Nobel chemistry prize for molecule photos
The Nobel Prize in chemistry has gone to three scientists for their work with molecules. The scientists will share the $1,090,000 prize. They found a special way of taking photos of molecules. Molecules are the smallest building blocks in the cells in our body. Everything and everyone is made of molecules. The scientists developed a technique called cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). This lets scientists zoom in to amazing new levels. Scientists can now see things in our bodies never seen before. They can see how the building blocks of life move. The Nobel Prize committee said the new technique will change science forever. The technique has "moved biochemistry into a new era". It added: "Soon, there will be no more secrets. Now we can see the…details of [molecules] in every corner of our cells and every drop of our body fluids. We can understand how they are built and how they act and how they work together….We are facing a revolution in biochemistry." A professor said there were many practical uses for the technique. Scientists can now look at the building blocks of viruses and find cures for many diseases. |