Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

Winners in Chemistry

The recipients of the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry are Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz, and Ada Yonath, reports the New York Times. The researchers independently used X-ray crystallography to study the structure of the ribosome and how it translates nucleic acids into proteins. They each also generated 3D models of the process. "This knowledge can be put to a practical and immediate use; many of today's antibiotics cure various diseases by blocking the function of bacterial ribosomes," says a press release from the Nobel foundation.

In the Daily Scan poll of potential winners — which like in physics, we missed out on the actual winners — the leader was Jacqueline Barton. Better luck next time.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.