Nobel Prize honors discovery of temperature, touch receptors
AP NEWS
Two U.S.-based scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine on Monday for their discovery of the receptors that allow humans to feel temperature and touch.
David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian focused their work on the field of somatosensation, that is the ability of specialized organs such as eyes, ears and skin to see, hear and feel.
“This really unlocks one of the secrets of nature,” said Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Committee, in announcing the winners. “It’s actually something that is crucial for our survival, so it’s a very important and profound discovery.”
The committee said Julius, 65, used capsaicin, the active component in chili peppers, to identify the nerve sensors that allow the skin to respond to heat.
Patapoutian found separate pressure-sensitive sensors in cells that respond to mechanical stimulation, it said.
The pair shared the prestigious Kavli Award for Neuroscience last year.
“Imagine that you’re walking barefoot across a field on this summer’s morning,” said Patrik Ernfors of the Nobel Committee. “You can feel the warmth of the sun, the coolness of the morning dew, a caressing summer breeze and the fine texture of blades of grass underneath your feet. These impressions of temperature, touch and movement are feelings relying on somatosensation.”
“Such information continuously flows from the skin and other deep tissues and connects us with the external and internal world. It is also essential for tasks that we perform effortlessly and without much thought,” said Ernfors.
Perlmann said he managed to get hold of both of the winners before the announcement.
“I (...) only had a few minutes to talk to them, but they were incredibly happy,” he said. “And as far as I could tell they were very surprised and a little bit shocked, maybe.”
Last year’s prize went to three scientists who discovered the liver-ravaging hepatitis C virus, a breakthrough that led to cures for the deadly disease and tests to keep the scourge from spreading through blood banks.
The prestigious award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million). The prize money comes from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.
The prize is the first to be awarded this year. The other prizes are for outstanding work in the fields of physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics.
词汇：
1. unlock
表示“发掘（潜力）；揭开（秘密）”，英文解释为“If you unlock the potential or the secrets of something or someone, you release them.”举个🌰：
A chemical has been discovered that may be the key to unlocking the mysteries of Parkinson's disease.
已发现一种化学物质，这可能是解开帕金森氏病之谜的钥匙。
untangle the mystery
2. stimulation
表示“刺激；激励；兴奋作用”，英文解释为“an action or thing that causes someone or something to become more active or enthusiastic, or to develop or operate”。
3. blade
除了表示“刀身；刀片；刀刃”，此处表示“（草等的）叶片”，英文解释为“a long, narrow leaf of grass or a similar plant”如：a blade of grass 草叶。
4. breeze
表示“和风，微风”，英文解释为“a light and pleasant wind”如：a warm/cool breeze 和煦/凉爽的风。
5. prestigious
prestigious /prɛˈstɪdʒəs/表示“有威望的，有声望的，有威信的”，英文解释为“A prestigious institution, job, or activity is respected and admired by people.”举个🌰：
It's one of the best equipped and most prestigious schools in the country.
它是该国设备最好、最有声望的学校之一。
6. get hold of
表示“找到（某人）；得到”，英文解释为“to find someone or obtain something”举个🌰：
Where can I get hold of some stamps?
我在哪儿能找到些邮票？
7. ravage
表示“严重毁坏，摧毁；重创”，英文解释为“to damage something very badly”举个🌰：
The country has been ravaged by civil war.
这个国家被内战摧毁了。
8.hepatitis
hepatitis /ˌhɛpəˈtaɪtɪs/ 表示“肝炎”，英文解释为“Hepatitis is a serious disease which affects the liver.”
9，scourge
scourge /skɜːdʒ/ 表示“灾难，祸害；苦难的根源”，英文解释为“something or someone that causes great suffering or a lot of trouble”如：the scourge of war/poverty/drugs 战争/贫困/毒品的祸害。
📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述作家探讨新冠疫情将如何改变世界的文章中提到：In the teeth of a scourge on the scale of covid-19, the impulse to draw significance from suffering is again strong. 面对新冠疫情这种规模的灾难，人们从苦难中追寻意义的冲动再次被激发。
10. bequest
表示“遗赠，遗产”，英文解释为“the money or property belonging to someone that they say that, after their death, they wish to be given to other people”。
补充：
effortlessly 不费吹灰之力地
without any thought 不假思索地
in the teeth of 尽管遇到(困难，灾害等)
