma. |
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