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The Guardian
26-02-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Rejuvenated Lewis Hamilton enjoys red-letter day in his new Ferrari
The air of determination around Lewis Hamilton is certainly familiar but there is now also a sense of expectation, an aura radiating through the murky gloom of an empty enormo-drome in the desert. Hamilton has always been a star but, entering his 19th Formula One season with a new start at Ferrari, he is now burning brightly. In the chill wind of an unseasonably cold Bahrain for pre-season testing, Hamilton is a man anew as he takes on a challenge with the Scuderia, reinvigorated as perhaps he has not been since last he struck out on his own course when leaving McLaren for Mercedes in 2013. He was the centre of attention from the moment he emerged from Ferrari's hospitality area before climbing into the new SF25 in front of the horde of photographers who had gathered early, encamped outside his garage. Hamilton looked relaxed and at ease with his new helmet, in the bright Modena yellow of Ferrari, setting off the distinctive overalls of rosso corsa. Indeed, so at home has Hamilton made himself and so familiar he already looks interacting with his Ferrari teammates in Bahrain it seems hard to imagine that for so long he has been clad in Mercedes silver. It illustrates how quickly the world of F1 turns and how adept Hamilton is at assimilating and accommodating change. Previously there was at least some continuity, but this is the first time in his career he has not driven with a Mercedes engine and that too was part of the learning process as he pounded round the Sakhir circuit, coming to terms with how the new horses hum. Hamilton, who usually dislikes testing, displayed no such lack of enthusiasm here. He has long not wanted to go out on the first run but was front and centre for the opening session. Just as well, as the second stint was halted for an hour and five minutes due to a power outage at the circuit and subsequently extended, with the times topped by McLaren's Lando Norris. With it being the first serious run of the season, for much of the opening session the teams are assessing initial data from the car, not least in whether real life is living up to the computer and wind tunnel simulations. To that end, Hamilton and the majority of teams ran with the aero rake device early on, the ungainly collection of metal spars which sits, like an angry expressionist Meccano kit, behind the front wheels to assess the airflow. Once it was removed, however, the Ferrari cut quite a dash against the bland backdrop in Bahrain. The car sports a white streak across the engine cover which may irk the purists but it has elegant lines and from trackside it looked quick, even in these tentative steps. Hamilton duly nailed down 70 trouble-free laps and was fifth fastest in a session headed by the driver who replaced him at Mercedes, the rookie Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli, although timings at this stage are all but meaningless. There was a minor run wide toward the end at turn four, likely coming as the seven-time champion began to push his new ride and get a feel for where its limits lie. Cautious optimism was his mood afterwards. 'Everything feels good,' he said. 'There's more to do over the next few days to get through our programme and understand the car to the best of our ability, but right now I'm looking forward to getting out there again tomorrow.' These are then still early days at Ferrari but alongside the serious faces of mechanics and engineers who have to pack an awful lot of work into three short days, there is also a palpable sense of optimistic zeal around the Scuderia. Hamilton referred to it as a 'magic' possessed by the team but it is impossible not to imagine they too have not been inspired by the ardour of the seven-time champion. He has spoken repeatedly at how motivated he is, not least by the dual challenge of a new team and a steely eyed determination to win the championship with them. It is notable that he is framing it not as securing his record-breaking eighth title but rather as one of taking Ferrari's first drivers' championship since 2007. It is significant that Hamilton has the team goal as a central target and this will not have gone unnoticed at the Scuderia. Intriguingly, Hamilton's car too had caught the eye, not least of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, whose cars have dominated the sport since the regulation changes of 2022. 'Into this cycle of regulations it's clear the cars have converged and they look very very similar,' he said. 'Ferrari is the standout as probably being a differentiator.' It is still too early to tell whether ploughing a singular furrow will pay off but they do already have Hamilton, who has proved to be an effective differentiator himself and who is now champing at the bit to be given the tools to get the job done. Two more days of putting in the laps in the desert then and he at least will have a good idea if Ferrari has risen to match the boundless verve with which he has embraced his new task.
