I've known for years that this was going to happen: Mario Capecchi, Oliver Smithies and Briton Martin Evans have won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work on targeted gene mutations. If you're interested in what kinds of work they've done, I described one paper on Hox regulatory evolution, and this work on the evolution of the Hox code wouldn't have been possible without their knockout techniques.
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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
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More articles by PZ Myers can be found on Freethoughtblogs at the new Pharyngula!
Nobel in Medicine goes to…
Category: Development • Genetics • Molecular Biology
Posted on: October 8, 2007 2:07 PM, by PZ Myers
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Comments
Posted by: Doc Bill | October 8, 2007 2:48 PM
PZ, this has to be either a mistake or a huge, sick joke!
According to brain surgeon, Dr. Mikey Egnor (read that Brain Surgeon, like a rocket scientist only with brains) evolution has NO application to medicine.
How could brain surgeon Dr. Egnor
Obviously, the Nobel Prize committee has been fooled.
No, wait, wait! Not fooled. No, bought off by the Darwinian Pressure Group, Delta Pi Gamma. Yeah, that makes total sense.
Posted by: Christian Burnham | October 8, 2007 2:52 PM
Congratulations to Mario. It's nice to see the University of Utah has one smart professor.
Posted by: syntyche | October 8, 2007 4:26 PM
Took them long enough.
Congrats Mario. Developmental biology loves you.
Posted by: Inky | October 8, 2007 4:34 PM
Well-deserved. Transgenic technologies have really sped up research on development and disease. Bravo, I say.
... Doc. I don't think "How could brain surgeon Dr. Egnor" is a complete sentence. And, more saliently: a brain surgeon is not a scientist by default. I also failed to locate an actual entity either called the "Darwinian Pressure Group", nor is could I find a "Delta Pi Gamma".
I'd say my tone in my comments here are generally pretty mild, but, for you, I'd say you're a blithering idiot.
If this was meant to be a posted joke, then I apologize, and congratulate Doc Bill in emulating the general style of total cerebral meltdown often exhibited by anti-science-sheep.
Posted by: Inky | October 8, 2007 4:36 PM
Oops. Typo. Nix the "is" in "nor is could I".
Posted by: Doc Bill | October 8, 2007 5:00 PM
Actually, Inky, that was an incomplete question!
I used an angle bracket to make an text-graphic arrow and the blog thought it was an incomplete HTML tag and ate it.
You can go to the Panda's Thumb and read all about the Darwinian Pressure Group, Delta Pi Gamma, that was founded following an accusation by the Discovery Institute that various institutions and school boards had been forced to oppose "intelligent design" due to "darwinian pressure groups." We thought we'd help the DI with truth and accuracy in reporting by creating such a group.
For example, we're putting pressure on Baylor right now by threatening to block funding of Bill's Sports Arena and Tire Center, and I think we're having the desired effect.
As for Egnor, who believes in the duality of mind and brain, you will have to research him yourself. Fair warning, though, the stupid will burn your brain. Hey, maybe that's how he gets patients.
Finally, as for being a "blithering idiot" my wife tells me that all the time. I look upon it as my greatest strength.
p.s. If you want to join Delta Pi Gamma, I'll let you know where to send the dues.
Posted by: Daniel | October 8, 2007 5:14 PM
I have a soft spot for the discovery of telomerase and I was hoping it would get the prize this year. Elizabeth Blackburn och Carol Greider would raise the number of women among the laureates which would be great in so many ways. But the telomerase in itself I think merits the prize regardless.
That's not to say that this year's prize winners are any less worthy of course. I'm really, really looking forward to the lectures here in Uppsala. Last year I had the fortune of meeting both Drs Mello and Fire and I hope to repeat that this year!
By the way, here in Sweden all the animal rights activists are really making a fuss over this year's prize. It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out in the media.
Posted by: Pete | October 8, 2007 5:52 PM
och?
Oh.. Swedish. That's pretty cool, actually. I think I'll start using it..=)
Posted by: Daniel | October 8, 2007 6:11 PM
Hehe... sorry, sometimes I slip into Swenglish. Yeah, "och" means "and".
Posted by: Rolando Aguilera | October 8, 2007 6:28 PM
The award goes "for their discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells".
Mmmm, ¿embrionic stem cells?, ¿any message for the religous right?
Posted by: Inky | October 8, 2007 7:57 PM
Okay, Doc. I guess my sense of humor program was malfunctioning today.
Re: membership dues, er, no, that's okay. Maybe with my next monthly stipend allocation.
Posted by: Epistaxis | October 8, 2007 10:17 PM
Daniel:
Blackburn was my department's pick, too. Except for maybe another one of our own. :-)
Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | October 9, 2007 3:34 AM
Funnily enough, the prize is called the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. So, Cappecchi, Smithies and Evans have won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.
Posted by: Kinkazzo | October 9, 2007 7:01 AM
Evviva Mario, and congratulations from an expat Italian!
How come Italians have always to migrate elsewhere to accomplish great things? (I'm thinking of Fermi, Modigliani, etc.)...
Perhaps it's true that prophets are never welcome...
Nahhh.
Ciao and bravo!
~K
Posted by: molluskman | October 9, 2007 7:34 AM
Mario Capecchi, like Peter Irons and Stephen J Gould, is a graduate of Antioch College. That little school in Ohio that is planing to close next summer, unless the alumni can save it.