A FIRST FOR WOMEN- Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna

 

                                            A FIRST FOR WOMEN

They have made history! Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna  have become the first women to ever recieve the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. They have been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

It began at a conference in Puerto Rico. The two scientists who were introduced to each other at the meeting decided to work together. In 2011, Professor Charpentier, who received her Ph.D while at the Institut Pasteur in Paris suggested to Professor Doudna that they collaborate on work she was doing. Professor Doudna had received her Ph.D from Harvard Medical School in the USA.

In the article by BBC News Science Editor Paul Rincon, he says the scientists have become the first women to recieve the prestigious Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "developing the tools to edit DNA."

"Their discovery, known as Crispr-Cas9 "genetic scissors", is a way of making specific and precise changes to the DNA contained in living cells.They will split the prize money of $1,110,400." the article stated.

Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swiss chemist. engineer, inventor, businessman and philantropist. He founded the prize in his will written in 1895. Nobel died the following year in 1896.

On the Royal Society of Chemistry website Gareth Davis writes: Alfred's business acumen was as sharp as his scientists perception. He had not only the intellect and knowledge to design and create these inventions but had an innate ability to foresee where his inventions would be needed.

Alfred Nobel died at his villa in San Remo, Italy, in 1896. "After his death (he) gave his greatest contribution to not only science but to mankind. The equivalent of around 265 million dollars was left to set up awards honouring women and men all over the world."

"The Nobel prize awards recognise outstanding  achievements in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and for work in peace; the most highly regarded international awards achievable," Davis wrote. 

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