Nobels 09: Chemistry - October 07, 2009
The 2009 Nobel Prize for chemistry has gone to Thomas Steitz, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Ada Yonath for “studies of the structure and function of the ribosome”. They take a third of the prize home each.
The new laureates used X-ray crystallography to reveal the structure of the ribosome, the factories in cells that turn DNA blueprints into the the finished products of proteins.
Contacted by Nature News, Ramakrishnan said “I’m in a bit of shock at the moment. So many people contributed, and the ribosome is so important, that I am just pleased to be one of the three.” (Read the full story later today.)
The prize committee notes that Ramakrishnan, Steitz and Yonath “showed what the ribosome looks like and how it functions at the atomic level. All three have used a method called X-ray crystallography to map the position for each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of atoms that make up the ribosome.”
Understanding the ribosome is also of importance to those designing antibiotics, which can work by blocking bacterial ribosomes.
Of course you can’t please everyone. One member of the Nature office who is rather purist about his science was heard muttering, “they gave it to biologists again”.
Ramakrishnan works at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK. Steitz is at Yale University, USA. Yonath is at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Congratulations to all!
Nobels 09
By country of residence
USA – 6
UK – 1.5
Israel – 1
China – 1/2
By country of birth
USA – 3
UK – 1
Australia – 1
China – 1
Canada – 1
India – 1
Israel – 1
By journal paper
Cell – 2
Nature – 1
Proceedings of the Institution of Electrical Engineers-London – 1
Bell System Technical Journal – 1
News
The first Nobel of 2009: Physiology or Medicine - Great Beyond
Chromosome protection scoops Nobel - Nature News
Nobels 09: Physics goes to ‘the masters of light’ - Great Beyond
Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to light pioneers - Nature News
Comments
Dan: are you actually quoting yourself here?
Posted by: Oliver | October 7, 2009 12:19 PM
Oliver: I never reveal my sources when they wish to remain anonymous.
Posted by: Daniel | October 7, 2009 12:23 PM