A Journey to Nobel Prizes from Past to Present

The event titled "Nobel Presentation" organized by Üsküdar University Health, Culture and Sports Department (SKS) was held on February 19, 2024 at Ibn-i Sina Auditorium of NP Health Campus.

Prof. Dr. Oğuz Tanrıdağ, Head of the Department of Neurology at Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine and Neurology Specialist at NPİstanbul Hospital, was the invited speaker at the event.

In his presentation, Tanrıdağ discussed what Nobel is, its importance for us and the history of Nobel Prizes from past to present. Tanrıdağ also drew attention to the opinions and criticisms about last year's Nobel Prizes.

Nobel Prize for Economics and the Birth of Neuromarketing

Prof. Dr. Oğuz Tanrıdağ stated that the Nobel Prize in Economics represents the birth of neuromarketing. He emphasized that neuromarketing is a discipline that combines economics and neuroscience and examines individual human behavior and that our university has serious studies on this subject.

Tanrıdağ also stated that neuromarketing is a branch of science that concerns and directs the brain activities of people's economic, social and psychological behaviors. In particular, he stated that there is a linearity between the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine and the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics, and pointed out that brain studies affect human behavior in different disciplines.

20th Century Relationship between Physics and Chemistry

Prof. Dr. Oğuz Tanrıdağ pointed out that chemistry and physics converged at the same points for a significant part of the 20th century. He also added that with the popularization of quantum physics, the relationship between physics and chemistry has become stronger, which has led to the Nobel Prizes being awarded in an interdisciplinary manner.

Although the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is fundamentally a subject of physics, the identification of quantum dots emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary work.

Tanrıdağ also noted that the 1986 Nobel Prize revealed the different functioning of genetic mechanisms and that the prize contributed greatly to the understanding that many people are curable.

He stated that genetic mechanisms work within the "Apoptotic and Anti-apoptotic" programs and that these mechanisms can affect the aging process as an innate feature. In this respect, Tanrıdağ emphasized that the 1986 Prize is important in terms of showing the diversity of genetic mechanisms.

Finally, Tanrıdağ said that the best and only way to make sense of the world, starting from the Nobel Prize, "is to learn recent history". The event ended with the questions of the participants.