Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to 3 scientists for work on proteins, the building blocks of life [Video]

STOCKHOLM — Three scientists who discovered powerful techniques to predict and even design novel proteins – the building blocks of life – were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday. Their work used advanced technologies, including machine learning, and holds the potential to transform how new drugs are made.

The prize was awarded to David Baker, who works at the University of Washington in Seattle, and to Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, who both work at Google DeepMind, a British-American artificial intelligence research laboratory based in London.

Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, said the award honored research that unraveled long-standing scientific mysteries.

“That was actually called a grand challenge in chemistry, and in particular in biochemistry, for decades. So, it’s that breakthrough that gets awarded today,” he said.

WHAT IS THE NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY FOR?

Proteins are complex molecules with thousands of atoms that twist, turn, loop and spiral in a countless …