Notable Nobels

Harrison Dulin
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  • LIFE SCIENCES
  • EVERY TWO MONTHS
Notable Nobels Podcast

Notable Nobels is a podcast about the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to scientists who have made notable discoveries in the fields of Life Science and Medicine, and these discoveries have a history of profoundly influencing society and civilization. Each episode covers the prize awarded for a particular year, and with over 100 years of prizes, there’s a lot to talk about!

  1. 30 AUG

    Episode 24: Parasitic Worms 2015b

    This episode covers one half of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Campbell and Satoshi the award “for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites”. Topics include the pathobiology of river blindness (also called onchocerciasis), a generous act by a major pharmaceutical company, and how a golf course in Japan gave us the drug ivermectin.

    29 min

  2. 25 MAY

    Episode 23: Pharmacognosy - Drugs from Natural Sources 2015a

    This episode covers one half of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Tu Youyou. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Tu the award “for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against malaria”. Topics include Tu’s discovery of the anti-malarial drug artemisinin from an ancient Chinese text, the natural medicine movement, and the Vietnam War.

    28 min

  3. 10 FEB

    Episode 22: mRNA Vaccines 2023

    This episode covers the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Karikó and Weissman the award “for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19”. Topics include the different historical vaccine design platforms, the development of modified mRNA and ionizable lipid nanoparticles for mRNA vaccines, and the rapid roll out of the mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    34 min

  4. 10/11/2023

    Episode 21: Hepatitis C Virus 2020

    This episode covers the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M. Rice. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Alter, Houghton, and Rice the award “for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus”. Topics include the recognition that another hepatitis virus existed other than Hepatitis A and B viruses, the experiments that lead to the identification of the Hepatitis C virus, and antiviral drugs that cure chronic Hepatitis C virus infections.

    29 min

  5. 11/08/2023

    Episode 20: Hepatitis B Virus 1976a

    This episode covers one half of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Baruch S. Blumberg. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Blumberg the award “for [his] discoveries concerning new mechanisms for the origin and dissemination of infectious diseases”. Topics include the unusual research route that led Blumberg to the Hepatitis B virus, the discovery of a link between Hepatitis B and liver cancer, and strategies to prevent and cure chronic Hepatitis B virus infections.

    27 min

  6. 09/05/2023

    Episode 19: Cervical Cancer and HPV 2008b

    This episode covers one half of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Harald zur Hausen. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give zur Hausen the award “for his discovery of human papilloma viruses causing cervical cancer”. Topics include the use of Pap smears to screen for cervical cancer, zur Hausen’s discovery of HPV DNA in cervical cancer cells, and the development of highly effective HPV vaccines.

    27 min

  7. 21/02/2023

    Episode 18: HIV/AIDS 2008a

    This episode covers one half of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Luc Montagnier and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Montagnier and Barré-Sinoussi the award “for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus”. Topics include how the AIDS pandemic unfolded at the start of the 1980s, the work scientists did to discover the virus behind the pandemic, the ongoing search for an HIV vaccine, and some of the novel strategies scientists are testing to find a cure for HIV infections.

    38 min

  8. 21/12/2022

    Episode 17: Retroviruses and Reverse Transcriptase 1975

    This episode covers the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to David Baltimore, Renato Dulbecco, and Howard Temin. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Baltimore, Dulbecco, and Temin the award “for their discoveries concerning the interaction between tumor viruses and the genetic material of the cell”. Topics include the identification of Rous Sarcoma Virus as the first known retrovirus, the discovery of an enzyme called reverse transcriptase that can synthesize a DNA copy of a molecule of RNA, and how reverse transcriptase has become an essential tool for solving some of biology’s biggest problems.

    26 min
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About

Notable Nobels is a podcast about the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to scientists who have made notable discoveries in the fields of Life Science and Medicine, and these discoveries have a history of profoundly influencing society and civilization. Each episode covers the prize awarded for a particular year, and with over 100 years of prizes, there’s a lot to talk about!

Information

  • Creator
    Harrison Dulin
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Notable Nobels

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