Two US scientists win Nobel Prize in Medicine for their "historic discovery"

US scientists David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries about nerve receptors for temperature and touch.

David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian received the award on Monday in physiology and medicine, said the secretary-general of the Nobel Committee, Thomas Perlmann.

"The groundbreaking discoveries of this year's Nobel Prize winners have allowed us to understand how heat, cold and mechanical force can trigger nerve impulses that allow us to recognize and adapt the world," the committee said when the winners were announced.

"In our daily lives, we take these sensations for granted, but how are nerve impulses started so that temperature and pressure can be detected? This year's Nobel Prize winners have resolved this question." added the committee

Julius, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, used capsaicin, the active ingredient in cold peppers, to identify nerve sensors that allow the skin to respond to heat.

Patapoutian, a professor at Scripps Research in California, identifies separate pressure-sensitive sensors in cells that respond to mechanical stimulation.

"It's crucial to our survival, so it's a very important and profound discovery," Ernfors said.

Last year, the prize in physiology or medicine went to three scientists who discovered the liver-destroying hepatitis C virus. This breakthrough led to cures for the deadly disease and tests to prevent the plant from spreading. Blood banks widen.

Developers of coronavirus vaccines have also been named top candidates this year.

The prestigious award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor, around US $1.14 million . The prize money comes from a memorial left by the prize's creator, the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who passed away in 1895.

The prizes for excellent work in the fields of physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics will be awarded in the coming week.