2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been jointly awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.” The two American scientists have solved one of the great mysteries facing humanity is the question of how we sense our environment.
According to the Nobel jury, the groundbreaking discoveries by this year's Nobel Prize laureates have allowed understanding how heat, cold and mechanical force can initiate the nerve impulses that allow humans to perceive and adapt to the world.
As per the Nobel Assembly, it has decided to award the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.
David Julius is an American physiologist, known for his work on molecular mechanisms of pain sensation. Julius is a professor at the University of California and has won the 2010 Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine and the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. David Julius utilized capsaicin, a pungent compound from chilli peppers that induces a burning sensation, to identify a sensor in the nerve endings of the skin that responds to heat.
Ardem Patapoutian, a member of the National Academy of Sciences is a Lebanese-American molecular biologist and neuroscientist of Lebanese Armenian descent at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. Patapoutian used pressure-sensitive cells to discover a novel class of sensors that respond to mechanical stimuli in the skin and internal organs.
These breakthrough discoveries launched intense research activities leading to a rapid increase in our understanding of how our nervous system senses heat, cold, and mechanical stimuli. The laureates identified critical missing links in our understanding of the complex interplay between our senses and the environment.
Read More:
- IIT Kanpur announces 4 eMasters degrees for working professionals
- IIT Delhi Establishes Centre of Excellence on Quantum Technologies
- NEP 2020: CBSE and IIT Gandhinagar to launch 30-30 Eklavya series– online education programme
Follow Shiksha.com for latest education news in detail on Exam Results, Dates, Admit Cards, & Schedules, Colleges & Universities news related to Admissions & Courses, Board exams, Scholarships, Careers, Education Events, New education policies & Regulations.
To get in touch with Shiksha news team, please write to us at news@shiksha.com
Abhay an alumnus of IIMC and Delhi University, has over a decade long experience of reporting on various beats of journalism. During his free time he prefers listening to music or play indoor and outdoor games.