Some of the winners of this year鈥檚 Nobel prizes tell us how they heard the news and how it will affect their lives and research
鈥淐ould it be someone is pulling your leg? That has happened before鈥� You have to be a little bit cautious鈥�
John Gurdon was sceptical on hearing that he had won for his work on cloning frogs
鈥淚 thought it was some friends, initially. But I don鈥檛 have friends that have a really good Swedish accent, so then I started believing it鈥�
Voice analysis helps Brian Kobilka, who works on the chemistry of cell receptors, digest that call from Sweden
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鈥淚 was walking in the street with my wife. I was just caught by鈥� the call on my cellular phone. I saw the code 鈥�46鈥� for Sweden鈥� I could not believe it鈥�
Quantum physicist Serge Haroche realises that phone numbers can provide a useful reality check
鈥淲hen I started doing my work 40 years ago, there was still huge scepticism as to whether things like receptors really existed鈥�
on how his field has changed 鈥� in no small part because of his own cell-receptor discoveries
鈥淚 started my career as a surgeon 25 years ago. But it turned out that I am not talented as a surgeon, so I decided to change my career. But I still feel that I am a doctor. So my goal, all my life, is to bring this stem-cell technology to the bedside鈥�
Medical aspirations still loom large in the mind of , recognised for his work on stem cells
鈥淚f you were to ask me what was the application, I would tell you I don鈥檛 know鈥�
Serge Haroche explains how his work is driven by the chance to explore fundamental principles
鈥淚鈥檓 fortunate, of course, to survive long enough to have this amazing honour鈥�
John Gurdon reflects on the 50-year interval between his award and the work for which he won it
鈥淚鈥檓 not looking forward to that at all鈥�
The prospect of a post-Nobel deluge of media attention fails to excite Brian Kobilka
Full interviews with the 2012 Nobel laureates can be found at