Linus Torvalds Splits Tech's 'Nobel' With Stem Cell Pioneer

Linus Torvalds. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired

Question: What do Linux and stem cell research have in common? Answer: Theyre both considered life-enhancing technical innovations by the Technology Acadamy Finland, a foundation that is awarding a prestigious award called the Millennium Technology Prize in Helsinki today.

Linux creator Linus Torvalds and stem cell pioneer Shinya Yamanaka are joint recipients of the 2012 prize, an honor that some call the tech equivalent of the Nobel Prize. That means they will split the 1.2 million ($1.5 million) prize money 50-50.

Torvalds and Yamanaka were named as a finalists for the prize back in April, but it was assumed that one or the other would be singled out as a grand-prize winner. The joint award comes as a bit of a surprise.

Other notable scientists, including Tim Berners-Lee, have won the prize since it was created in 2002, but this is the first time judges have made a joint award. The prize is awarded every two years.

Yamanaka, a Gladstone Institutes researcher affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco, has developed a technique for developing stem cells that does not require the controversial practice of harvesting embryonic stem cells.

Dr. Shinya Yamanakas discovery of a new method to develop pluripotent stem cells for medical research could help combat intractable diseases, the Technology Academy said in a statement. And Linus Torvalds work has kept the web open for the pursuit of knowledge and for the benefit of humanity not simply for financial interests.

Reached for comment Tuesday night, Torvalds declined to say anything ahead of the award except that he was keeping busy in his home country. Torvalds started the Linux project while he was still a student at the University of Helsinki, but he has lived in the U.S. since the late 1990s.

Finnish President Sauli Niinist will hand out the prizes at a ceremony on Wednesday at the Helsinkis Finnish National Opera. In addition to the cash, Torvalds and Yamanaka will get nifty silicon crystal-tipped trophies.

You can watch a Millennium Technology Prize interview with Torvalds below.

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Linus Torvalds Splits Tech's 'Nobel' With Stem Cell Pioneer