Svante Paabo, a Swedish Geneticist Wins 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine

Paabo performed the gene sequencing of an extinct member of the modern human, the Neanderthal, and also astonishingly discovered the Denisova man, previously unknown to scholars of the field.

He discovered that Homo sapiens had received genes from these now extinct hominins. Humans today still benefit physiologically from this ancient gene flow because it influences, for example, how our immune systems respond to infections.

Paleogenomics is a brand-new field of study created by Paabo. His studies lay the groundwork for investigating what makes us specifically human by exposing genetic variations that set all living humans apart from extinct hominins.

Researchers who made significant contributions to the creation of the mRNA technology used in the Covid-19 vaccinations, which saved millions of lives worldwide, were among those up for candidacy for the prestigious award this year.

David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian received the award the previous year for their research on how the body experiences touch and temperature.

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 economics prize will be awarded on October 10, while the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday.

The cash awards for the prizes total 10 million Swedish kronor, or roughly $900,000. They will be distributed on December 10.

It is worth mentioning that the funds originate from a gift made by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor who founded the award and died in 1895.