This year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Swedish scientist Svante Paabo for his discoveries on human evolution.
Mr Paabo, 67, has spearheaded research comparing the genome of modern humans with our closest extinct relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans, showing that there was mixing between the species.
The Nobel panel said his research provides key insights into our immune system and what makes us unique compared with our extinct cousins.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Committee, announced the winner on Monday at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
BREAKING NEWS:
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 3, 2022
The 2022 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Svante Pääbo “for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.” pic.twitter.com/fGFYYnCO6J
Mr. Paabo has been instrumental in the creation of new methodologies that have made it possible to compare the genomes of contemporary humans and other hominins.
Although Neanderthal bones were initially found in the middle of the 19th century, it wasn't until their DNA was unlocked that researchers could completely comprehend the relationships between the two species.
According to research, the split between modern humans and Neanderthals occurred about 800,000 years ago, according to Anna Wedell, chair of the Nobel Committee.
In a surprise discovery, Paabo and his team discovered that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens had interbred, proving that they had offspring together while living side by side.
Because of this gene exchange between hominin species, modern humans' immune systems respond differently to illnesses like the coronavirus. Outside of Africa, 1%–2% of people carry Neanderthal DNA.
In Germany, at the University of Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Mr. Paabo completed his prize-winning academic work. He is the son of 1982 Nobel laureate in medicine Sune Bergstrom.
Say good morning to our new medicine laureate Svante Pääbo!
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 3, 2022
Pääbo received the news while enjoying a cup of coffee. After the shock wore off, one of the first things he wondered was if he could share the news with his wife, Linda.
Photo: Linda Vigilant pic.twitter.com/l27hnzojaL
An entire week of Nobel Prize announcements begins with the medicine prize.
Tuesday's reward is for physics, followed by Wednesday's for chemistry, and Thursday's for literature. The 2022 Nobel Prize for Peace will be announced on Friday, and the 2022 Nobel Prize for Economics will be awarded on October 10.
The financial awards for the categories total 10 million Swedish kronor (about £800,000), and they will be distributed on December 10.
The funds originate from a gift made by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor who founded the award and died in 1895.
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