Nobel Prize for medicine goes to two scientists who identified the receptors that allow us to feel pain and temperature...as Covid vaccine and treatment breakthroughs are shunned By Connor Boyd Assistant Health Editor For Mailonline Published: 11:05 BST, 4 October 2021 | Updated: 11:12 BST, 4 October 2021 Viewcomments Scientists who discovered how we feel touch and temperature have won the Nobel Prize for medicine. Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian shared the award for identifying how our bodies convert physical sensations into electrical signals in the nervous system. The scientists were credited with 'unlocking one of the secret's of nature' by the Nobel Prize committee today. It said their discovery will pave the way for developments of treatments for a wide range of conditions, including chronic pain. The winners were announced Monday by Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Committee. Patrik Ernfors of the Nobel 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, he said. 'This really unlocks one of the secrets of nature,' said Perlmann. 'It's actually something that is crucial for our survival, so it's a very important and profound discovery.' The pair also shared the prestigious Kavli Award for Neuroscience last year. Last year's Nobel medicine 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 though 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. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility