And the winner is........*horn sounds* lol......A. Yonath and T. Steiz for studying the ribosome.
Ribosome are small organelle proteins in the cell that translate the amino acid genetic code into protein or polypeptide chain. Ribosomes are made of protein and RNA.
The central dogma: DNA is transcribed to RNA which is translated into protein.
Why is knowing about the ribosome important?
Well, once again this is a way to determine how cells are functioning, what proteins are being produced, etc. More importantly, the triplet codes (or codons) which are translated into protein determine certain genetic characteristics and diseases. If reading frames are thrown off by genetic mutations, an amino acid may be produced in a peptide and it could ultimately be the difference between an individual with Sickle Cell Anemia or someone without the disease. Overall, a great deal of our knowledge about protein expression and diseases caused by mutations lies with our knowledge about something as "bantam" as the ribosome.
I mean if you think about it, this prize is as big as Watson and Crick discovering the nature of DNA. It is the basis of every organism (let alone humans)...
Simply put, cell are everywhere =D
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