Two US researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021 for their work on the sense of touch.
Professor David Julius (a University of California physiologist in San Francisco) and Prof Ardem Paputian (a Scripps Research neuroscientist in La Jolla), California were honored for discovering receptors in skin that sense heat, touch, and cold. This is crucial for survival.
The Nobel Assembly at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute announced the award Monday. It is worth 10m Swedish Kronor (845,000). The prize will be divided equally among the winners.
Professor Patrik Ernfors of the Karolinska Institute is an expert in sensor biology and a member the Nobel committee. He said that the work had unlocked one the secrets of Nature by explaining the molecular basis of sensing temperature or mechanical force.
