Nobel duo makes sense of quantum’s ‘spooky’ world

Dressed in short-sleeved shirts, Nobel physics laureates John Martinis and Alain Aspect could almost pass for a pair of science nerds.

That was the focus of the sixth Nobel in Africa symposium, hosted by the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) this week.

Nobel in Africa The initiative began in 2022, when STIAS became the first institution outside Scandinavia to host a Nobel Symposium.

It was groundbreaking evidence that the strange rules of the microscopic quantum world could also govern larger, engineered systems.

SU researchers have demonstrated quantum-secured communications, including a record 12,900km satellite link with Chinese collaborators, as University World News reported in 2025.