The winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is the Swedish geneticist Svante Pääbo, who is also the director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.
He was honored with the prestigious award for his discoveries about the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution. His groundbreaking research in sequencing the DNA of Neanderthals and Denisovans reveals that ancient human species have been interbreeding after migrating out of Africa, addressing important questions about humanity's origin.
Pääbo's Nobel-Winning Research
From a young age, Pääbo has been interested in early human history. His Nobel-winning research initially focused on extracting ancient DNA from Neanderthals, which is quite challenging given that they easily degrade and are contaminated by other DNA sources.
Scientific American reports that he first focused on mitochondrial DNA, sequencing from a 40,000-year-old piece of bone, and showed how it differs from the mitochondrial DNA of modern humans and chimpanzees. Then, he used sophisticated DNA sequencing methods and went on to sequence the full Neanderthal genome together with his colleagues and published their findings in 2010.
They found that the recent common ancestor of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals lived 800,000 years ago and that the two species likely interbred thousands of years ago. About 1% to 4% of the genomes of today's humans of European or Asian descent came from Neanderthals.
Statistical geneticist Sharon Browning from the University of Washington said that the first time the Neanderthal genome was sequenced was one of the amazing moments in science when human knowledge and the scope of further studies have grown larger. Studying these genomes led to huge insights into humanity's origins, evolution, and domestication of animals.
Pääbo and his team also made the startling discovery of Desinovans after sequencing the 40,000-year-old finger bone fragment found in Siberia. Their findings showed that it is different from Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Also, they found that Desinovans also interbred with humans, which means that up to 6% of the DNA of people in Melanesia and some parts of Southeast Asia is Desinovan.
Through this discovery, an entirely new scientific discipline was born. The paleogenomics revealed much about the influence of ancient hominins on modern humans that help them today to survive extreme conditions and respond well to infections. Also, they found that Neanderthals used tools, Homo sapiens developed cultures, complex art, and the ability to cross open water.
Who Is Svante Pääbo?
Pääbo said in a statement in the news release that he was surprised when he learned that he won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and initially thought it was an elaborate prank orchestrated by his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute. His colleagues threw him into a pool of water in celebration of his award and he took it with humor, splashing his feet and laughing.
The 67-year-old geneticist did his prize-winning studies at the University of Munich and at the Max Planck Institute, according to The Hill. He is a son of a Nobel Prize in medicine winner named Sune Bergstrom who won the prestigious award in 1982. That makes Pääbo the eighth person a son or daughter of a laureate who also won a Nobel Prize.
Pääbo described himself in his book "Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes" as Bergstrom's "secret extramarital son," which is something that he also mentioned briefly in his statement.
But despite having a father who previously won the award, he said that he considers his mother as the biggest influence in his life. She encouraged him the most and it saddens him a bit that she is no longer here to experience the honor her son received. Scientists from his field lauded the choice of the Nobel Committee for choosing Pääbo.
RELATED ARTICLE: 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded to Scientists Who Discovered Mechanisms Behind Sensing Touch, Temperature
Check out more news and information on Nobel Prize in Science Times.
