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HIV discoverers and human papilloma virus researcher who linked HPV to cervical cancer take Nobel

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Harald zur Hausen, a German scientist who linked human papilloma virus (HPV) to cervical cancer, shares this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with French researchers Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier, who discovered HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

zur Hausen's work paved the way for Merck's vaccine Gardasil.

Notably, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the Nobels did not recognize Robert Gallo for his role in the discovery of HIV.


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For more on the prizes, read the official Nobel Foundation announcement here and check back for our ongoing coverage, including today's 60-Second Science podcast.

 

 

 

 

 

Ivan Oransky is editor in chief of Spectrum and a distinguished writer in residence at New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. He is a co-founder of Retraction Watch and a volunteer member of the board of directors of the PubPeer Foundation.

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