Protein Researchers Win Nobel Prize In Chemistry

nucal writes "The 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Rod MacKinnon and Peter Agree for their work on proteins that form ion and water channels in cell membranes. In particular, solving the structure of potassium channels was a major achievement, since this was the first multispan transmembrane protein structure to be solved by X-ray crystallography. There is also structural information on aquaporins (water channels) as well."

Comments

Drum Role Please

[BrianGa]

And the Nobel Prize goes to...Folding@Home!

Off the beaten path

[sssmashy]

To MacKinnon, the physician-turned-electrophysiologist-turned-crysta llographer, "the fun really begins once you have the structure."

Physician-->Electrophysiologist--->Crystallograp her-->Nobel Laureate.

Bricklayer-->Bodybuilder-->Movie Star-->Governor of California.

There's definitely something to be said for nonlinear career choices...

Re:Off the beaten path

[orthogonal]

Physician-->Electrophysiologist-->Crystallograp her-->Nobel Laureate.

Bricklayer-->Bodybuilder-->Movie Star-->Governor of California

Bricklayer-->Bodybuilder-->Movie Star-->Crystal? O, grope her-->Governor of California

In the fullness of time, it had to happen! Slashdot word breaking to combat page widening produces a sort of poetry, and a commentary on current events!

Re:In slashdot terms..

[Anonymous Coward]

The potassium-ion channels are even cooler, because the 'operating system' (intracellular signalling) can turn them on and off when needed.

You know, the first think that came to my mind when you posted this was "imagine a Beowulf cluster of cells". Then I realized a Beowulf cluster of cells would be.. well, me I guess.

Re:In slashdot terms..

[scottcha 4]

I am a beowulf cluster of these!!!

~sorry~

I'll go back to timeout now...

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[Letter]

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Due to a buffer overflow problem in my Outlook preview pane, someone was able to steal the source for SlashCode! Please note that they were only able to steal the source code that runs Slashdot, and not the actual content on Slashdot. Because of this unfortunate event, we have to shut down and re-code the network portions of SlashCode to avoid the inevitable trolling that might occur now that our source code is in the wild. The site will become progressively slower as we remove servers from our racks one-by-one. We hope to be back up by April of next year.

Apologies,
Letter

Hmmm...

[disntrstd]

Isn't "protein research" just a fancy Chemist term for pleasuring yourself in the lab?

What to do with the $1.3 million?

[cpopin]

When asked what to do with the $1.3 million awarded, he answered (on NPR), "Since they couldn't get a hold of me and I found out second hand, I decided to buy a cell phone."

hot-rod

[Anonymous Coward]

i'm currently a student at rockefeller - and am rotating in rod's lab; you may not be surprised but a large majority of the lab are /.ers. and you know what working in the lab of a nobel prize winner makes us? thats right. nothing. cheers!