{"id":13145,"date":"2022-10-04T12:36:22","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T10:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/?p=13145"},"modified":"2022-10-04T12:54:23","modified_gmt":"2022-10-04T10:54:23","slug":"2022-nobel-prize-in-physiology-or-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/2022\/10\/04\/2022-nobel-prize-in-physiology-or-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1664879902433{margin-top: 36px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3>The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Svante\u00a0P\u00e4\u00e4bo<\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<pre>for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution<\/pre>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n\t#foogallery-gallery-13152 .fg-image {\r\n        width: 640px;\r\n    }\r\n<\/style>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"foogallery foogallery-container foogallery-image-viewer foogallery-link-none foogallery-lightbox-foogallery fg-center fg-image-viewer fg-light fg-border-thin fg-shadow-outline fg-loading-default fg-loaded-fade-in fg-caption-hover fg-hover-fade fg-hover-zoom fg-ready\" id=\"foogallery-gallery-13152\" data-foogallery=\"{&quot;item&quot;:{&quot;showCaptionTitle&quot;:true,&quot;showCaptionDescription&quot;:true},&quot;lazy&quot;:true,&quot;template&quot;:{&quot;loop&quot;:true}}\" >\r\n\t<div class=\"fiv-inner\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"fiv-inner-container\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a data-caption-desc=\"Figure 1. DNA is localized in two different compartments in the cell. Nuclear DNA harbors most of the genetic information, while the much smaller mitochondrial genome is present in thousands of copies. After death, DNA is degraded over time and ultimately only small amounts remain. It also becomes contaminated with DNA from e.g. bacteria and contemporary humans.\" data-attachment-id=\"13151\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"351\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2022\/10\/press-medicine2022-figure1-1024x562-1\/441653997.webp\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22640%22%20height%3D%22351%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20640%20351%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><div class=\"fg-caption-desc\">Figure 1. DNA is localized in two different compartments in the cell. Nuclear DNA harbors most of the genetic information, while the much smaller mitochondrial genome is present in thousands of copies. After death, DNA is degraded over time and ultimately only small amounts remain. It also becomes contaminated with DNA from e.g. bacteria and contemporary humans.<\/div><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a data-caption-desc=\"Figure 2. A. P\u00e4\u00e4bo extracted DNA from bone specimens from extinct hominins. He first obtained a bone fragment from Neandertal in Germany, the site that gave name to the Neanderthals. Later, he used a finger bone from the Denisova Cave in southern Siberia, the site that gave name to Denisovans. B. Phylogenetic tree showing the evolution and relationship between Homo sapiens and the extinct hominins. The phylogenetic tree also illustrates the gene flows discovered by P\u00e4\u00e4bo.\" data-attachment-id=\"13148\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"278\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2022\/10\/press-medicine2022-figure2-1024x444-1\/3334584564.webp\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22640%22%20height%3D%22278%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20640%20278%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><div class=\"fg-caption-desc\">Figure 2. A. P\u00e4\u00e4bo extracted DNA from bone specimens from extinct hominins. He first obtained a bone fragment from Neandertal in Germany, the site that gave name to the Neanderthals. Later, he used a finger bone from the Denisova Cave in southern Siberia, the site that gave name to Denisovans. B. Phylogenetic tree showing the evolution and relationship between Homo sapiens and the extinct hominins. The phylogenetic tree also illustrates the gene flows discovered by P\u00e4\u00e4bo.<\/div><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a data-caption-desc=\"Figure 3. P\u00e4\u00e4bo\u2019s discoveries have provided important information on how the world was populated at the time when Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa and spread to the rest of the world. Neanderthals lived in the west and Denisovans in the east on the Eurasian continent. Interbreeding occurred when Homo sapiens spread across the continent, leaving traces that remain in our DNA.\" data-attachment-id=\"13149\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"284\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2022\/10\/press-medicine2022-figure3\/1719351452.webp\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22640%22%20height%3D%22284%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20640%20284%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><div class=\"fg-caption-desc\">Figure 3. P\u00e4\u00e4bo\u2019s discoveries have provided important information on how the world was populated at the time when Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa and spread to the rest of the world. Neanderthals lived in the west and Denisovans in the east on the Eurasian continent. Interbreeding occurred when Homo sapiens spread across the continent, leaving traces that remain in our DNA.<\/div><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a data-caption-desc=\"Figure 4. P\u00e4\u00e4bo\u2019s seminal work provides a basis for explaining what makes us uniquely human.