Two California professors share Nobel Prize

October 7, 2013

1933_Nobel_Peace_Prize_awarded_to_Norman_AngellScientists from Stanford and UC Berkeley share the 2013 Nobel Prize in medicine with a professor from Yale University. [SanJoseMercuryNews]

Scientists Dr. Thomas Sudhof of Stanford, Randy Schekman of UC Berkeley and James Rothman from Yale University solved the mystery of how a cell organizes its internal transportation system, controlling the creation and release of important hormones, enzymes and other molecules. Errors in the process inevitably lead to neurological diseases, diabetes, immunological disorders and ultimately death.

The men, who worked independently, each contributed a key part to the discoveries. The information has led to the success of the biotechnology industry by enlisting yeast to release useful protein drugs, such as insulin and human growth hormone.

Schekman decoded a set of genes that were required for the traffic of this cargo in vesicles. Südhof discovered how cellular signals instruct vesicles to release their cargo with precision. Rothman unraveled protein machinery that allows the vesicles to fuse with their targets to permit transfer.

 


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A Token congratulations would be appropriate at this time.


OUTSTANDING!!!!

How much longer will this nation be able to produce scientists of this calibre with the

current atmosphere of anti-intellectualism, distrust and out-and-out ignorance of science

by the majority of the citizenry, i.e. 48% of U.S. Citizens believe in creationism and not

the origin of species through the THOROUGHLY documented process of natural selection, a 30% High School dropout rate, and the election of ultra-conservative religious whackos

to state and federal legislatures who do everything in their power to destroy publuc ed-

ucation, i.e. Texas School Board.