Chicago Tribune
28-01-2025
- Science
- Chicago Tribune
J. Fraser Stoddart, Nobel winner for work in nanotechnology
J. Fraser Stoddart was a professor at Northwestern University for 16 years who shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2016 for advancements in the field of nanotechnology, which involves the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules. In the early 1990s, Stoddart worked on the development of rotaxane, a dumbbell-shaped molecule that can be used as an artificial molecular machine. His work introducing this mechanical bond into chemical compounds paved the way for scientists to create artificial molecular switches and motors that have the potential for use in fields from health care to technology. A prolific writer and teacher, Stoddart authored more than 1,300 scientific papers and oversaw more than 500 graduate and postdoctoral students. 'Fraser was a visionary with an infectious passion for chemistry and a larger-than-life presence that inspired everyone around him,' said Omar K. Farha, chairman of Northwestern's chemistry department and a professor of chemistry. 'His passion for chemistry was evident in everything he did.' Stoddart, 82, died of cardiac arrest on Dec. 30 in a hotel in Australia while on vacation, said his daughter, Alison. Most recently a Hong Kong resident, Stoddart also had a home in Chicago's River North neighborhood and previously lived in Evanston. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, James Fraser Stoddart grew up on a farm just south of Edinburgh and commuted to a day school in Edinburgh, his daughter said. His interest in science stemmed from his father's scientific approach to farming, his daughter said. Stoddart was also interested in puzzles — anything from jigsaw puzzles to building kits like Meccano construction sets, she said. After earning bachelor's and doctoral degrees in chemistry from the University of Edinburgh, Stoddart worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada. In 1970, he returned to the British Isles, working first as a research fellow and then as a faculty lecturer, or assistant professor, at the University of Sheffield. By the late 1970s, Stoddart had become intrigued with the idea of what would become nanotechnology. He briefly worked at a corporate lab in Runcorn, England, where he investigated technically interlocked molecules. In 1981, he returned to the University of Sheffield, where he was made an associate professor. In 1990, he moved to the University of Birmingham, also in England, to chair its organic chemistry department. He headed the school of chemistry there from 1993 until 1997. While in Birmingham, Stoddart developed a rotaxane molecule through an intricate process threading a molecular ring onto a thin molecular axle and then showing that the ring could move along the axle. Stoddart's work allowed others to create artificial molecular switches and motors, which could be controlled chemically, electrically and optically. Ultimately, Stoddart's work allowed scientists to construct molecular machines that act like muscles, and can be manipulated accordingly. While still early in development, such devices in theory could be used to battle disease, in lifesaving therapeutic systems, for example. In 1997, Stoddart left the University of Birmingham to take a job as a professor at the University of California-Los Angeles. In 2007, Stoddart and his team of 20 researchers left UCLA to work at Northwestern as part of what the Tribune reported was the university's drive to become the undisputed leader in the emerging field of nanotechnology. Stoddart told the Tribune that he was a 'scientific nomad' and touted Northwestern as 'the magnet drawing people into nanotechnology.' In 2016, Stoddart was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry, sharing it with French chemist Jean-Pierre Sauvage, whose work in 1983 involved bonding two molecules mechanically rather than chemically, and Dutch chemist Bernard L. 'Ben' Feringa, whose research has focused on molecular rotary motors. The three were cited for developing molecules 'with controllable movements, which can perform a task when energy is added,' the Nobel Foundation announced in a release. Stoddart and his fellow 2016 chemistry Nobel laureates 'have taken molecular systems out of equilibrium's stalemate and into energy-filled states in which their movements can be controlled,' the foundation said. 'In terms of development, the molecular motor is at the same stage as the electric motor was in the 1830s, when scientists displayed various spinning cranks and wheels, unaware that they would lead to washing machines, fans and food processors. Molecular machines will most likely be used in the development of things such as new materials, sensors and energy storage systems.' Stoddart said the Nobel award took him by surprise. 'This has been going on for 22 years or something, and I really reached the point where I didn't think it would ever happen,' he told the Tribune in 2016. Stoddart's Northwestern colleagues praised his pioneering work, as well as his abilities as a communicator and mentor. 'He was a creative genius when it came to chemistry,' said Chad Mirkin, a Northwestern chemistry professor. 'His passion for science and command of the English language were unmatched. He saw things that others didn't, and this led to the discovery of the mechanical bond, which became the basis for much of the molecular machine work being pursued today. Few move the needle at storied research universities like Northwestern — his impact was immediate and will be felt for decades.' Farha lauded Stoddart's ability to inspire others, simplify complex ideas and create a collaborative, uplifting environment. 'Fraser combined brilliance, humility and genuine care for others, building a global community united by respect and love for chemistry,' Farha said. 'He excelled at pioneering new fields, inspiring curiosity through storytelling and mentoring future generations of scientists.' Stoddart left Northwestern in 2023 to take a job as a professor of chemistry at the University of Hong Kong. Stoddart's wife, Norma, a biochemist, died in 2004. Stoddart is also survived by another daughter, Fiona McCubbin; and five grandchildren. A funeral service will take place in February in Edinburgh.
