India, Oct. 6 -- The 2026 Nobel Prizes in Physics and Physiology or Medicine have recognised landmark advances in understanding the universe and the human brain, with scientists honoured for high-energy neutrino research and the development of optogenetics.

The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Belgium-born scientist Francis Halzen for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.

Halzen, 82, is the principal investigator of IceCube and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work helped establish the use of a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice equipped with light sensors to detect elusive neutrinos originating from extremely energetic pr...