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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."
The website (slashdot) is slowing down, so here is the text:
A nd the Nobel Prize goes to...Folding@Home!
...goes the sound of this news flying at Mach 1.3 over the heads of 99.99% of everyone reading it.
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Praise bob! (Score:2, Insightful)
by Anonymous Coward on Wed October 08, 03:27 PM (#7165914)
have you heard of Bob [subgenius.com], sexhurt machines, & yeti loving?
allow me to educate you on the glory of Bob [subgenius.com]
[ Reply to This ]
what (Score:1)
by calcifer (649855) on Wed October 08, 03:32 PM (#7165931)
i think i speak for the majority of slashdotters when i say:
what? what the hell are you talking about? whats a multispan transmembrane protein structure?
i think we need someone to moderate the story posters.
[ Reply to This ]
Drum Role Please (Score:3, Funny)
by BrianGa (536442) on Wed October 08, 03:33 PM (#7165934)
(http://www.gamemaster-online.net/)
[ Reply to This ]
That was quick. (Score:2)
by the gnat (153162) on Wed October 08, 03:41 PM (#7165950)
There was pretty much no doubt that MacKinnon would win it eventually - but it's a bit surprising that it came so soon, considering he's at the height of his career. He's only published four papers this year, but they're all Science or Nature (including one cover article). We can probably expect equally terrific work from him in the future.
I interviewed with him earlier this year (I applied to Rockefeller largely because of his lab), and he's one of the most intensely brilliant people I've ever met. There are very few scientists who will master a completely different technique in the middle of their career, while working on the same area of research. Fewer still are able to dominate the field. When I took physiology in college, we read multiple articles which described hypotheses proved by a single figure in one of MacKinnon's papers.
(There are actually an increasing number of membrane protein structures available, some of them quite large. However, ion channels are apparently especially difficult to study, and none were solved before MacKinnon started.)
[ Reply to This ]
WHOOSH (Score:2)
by Atario (673917) on Wed October 08, 03:43 PM (#7165952)
Well, at least here on Slashdot I expect people (read: us geeks) will gape in awe instead of happily ignoring it.
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Yeah right (Score:1)
by stratjakt (596332) on Wed October 08, 03:49 PM (#7165976)
(Last Journal: Sun September 29, 01:10 PM)
Oh, c'mon you expect me to believe this?
Rod and Peter working with protein?!
Surrre, whatever. Sounds made up to me.
[ Reply to This ]
4 replies beneath your current threshold.
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