Nobel Prize For Chemistry Goes To Three Scientists For Harnessing Sped-Up Evolution For Best-Selling Drug, Biofuels
The winners -- Frances Arnold of the California Institute of Technology, George Smith of the University of Missouri and Gregory Winter of the MRC molecular biology lab in England -- “have taken control of evolution and used it for purposes that bring the greatest benefit to humankind,” the Nobel committee said.
The Associated Press:
Chemistry Nobel For Using Evolution To Create New Proteins
Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for using a sped-up version of evolution to create new proteins that have led to a best-selling drug and other products. The Royal Swedish Academy of Science said their work has led to the development of medications, biofuels and a reduced environmental impact from some industrial processes. (Ritter, Heintz, and Chester, 10/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Caltech Scientist Is Among 3 Awarded Nobel Prize In Chemistry For Sparking ‘A Revolution In Evolution’
Frances Arnold, a biochemical engineer at Caltech, was awarded half of the $1.01-million prize for her pioneering experiments in the field known as directed evolution. The other half of the prize was split between George P. Smith of the University of Missouri in Columbia and Gregory P. Winter of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England, who paved the way for directed evolution to become an important tool in drug development. (Netburn and Kaplan, 10/3)
In other news, a physicist dies after selling his Nobel prize to help pay for his medical costs —
The Associated Press:
Nobel Prize-Winning Physicist Leon Lederman Dies At 96
Leon Lederman, an experimental physicist who won a Nobel Prize in physics for his work on subatomic particles and coined the phrase “God particle,” died Wednesday at 96. ... Lederman won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1988 with two other scientists for discovering a subatomic particle called the muon neutrino. He used the prize money to buy a log cabin near the tiny town of Driggs in eastern Idaho as a vacation retreat. The couple moved there full-time in 2011 when Leon Lederman started experiencing memory loss problems that became more severe, his wife said. His Nobel Prize sold for $765,000 in an auction in 2015 to help pay for medical bills and care. (Ridler, 10/3)