Swedish paleogeneticist Svante Paabo won the Nobel Prize in Medicine

Swedish paleogeneticist Svante Paabo, who sequenced the Neanderthal genome and discovered the previously unknown hominin Denisov, on Monday received the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

“Opening genetic differences that distinguish all living humans from extinct hominins, his discoveries provide a basis for studying what makes us uniquely human,” the Nobel committee said.

Paabo discovered that gene transfer occurred from these now extinct hominins to Homo sapiens.

“This ancient gene flow for modern humans has physiological significance today, for example by influencing how our immune system reacts to infections,” the jury said.

Paabo, 67, who will receive the 10 million Swedish kroner ($901,500) prize, will receive the prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf at an official ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of the death in 1896 of the scientist Alfred Nobel, who created the prizes in his last wills and testaments.

Last year, the Medicine Award went to the American couple David Julie and Ardem Pataputyan for the discovery of temperature and touch receptors, which have been used to develop treatments for a wide range of diseases and conditions, including chronic pain.

Nobel season continues this week with the announcement of the physics prize on Tuesday and the chemistry prize on Wednesday.

They will be followed by the highly anticipated Literary Awards on Thursday and the Peace Awards on Friday.

Possible winners of the peace prize include the International Criminal Court, tasked with investigating war crimes in Ukraine, imprisoned Russian dissident Alexei Navalny and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

The Economics Prize will end on Monday, October 10.

© 2022 AFP