Notable Nobels

Feb 09 2024

Notable Nobels Podcast artwork

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!

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Episode 22: mRNA Vaccines 2023

Feb 09 2024 33 mins

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 differ

Episode 21: Hepatitis C Virus 2020

Nov 10 2023 28 mins

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

Episode 20: Hepatitis B Virus 1976a

Aug 11 2023 27 mins

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 Hepat

Episode 19: Cervical Cancer and HPV 2008b

May 09 2023 27 mins

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

Episode 18: HIV/AIDS 2008a

Feb 20 2023 37 mins

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, th

Episode 17: Retroviruses and Reverse Transcriptase 1975

Dec 20 2022 25 mins

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 identif

Episode 16: Src and the Essence of Cancer 1989

Sep 16 2022 28 mins

This episode covers the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to J. Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Bishop and Varmus the award “for their discovery of the cellular origin of retroviral oncogenes”. Topics include Bishop and Varmus’ discovery of the first cellular proto-oncogene c-src, how t

Episode 15: Rous Sarcoma Virus 1966a

Mar 05 2022 21 mins

This episode covers one half of the 1966 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Peyton Rous. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Rous the award “for his discovery of tumor-inducing viruses”. Topics include Rous’ discovery of a virus that caused cancer in chickens, how that sparked a search for cancer-causing viruses in humans, and

Episode 14: Polio 1954

Dec 28 2021 27 mins

This episode covers the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to John Enders, Thomas Weller, and Frederick Robbins. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Enders, Weller, and Robbins the award “for their discovery of the ability of poliomyelitis viruses to grow in cultures of various types of tissue”. Topics include the work that cu

Episode 13: Yellow Fever Vaccine 1951

Nov 03 2021 25 mins

This episode covers the 1951 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Max Theiler. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Theiler the award “for his discoveries concerning yellow fever and how to combat it”. Topics include the discovery that yellow fever is spread by mosquitos, the discovery that yellow fever is caused by a virus, and ho