On Saturday evening there was a star crowd in Los Angeles – and not because of one of the well-known film, series or music awards. Instead, the so-called Breakthrough Prizes were awarded at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, in which people from scientific fields are honored. Many big names from the entertainment world insisted on appearing as presenters or attending the event.
The award was created by Google co-founder Sergey Brin (49), meta boss Mark Zuckerberg (38) and his wife Priscilla Chan (38), Julia and Juri Milner (61) and Anne Wojcicki (49). Also referred to in the media as “Oscars of science”, the achievements of the award winners are to be honored at a gala and to inspire future generations of scientists.
Numerous Hollywood stars came to recognize the scientific achievements. While moderator James Corden (44) led through the evening, according to the industry magazine “The Hollywood Reporter”, top-class figures such as Danny DeVito (78), Gal Gadot (37), Brie Larson (33), Edward Norton (53), Robert Downey Jr. (58), Kristen Bell (42), Chris Pine (42), Lily Collins (34) and Ashton Kutcher (45), who brought his wife Mila Kunis (39), to the presenters.
Also present were ex-tennis pro Maria Sharapova (35) and music greats like Lionel Richie (73) and Christina Aguilera (42), whose colleagues John Legend (44) and Will.I.Am (48) performed.
Among others, Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó were honored, whose work was fundamental to the development of mRNA-based vaccines against Covid-19. According to the report, the biochemist and immunologist, who were chosen in 2022, were greeted on stage with a long standing ovation.
In recent years, the gala could not take place due to the corona pandemic. Lists of all winners can be found on the prize’s homepage. The top awards in the Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics categories are worth $3 million.
