Two scientists who made landmark discoveries about human senses have won the Nobel Prize for Medicine, beating vaccine pioneers to the prestigious award.
The two Americans, David Julius and Lebanon-born Ardem Patapoutian, were named the winners on Monday after making breakthrough findings on how people sense heat, cold and touch.
Announcing the winners after balloting behind closed doors on Monday, the Nobel jury said the US duo had broken open a "fundamental unsolved question" about human biology.
"This really unlocks one of the secrets of nature," said Thomas Perlmann, the secretary of the Nobel Committee.
"It's actually something that is crucial for our survival, so it's a very important and profound discovery."
The winners were informed early on Monday. "They were incredibly happy, and as far as I could tell, they were very surprised," Mr Perlmann said. Nominees are not told that they are under consideration.
Mr Perlmann could not initially reach Dr Patapoutian in the early hours of the California morning. But Nobel organisers managed to track down the scientist's 92-year-old father, who passed on the message.
"I heard it from him, which was very special," said Dr Patapoutian.
The coveted award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish krona ($1.14m), which is drawn from a bequest by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel in 1895.
Chili pepper breakthrough
Dr Julius, 65, is a professor at the University of California, San Francisco who used a pungent substance found in chili peppers to find a sensor in the skin that detects heat. His research stretches back to the 1990s.
He identified a single protein that makes people react to the chemical and to other painful sensations. His laboratory has used chemicals from horseradish and wasabi and toxins from snakes and tarantulas.
"David’s work epitomises the creativity, scientific rigour, and courage needed to pursue the major unsolved mysteries of biology," said university chancellor Sam Hawgood.
Dr Patapoutian, who was born in Lebanon in 1967 and moved to the US as a young man, works at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. He identified genes that control sensitivity to touch.
The proteins he discovered also play a role in how people sense motion and how the body deals with blood pressure, respiration and bladder control.
He said his research had shone light on fundamental human behaviour which many people rarely question. "In science, many times, it’s the things that we take for granted that are of high interest," he said.
"Being in the field of sensing touch and pain, this was kind of the big elephant in the room... it was a difficult question to answer."
The findings made by the two scientists are being used to develop treatments for a range of ailments, including chronic pain, the Nobel jurors said.
Abdel El Manira, a member of the Nobel committee, said the receptors discovered by the two scientists helped people to avert danger.
"If we put our hand in a burning fire, these receptors send information to our brain and tell us to avoid touching a burning place," he said.
Nobel nominations are kept secret for 50 years, meaning there is no word on who else was considered for the prize.
Nobel season begins
Vaccine scientists won other prestigious awards this year, fuelling speculation that they would be in line for the Nobel after helping to turn the tide against Covid-19.
The fact they were overlooked this year does not mean they cannot win in the future. Scientists sometimes win a Nobel many years after their discovery.
The other Nobel Prizes, which honour outstanding work in the fields of physics, chemistry, literature and peace, will be handed out later this week.
A prize for economics, which was not one of the original awards created by Alfred Nobel, was added in 1968. The winner will be named next week.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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The%20specs
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New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
New Zealand
Penalties: Barrett (7)
British & Irish Lions
Tries: Faletau, Murray
Penalties: Farrell (4)
Conversions: Farrell
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Messi at the Copa America
2007 – lost 3-0 to Brazil in the final
2011 – lost to Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals
2015 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
2016 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Racecard
6pm: The Pointe - Conditions (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.35pm: Palm West Beach - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (T) 1,800m
7.10pm: The View at the Palm - Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.45pm: Nakeel Graduate Stakes - Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
8.20pm: Club Vista Mare - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: The Palm Fountain - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
9.30pm: The Palm Tower - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m
