1、Albert Einstein, who is perhaps the greatest scientist in modern physics, is often considered one of the smartest men who ever lived. He made numerous contributions to the world, the most well-known being the general theory of relativity and the famous formula E=mc. Einstein was not only a genius; h
2、e was a courageous and kind figure loved by many people. This gentle genius was born in Germany on 14 March 1879. When he was 16, he tried to enter university in Switzerland, but failed due to his low scores in the general part of the entrance exam, despite obtaining exceptional scores in maths and
3、physics. After studying for another year, he managed to pass the exam, entering university in 1896 and graduating in 1900. After two years of looking for work as a teacher, Einstein took a job as a clerk in the Swiss patent office. While working there, out of a strong passion for knowledge, he conti
4、nued to study, earning a doctorate in physics in 1905. That same year, which was later recorded as a miracle year in science, he published four extraordinary physics papers. Following this, he gradually became famous throughout the world as the new Isaac Newton. After four years, he was able to quit
5、 his job at the patent office and enter research full-time at a university. In 1922, he was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. Circumstances changed in 1933, when Hitler came to power in Germany. Einstein, who was Jewish, found the doors of acad
6、emic institutions closed to him. As a consequence, he had to flee Germany. After spending time in Europe, he finally took up a position as a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, USA. Following that, he continued to make great achievements in physics and mathematics. To the pu
7、blic, he was seen as a slightly odd-looking but kind and funny man. He had a thick moustache and long white hair, which sometimes stood on end as though he had just received an electric shock. Although he was a genius, he sometimes forgot things, like his friends birthdays. But despite his peculiari
8、ties, he was loved by his friends and neighbours. There is even a story about how he helped a little girl who knocked on his door and asked for help with her homework. In fact, Einstein often encountered people on the street who would stop him and ask him to help explain things. After many such occa
9、sions, he finally started saying,“ Pardon me! Sorry! Always I am mistaken for Professor Einstein!” On 18 April 1955, it was reported that Einstein had passed away, and the whole world mourned the great loss of a brilliant scientist. 6 October 2015 This years Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine ha
10、s been awarded to Tu Youyou (co-winner), whose research led to the discovery of artemisinin, a crucial new treatment for malaria. Artemisinin has saved hundreds of thousands of lives, and has led to improved health for millions of people. Over 200 million people around the world get malaria each yea
11、r, and about 600,000 die from it. Artemisinin has become a vital part of the treatment for malaria, and is thought to save 100,000 lives a year in Africa alone. Tu Youyou, a committed and patient scientist, was born in Ningbo, China, on 30 December 1930, and graduated from Peking University Medical
12、School in 1955. After she graduated, she worked at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing. In 1967, the Chinese government formed a team of scientists with the objective of discovering a new treatment for malaria, and Tu Youyou was among the first researchers chosen. In the beg
13、inning, Tu Youyou went to Hainan, where malaria was more common, to study malaria patients. In 1969, she became the head of the project in Beijing, and decided to review ancient Chinese medical texts to find traditional botanical treatments for the disease. Her team examined over 2, 000 old medical
14、texts, and evaluated 280,000 plants for their medical properties. From their research, they discovered and tested 380 distinct ancient Chinese medical treatments that showed promise in the fight against malaria. One medical text from the fourth century suggested using the extract wormwood to treat a
15、 fever. Tus team tested a collection of dried wormwood leaves but found no effect. They then tried boiling fresh wormwood, and using the liquid obtained from this to treat malaria, but this did not work, either. Their project got stuck. However, Tu Youyou would not acknowledge defeat. She analysed t
16、he medical texts again, and by chance, she found one sentence suggesting a different way to treat the wormwood. She concluded that boiling the sweet wormwood apparently destroyed its medical properties. Using a lower temperature to draw out the extract, she found a substance that worked. After faili
17、ng more than 190 times, the team finally succeeded in 1971. Tu Youyou and her team members even insisted on testing the medicine on themselves to make sure that it was safe. Later, the medicine was tested on malaria patients, most of whom recovered. This medicine, which was called artemisinin, soon
18、became a standard treatment for malaria. According to Tu Youyou, the discovery of artemisinin was a team effort. Upon hearing that she had been awarded the Nobel Prize, she said,“The honour is not just mine. There is a team behind me, and all the people of my country. This success proves the great value of traditional Chinese medicine. It is indeed an honour for Chinas scientific research and Chinese medicine to be spread around the world.”
