The 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded to two US scientists for their discoveries about temperature and touch receptors, announced the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday (4).
David Julius, a physiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, and neuroscientist Ardem Patapoutian, a researcher at Scripps Research in La Jolla, Calif., share the prize of 10 million SEK (about R$6.1 million).
“Our ability to feel warmth, coolness and touch is essential for survival and underpins our interactions with the world around us,” explained the Academy in announcing the winners. “In our daily life, we consider these sensations to be natural, but how are nerve impulses initiated so that temperature and pressure can be sensed? This question was resolved by this year’s Nobel Prize winners.”
David Julius used capsaicin, a compound in peppers that induces a burning sensation, to identify a sensor in the nerve endings in the skin that responds to heat.
Arden Patapoutian used pressure-sensitive cells to discover a new class of sensors that respond to mechanical stimuli in the skin and internal organs.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Prize Committee, said the discovery “reveals the secrets of nature […] explains at the molecular level how these stimuli are converted into nerve signals. It is a profound and important discovery.”
This year’s Nobel Prize ceremony will feature both face-to-face and virtual events due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The laureates will receive their medals and diplomas in their own countries in December, the organization announced.
Prizes will be announced each weekday until next Monday (11). See the schedule:
- Tuesday (5): Physics
- Wednesday (6): Chemistry
- Thursday (7): Literature
- Friday (8): Peace
- Monday (11): Economy
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded to two US scientists for their discoveries about temperature and touch receptors, announced the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday (4).
David Julius, a physiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, and neuroscientist Ardem Patapoutian, a researcher at Scripps Research in La Jolla, Calif., share the prize of 10 million SEK (about R$6.1 million).
“Our ability to feel warmth, coolness and touch is essential for survival and underpins our interactions with the world around us,” explained the Academy in announcing the winners. “In our daily life, we consider these sensations to be natural, but how are nerve impulses initiated so that temperature and pressure can be sensed? This question was resolved by this year’s Nobel Prize winners.”
David Julius used capsaicin, a compound in peppers that induces a burning sensation, to identify a sensor in the nerve endings in the skin that responds to heat.
Arden Patapoutian used pressure-sensitive cells to discover a new class of sensors that respond to mechanical stimuli in the skin and internal organs.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Prize Committee, said the discovery “reveals the secrets of nature […] explains at the molecular level how these stimuli are converted into nerve signals. It is a profound and important discovery.”
This year’s Nobel Prize ceremony will feature both face-to-face and virtual events due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The laureates will receive their medals and diplomas in their own countries in December, the organization announced.
Prizes will be announced each weekday until next Monday (11). See the schedule:
- Tuesday (5): Physics
- Wednesday (6): Chemistry
- Thursday (7): Literature
- Friday (8): Peace
- Monday (11): Economy
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded to two US scientists for their discoveries about temperature and touch receptors, announced the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday (4).
David Julius, a physiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, and neuroscientist Ardem Patapoutian, a researcher at Scripps Research in La Jolla, Calif., share the prize of 10 million SEK (about R$6.1 million).
“Our ability to feel warmth, coolness and touch is essential for survival and underpins our interactions with the world around us,” explained the Academy in announcing the winners. “In our daily life, we consider these sensations to be natural, but how are nerve impulses initiated so that temperature and pressure can be sensed? This question was resolved by this year’s Nobel Prize winners.”
David Julius used capsaicin, a compound in peppers that induces a burning sensation, to identify a sensor in the nerve endings in the skin that responds to heat.
Arden Patapoutian used pressure-sensitive cells to discover a new class of sensors that respond to mechanical stimuli in the skin and internal organs.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Prize Committee, said the discovery “reveals the secrets of nature […] explains at the molecular level how these stimuli are converted into nerve signals. It is a profound and important discovery.”
This year’s Nobel Prize ceremony will feature both face-to-face and virtual events due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The laureates will receive their medals and diplomas in their own countries in December, the organization announced.
Prizes will be announced each weekday until next Monday (11). See the schedule:
- Tuesday (5): Physics
- Wednesday (6): Chemistry
- Thursday (7): Literature
- Friday (8): Peace
- Monday (11): Economy
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded to two US scientists for their discoveries about temperature and touch receptors, announced the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday (4).
David Julius, a physiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, and neuroscientist Ardem Patapoutian, a researcher at Scripps Research in La Jolla, Calif., share the prize of 10 million SEK (about R$6.1 million).
“Our ability to feel warmth, coolness and touch is essential for survival and underpins our interactions with the world around us,” explained the Academy in announcing the winners. “In our daily life, we consider these sensations to be natural, but how are nerve impulses initiated so that temperature and pressure can be sensed? This question was resolved by this year’s Nobel Prize winners.”
David Julius used capsaicin, a compound in peppers that induces a burning sensation, to identify a sensor in the nerve endings in the skin that responds to heat.
Arden Patapoutian used pressure-sensitive cells to discover a new class of sensors that respond to mechanical stimuli in the skin and internal organs.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Prize Committee, said the discovery “reveals the secrets of nature […] explains at the molecular level how these stimuli are converted into nerve signals. It is a profound and important discovery.”
This year’s Nobel Prize ceremony will feature both face-to-face and virtual events due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The laureates will receive their medals and diplomas in their own countries in December, the organization announced.
Prizes will be announced each weekday until next Monday (11). See the schedule:
- Tuesday (5): Physics
- Wednesday (6): Chemistry
- Thursday (7): Literature
- Friday (8): Peace
- Monday (11): Economy