"Touch & Temperature" Neuroscientists David Julius & Ardem Patapoutian Win Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded today to David Julius (University of California, San Francisco) and Ardem Patapoutian (HHMI/Scripps), "for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch."

"Our ability to sense heat, cold and touch is essential for survival and underpins our interaction with the world around us. In our daily lives we take these sensations for granted, but how are nerve impulses initiated so that temperature and pressure can be perceived? This question has been solved by this year’s Nobel Prize laureates," the Nobel Foundation's announcement states.

Julius was a 2009 Friday Evening (Forbes) Lecturer at MBL, during which he spent time with the Grass Lab Fellows. He is seated, center, in this photo taken on the legendary "never throw away!"  couch in the Grass Lab at MBL.

David Julius seated front row, center with the 2009 Grass Fellows and directors in the MBL Grass Lab. Top row, from left: Director Felix Schweizer, Director Stephanie White, Emma Coddington, Coen Elemans, Hamish Mehaffey, Sandra Rieger, Jorge Contreras. Bottom, from left: Skyler Jackman, Director Daphne Soares, Director Gal Haspel, David Julius, Peter Lyons, Agenor Limon. Credit: Tom Kleindinst