Swedish Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to Svante Pabo
The scientist specifically sequenced the genome of the Neanderthal man.
67-year-old Swede Svante Pabo won the Nobel Prize in Medicine on Monday.
AFP
The Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology was awarded on Monday to Swede Svante Pabo, 67, for sequencing the Neanderthal genome and the foundations of paleogenomics.
“By revealing the genetic differences that distinguish all living humans from extinct hominids, his discoveries have provided the basis for exploring what makes us humans such unique beings,” the jury said.
“The genetic differences between Homo sapiens and our now-extinct closest relatives were unknown until identified through the work of Papo,” the Nobel committee added in its conclusion.
Svante Pääbo discovered that there was an exchange of genes between these now-extinct hominins and Homo sapiens. This ancient gene flow has a physiological impact on modern humans, for example affecting how our immune system responds to infections.
Award winning sir
His father, Sune Bergstrom, also received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1982.
The prize comes with a reward of 10 million crowns (about 920,000 euros).
Last year, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Americans Artem Patabutian and David Julius for discovering how the nervous system transmits temperature and touch.
The vintage continues in Stockholm with the highly-anticipated literary prize on Thursday, the only award presented in Oslo, and before Peace on Friday, physics on Tuesday, then chemistry on Wednesday. The most recent economic price closes the vintage next Monday.
AFP
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