U.S. scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering microRNA and its role in gene regulation.
The Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute Medical University selected the winners and awarded them 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million).
This prize is traditionally the first of the Nobel season and is recognized as among the most esteemed scientific, literature, and humanitarian awards. The remaining five prizes will be announced in the days to follow.
Established by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, these awards have honoured notable achievements in science, literature, and peace since 1901, with economics added later.
The prizes are distributed by various institutions, with the Peace Prize being the only one presented in Oslo. This exception likely stems from the historical political union between Sweden and Norway when Nobel drafted his will.
Last year, the medicine prize went to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their work on developing COVID-19 vaccines, which significantly impacted the pandemic’s course.
Historically, the Nobel Medicine Prize has recognized eminent figures such as Ivan Pavlov (1904), famous for his behavioural experiments with dogs, and Alexander Fleming, who won in 1945 for his discovery of penicillin.
The prizes for science, literature, and economics are awarded on December 10, commemorating the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. The ceremony, followed by a grand banquet in Stockholm city hall, contrasts with the separate celebration for the Peace Prize held in Oslo on the same day.
