- Introduction
Earth Science is made up of many different areas of geological study. Since the Earth contains everything from clouds (meteorology) and oceans (marine biology) to fossils (paleontology) and earthquakes (geology/plate tectonics), there is a lot to choose from!
Science is all about curiosity and the desire to find out how something happens. Nobel Prize winners were once students who daydreamed about new ways of doing things. They knew answers had to be there and they were stubborn enough to dig for them. The Nobel Prize for Science (actors have Oscar and scientists have Nobel) has been awarded over 470 times since 1901.
In 1863, Alfred Nobel experienced a tragic loss in an experiment with nitroglycerine that destroyed two wings of the family mansion and killed his younger brother and four others. Nobel had discovered the most powerful weapon of that time, dynamite. By the end of his life, Nobel had 355 patents for various inventions. After his death in 1896, Nobel’s will describe the establishment of a foundation to create five prizes of equal value.
