American scientists among chemistry Nobel winners for pioneering protein work

Scientists David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the body said Wednesday, for work on the structure of proteins.

Two American scientists and the British co-founder of Google’s artificial-intelligence subsidiary, DeepMind, won the 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry for work on the structure of proteins, the Swedish Academy said Wednesday. 

David Baker, 62, was awarded half of the 11 million Swedish krona ($1.1 million) prize for his work on “computational protein design” by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which hands out the award that is widely regarded as the scientific world’s most prestigious. 

The other half was shared by Demis Hassabis, 48, and his DeepMind colleague John Jumper. Both work at the AI company where the London-born Hassabis is chief executive for the protein prediction software.

The chemistry prize, the third award to be handed out every year, follows those for medicine and physics, which were announced this week.

Proteins play, which vital roles in all living organisms, consist of amino acids, which are often described as the building blocks of life. They make up bone, skin, hair and tissue, and they read, copy and repair our DNA. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/baker-hassabis-jumper-win-2024-nobel-prize-chemistry-rcna174637

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