Breakthrough Prizes award six $3 million honors at 12th ceremony in Santa Monica
The 12th Breakthrough Prizes were presented in Santa Monica, with six awards worth $3 million each. The prizes recognize research achievements in life sciences, fundamental physics and mathematics.
Big names from the worlds of film, technology, music and sports gathered on Saturday in Santa Monica, California, for the Breakthrough Prizes, popularly known as the "Oscars of Science." Six prizes worth $3 million each were presented at the 12th edition of the awards.
The awards, co-founded by philanthropists and tech entrepreneurs, recognize the research achievements of leading scientists around the world in three broad categories: Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics. The Breakthrough Foundation was started by Google co-founder Sergey Brin; Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan; science patrons Julia and Yuri Milner; and Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe.
French mathematician Frank Merle was honored for his work on nonlinear equations describing the behavior of waves, fluids and other systems. Merle said the funding is "essential" for science and that "science is one of the foundations of our civilization."
Hollywood A-listers Ben Affleck, Lily Collins, Robert Downey Jr., Gigi Hadid, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Gal Gadot, Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup also attended the event, alongside public figures like Bill Gates and Paris Hilton.