\" data-attachment-id=\"13150\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"354\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2022\/10\/press-medicine2022-figure4\/4178052525.webp\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22640%22%20height%3D%22354%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20640%20354%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"fg-caption\"><div class=\"fg-caption-inner\"><div class=\"fg-caption-desc\">Figure 4. P\u00e4\u00e4bo\u2019s seminal work provides a basis for explaining what makes us uniquely human.<\/div><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"fiv-ctrls\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"fiv-prev\"><span>Prev<\/span><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<label class=\"fiv-count\"><span class=\"fiv-count-current\">1<\/span>of<span class=\"fiv-count-total\">4<\/span><\/label>\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"fiv-next\"><span>Next<\/span><\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; color: #000000\";>Humanity has always been intrigued by its origins. Where do we come from, and how are we related to those who came before us? What makes us,\u00a0<em>Homo sapiens<\/em>, different from other hominins?<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; color: #000000;\">Through his pioneering research, <a style=\"text-decoraton: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nobelprize.org\/prizes\/medicine\/2022\/paabo\/facts\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Svante P\u00e4\u00e4bo<\/em><\/a> accomplished something seemingly impossible: sequencing the genome of the Neanderthal, an extinct relative of present-day humans. He also made the sensational discovery of a previously unknown hominin, Denisova. Importantly, P\u00e4\u00e4bo also found that gene transfer had occurred from these now extinct hominins to Homo sapiens following the migration out of Africa around 70,000 years ago. This ancient flow of genes to present-day humans has physiological relevance today, for example affecting how our immune system reacts to infections.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; color: #000000;\">P\u00e4\u00e4bo\u2019s seminal research gave rise to an entirely new scientific discipline; paleogenomics. By revealing genetic differences that distinguish all living humans from extinct hominins, his discoveries provide the basis for exploring what makes us uniquely human.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h4>Where do we come from?<\/h4>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; color: #000000;\">The question of our origin and what makes us unique has engaged humanity since ancient times. Paleontology and archeology are important for studies of human evolution. Research provided evidence that the anatomically modern human,\u00a0<em>Homo sapiens,\u00a0<\/em>first appeared in Africa approximately 300,000 years ago, while our closest known relatives, Neanderthals, developed outside Africa and populated Europe and Western Asia from around 400,000 years until 30,000 years ago, at which point they went extinct. About 70,000 years ago, groups of\u00a0<em>Homo sapiens\u00a0<\/em>migrated from Africa to the Middle East and, from there they spread to the rest of the world.\u00a0<em>Homo sapiens\u00a0<\/em>and Neanderthals thus coexisted in large parts of Eurasia for tens of thousands of years. But what do we know about our relationship with the extinct Neanderthals? Clues might be derived from genomic information. By the end of the 1990\u2019s, almost the entire human genome had been sequenced. This was a considerable accomplishment, which allowed subsequent studies of the genetic relationship between different human populations. However, studies of the relationship between present-day humans and the extinct Neanderthals would require the sequencing of genomic DNA recovered from archaic specimens.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h4>A seemingly impossible task<\/h4>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 17px; color: #000000;\">Early in his career, Svante\u00a0P\u00e4\u00e4bo\u00a0became fascinated by the possibility of utilizing modern genetic methods to study the DNA of Neanderthals. However, he soon realized the extreme technical challenges, because with time DNA becomes chemically modified and degrades into short fragments. After thousands of years, only trace amounts of DNA are left, and what remains is massively contaminated with DNA from bacteria and contemporary humans (Figure 1). As a postdoctoral student with Allan Wilson, a pioneer in the field of evolutionary biology,\u00a0P\u00e4\u00e4bo\u00a0started to develop methods to study DNA from Neanderthals, an endeavor that lasted several decades.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=&#8221;Read Full Article&#8221; style=&#8221;outline&#8221; color=&#8221;juicy-pink&#8221; align=&#8221;center&#8221; button_block=&#8221;true&#8221; link=&#8221;url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nobelprize.org%2Fprizes%2Fmedicine%2F2022%2Fpress-release%2F||target:%20_blank|&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1664879902433{margin-top: 36px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text] The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[182],"class_list":["post-13145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-182"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13145"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13153,"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13145\/revisions\/13153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h3africa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}