This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded on October 5 to Carl Dicerbo of Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University, and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the three were recognized for their discoveries related to optogenetic ion channels.
Alfred Nobel, who had a keen interest in medical research, specified in his 1895 will that the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine should be awarded to those who make the most significant discoveries in the fields of physiology or medicine.
Since its inception in 1901, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded 117 times, with a total of 235 laureates. There were no awards given during the periods of World War I and World War II.
Among all recipients, only 14 have been women. The only woman to receive the award as a sole laureate is Barbara McClintock, who won in 1983.
Out of the 117 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine, only 40 have been awarded to individuals, while the rest, including this year’s winners, have been shared among multiple recipients.
The youngest laureate in history is Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin for diabetes treatment and received the award at the age of 31 in 1923.
The oldest laureate is Peyton Rous, who was awarded at the age of 87 in 1966 for his discovery of a virus that causes tumors.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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