Nobels note neutrinos, DNA, drugs

Work on particle masses, gene repair, fighting disease honored

dna ligase

Specialized proteins (blue and yellow) can repair damaged DNA. The 2015 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to three researchers who determined how the cell works to protect genetic material in the face of environmental damages or DNA-copying errors.

Courtesy of Tom Ellenberger/Washington Univ. School of Medicine, via NIGMS

The Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry and physiology or medicine ran the gamut this year, honoring both fundamental science discoveries and research with real-world impacts.