Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

`Mad-cow' doctor rewarded with a Nobel prize

Wednesday 10 December 1997 19:02 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A doctor whose work illuminated a cause of dementia, and a playwright whose characters act demented to shine light on social concerns joined eight others in receiving Nobel prizes last night. The laureates in literature, physics, chemistry, medicine and economics accepted their prizes from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf in a ceremony at Stockholm's Concert Hall.

Instead of providing a prepared text, the literature prize winner, Dario Fo, gave the audience sheaves of brightly coloured drawings which referred to the main ideas in his extemporised talk. The medicine prize goes to Stanley Prusiner, of the University of California-San Francisco, who discovered the infectious agent behind "mad-cow disease" and other brain-wasting afflictions that include a rare form of dementia in humans. The Nobel Prizes are presented on 10 December, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, whose will established the awards. - AP, Stockholm

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in