The Guardian
26-01-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Sir Fraser Stoddart obituary
In 1991 the organic chemist Sir Fraser Stoddart, who has died aged 82, synthesised artificial molecular machines for the first time. They mimic the way that some biological materials are able to move in a quasi-mechanical, interlocking way. Stoddart had previously noted that natural occurring organic molecules such as the protein myosin, which drives the contraction of muscles, or motor enzymes that help maintain DNA, acted like tiny machines. He realised that the molecular components of these machines could, like the cogs, pistons and switches of macroscale machines, move relative to each other and, more importantly, can bond together mechanically and become entangled. By building their synthetic equivalents, powered by electrical energy, chemical reactions or light, he created an entirely new field in organic chemistry. The first machine, which he named a rotaxane, consisted of a ring-shaped molecule threaded on to a longer molecule that functioned like an axle. More complex molecular machines would follow, created both by Stoddart and other chemists following his lead, including successfully synthesising catenanes – two interlocked molecular rings. His work bridged the gap between chemistry and the engineering challenges of operating at the very small scale of nanoelectrical systems, and he expanded the field of supramolecular chemistry – the branch of chemistry beyond the molecule. Molecular machines are built using specialised equipment, with techniques such as scanning tunnelling microscopy and X-ray crystallography employed to validate the structures, function and efficiency of the artificial molecular machines that they are synthesising. These machines expanded the potential applications of nanotechnology. Innovations such as molecular lifts (nanoscale devices that move molecules across cell membranes) and computer memory chips smaller than a white blood cell but with a memory storage capacity of 160,000 bits, all benefited from Stoddart's initial work, as did the emerging medical nanobot technology. For his initial discoveries and subsequent research in the field, Stoddart was awarded the 2016 Nobel prize in chemistry, sharing it with the Dutch organic chemist Ben Feringa and French coordination chemist Jean-Pierre Sauvage. Born in Edinburgh, Fraser was the only child of Jean (nee Jane Fortune) and Thomas Stoddart, who were farmers. He was raised at Edgelaw Farm, Midlothian, a tiny community a dozen miles south of the Scottish capital that, for the first 18 years of his life, had no electricity. At the local primary school in Carrington his teachers encouraged his love of building toys from Meccano, to which he attributed his later professional interest. He won a scholarship to Melville college, one of Scotland's foremost independent schools, and in 1960 went to the University of Edinburgh, where he studied chemistry, physics and mathematics. After gaining a BSc (1964) in chemistry, he stayed at Edinburgh, researching natural gums in acacia trees for his doctorate (1966). Following postings at Queens University in Ontario, Canada, and the University of Sheffield, in 1978 he started work at the laboratory belonging to the chemicals conglomerate ICI in Runcorn, Cheshire, where he began researching mechanically interlocked chemicals, a passion that would come to define his academic career. Among a string of academic appointments, the most significant were his posts as reader (1982-90)and then professor of organic chemistry at Birmingham (1990-97), where his groundbreaking work on molecular machines began; at the University of California, Los Angeles (1997-2007); and his directorship of the Center for the Chemistry of Integrated Systems at Northwestern University in Illinois (2008-23). His academic papers were notable for their cartoon-like form of presentation, eschewing a more common formal written manner for standardised, colour-coded diagrammatic representations of molecular properties. The style has been adopted by other researchers in the field. Stoddart was a strong believer in the importance of eliminating all barriers in the face of free movement of students and researchers. He frequently stated that 'science is global; science knows no boundaries'. He also believed that global warming was the biggest threat to humanity, adding that: 'The Nobel prize was humbling but it doesn't mean anything if what you are doing isn't benefiting society.' Subsequently, after realising hydrogen's potential as a clean and efficient combustible fuel, in 2021 he co-founded, with Samer Taha and Omar Yaghi, a California-based startup called H2MOF, dedicated to solving the challenges associated with hydrogen storage and transportation. A few months before his death, Stoddart reported, in the journal Nature Chemistry, nanomaterial with record high hydrogen storage density, pointing to the possibility of significant progress in this field. Often outspoken and no respecter of the bureaucratic processes of many of the institutions for whom he worked, Stoddart expressed opinions that often brought him into conflict with their academic rigidity and administrative requirements. However, he was intent on sharing his knowledge, and over the last 35 years of his life trained more than 500 PhD students in his laboratories. Knighted in 2006, he received the Albert Einstein world award of science (2007) and the Royal Society of Chemistry's centenary prize (2014). He was elected a fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Edinburgh, winning the former's Davy medal in 2008 and the latter's Royal medal in 2010. He was also a member of the US National Academy of Sciences. In 1968 he married Norma Scholan, a biochemist. She died in 2004, and he is survived by their daughters, Fiona and Alison, and five grandchildren. James Fraser Stoddart, chemist, born 24 May 1942; died 30 December 2024
