The noble prizes so far:-

Physics - Your ipod and new laptop's hard disks. This is the first real application in the field of nanotechnology. Albert Fert (French) and Peter Grunberg (German) Read more here

Chemistry - Chemical processes on solid surfaces. This can help explain why iron rusts, the destruction of the ozone layer, how fuel cells function and how the catalysts in our cars work to clean exhaust emissions. Gerhard Ertl (German) Read more here

Medicine - Gene targetting. A method to inactivate single genes which helps scientists establish the roles of individual genes in diseases and study them. Mario Capecchi (Italy), Sir Martin Evans (GB), Oliver Smithies (GB) Read more here