4 / 2022 // LEOPOLDINA / NEWS 5
The Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to Leopoldina member Svante Pääbo
The paleogeneticist has been honoured for his research into human evolution
Image : Frank Vinken | Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
This year ’ s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine will be awarded to the Swedish researcher of evolution Svante Pääbo , member of the Leopoldina since 2001 . Pääbo is considered to be the founder of paleogenetics , which analyses genetic samples of fossil and historical remains of hominids .
“ This award recognises ground-breaking findings that have given us a new impression of early humans .”
Gerald Haug ML President of the Leopoldina
dina , congratulates Svante Pääbo : “ This award recognises ground-breaking findings in the field of paleogenetics , which have given us a new impression of early humans .”
Pääbo first detected evidence of DNA in Egyptian mummies . He then developed completely new methods for determining
The molecular biologist and paleogeneticist receives the award for his research into the genomes of extinct hominids and human evolution . Pääbo has developed analytical techniques for decoding the genome of Neanderthals and others . He has thus been able to determine the proportion of genes from Neanderthals and other extinct hominids to be found in the genetic material of humans today .
Gerald Haug , President of the Leopolgenetic sequences from historical remains (“ ancient DNA ”). In this way , he was able to obtain mitochondrial DNA sequences from the bone of a Neanderthal man and sequence over three billion base pairs of cell nucleus genomes from extinct prehistoric man . This made it possible to compare the genome of modern humans with that of Neanderthals for the first time . With his team , he was able to prove that Neanderthals passed on their genes to all humans today living outside of Africa .
Pääbo ’ s research opens up new perspectives on evolutionary processes and provides detailed insights into the relationships between extinct human groups .
■ JK , LO
Svante Pääbo