Israeli Scientist Wins Nobel after being Ridiculed by the Scientific Community

By Douglas V. Gibbs

There was a consensus, and Israeli scientist Dan Shechtman bucked it. He was ridiculed, insulted, and kicked out, but in the end, Schechtman was right.

Shechtman's conclusions seemed to violate the laws of nature.

In 1982, Shechtman discovered what are now called "quasicrystals" — atoms arranged in patterns that seemed forbidden by nature. Shechtman first observed crystals with a shape most scientists considered impossible.

The discovery "fundamentally altered how chemists conceive of solid matter," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in awarding the $1.5 million prize.

Since his discovery, quasicrystals have been produced in laboratories, and they have been found in one of the most durable kinds of steel, which is now used in products such as razor blades and thin needles made specifically for eye surgery.

Quasicrystals are also being studied for use in new materials that convert heat to electricity.

Shechtman is the 10th Israeli Nobel winner.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Vindicated: Ridiculed Israeli Scientist Wins Nobel - New York Times