The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Svante Pääbo on Monday. The Swedish scientist was lauded for his research in evolution, which worked to connect humans to their evolutionary ancestors.
Pääbo spent decades analyzing ancient DNA from Neanderthal bones, and eventually published the Neanderthal genome in 2010, The New York Times reports. He also discovered a previously unknown human relative called the Denisova.
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