Swedish scientist wins Nobel prize in medicine for human evolution discoveries

Sweden’s Dr Svante Pääbo has been awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries in human evolution.

The scientist cracked the genetic code of exinct hominins, including Neanderthals - an extinct relative of humans.

Dr Pääbo’s pioneering research included discovery of a previously unknown hominin, Denisova.

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet said on Monday, 3 October, that Dr Pääbo had achieved the “seemingly impossible.”

“His discoveries provide the basis for exploring what makes us uniquely human,” the Assembly said in a statement.

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