CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of thermal and mechanical transducers. The question of how we sense the physical world through somatic sensation has fascinated humankind for millennia.

Detailed explanation-2: -Three apparently unrelated findings led to the discovery of the temperature receptors: a better understanding of pain-sensing, the molecular nature of the channels in charge of touch and proprioception, and the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine bestowed to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian.

Detailed explanation-3: -Ardem Patapoutian (born 1967) is an Armenian-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate. He is known for his work in characterizing the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature.

Detailed explanation-4: -Among Patapoutian’s first major discoveries was the identification of the cold-sensing ion channel TRPM8. His research also led to the discovery of TRPA1 (the so-called wasabi receptor), which acts as a sensor for noxious stimuli, including cold and pain.