The Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to 3 evolutionary scientists

The 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded on Wednesday to Frances H. Arnold of the United States, and in conjunction with George P. Smith of the United States and Gregory P. Winter of Great Britain for their work on evolutionary sciences.

Why did they win?

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences stated that the trio had successfully harnessed the power of evolution by applying Darwin's principles in test tubes to solve some of the world's most serious problems.

"The winners of this year's Nobel Prize for Chemistry were inspired by the power of evolution and used the same principles – genetic change and selection – to develop proteins that solve the chemical problems of humanity. "said the Academy in a statement.

Why is work important?

Dr. Arnold directed the first directed evolution of enzymes, proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. Dr. Smith has developed a method, called phage display, in which a virus infecting bacteria can be used to develop new proteins. Dr. Winter used phage display to produce new pharmaceuticals.

Directed evolution enzymes are used to make everything from biofuels to pharmaceuticals. The phage display produced antibodies capable of neutralizing toxins, fighting autoimmune diseases and curing metastatic cancer.

Who won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry?

Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson have been recognized for developing a new method of assembling precise three-dimensional images of biological molecules such as proteins, DNA and RNA. Their work has helped scientists to decipher processes in previously invisible cells and to better understand viruses such as Zika.

• The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Friday in Norway. Read about the winner of last year, the International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.