Canada, Japan share Nobel prize for physics

“On behalf of New Democrats, I join with Canadians in congratulating Arthur B. McDonald, professor emeritus at Queen’s University, for co-winning the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics. McDonald’s research and his work at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory will influence basic theories of physics and inspire future generations of young scientists.The NDP believes strongly in promoting the voice of Canada’s scientists, because we know they are key to future innovations and discoveries, as well as the health and safety of Canadians,” NDP Leader Tom Mulcair

Takaaki Kajita of Japan and Arthur McDonald of Canada won the Nobel Prize in physics for discovering that tiny particles called neutrinos change identities as they whiz through the universe, proving that they have mass. By uncovering the “chameleonlike“ nature of neutrinos, the two scientists had solved a long-standing puzzle in particle physics that could alter our grasp of the cosmos, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. “The discovery has changed our understanding of the innermost work ings of matter and can prove crucial to our view of universe,“ the academy said. Neutrinos are the second most bountiful particles after photons, the particles of light, with trillions of them streaming through our bodies every second, but their true nature has been poorly understood.

Kajita, 56, is director of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research and professor at the University of Tokyo. McDonald, 72, is a professor emeritus at Queen’s University in Kingston.