David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, two U.S.-based scientists, were awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discovery of the receptors that allow humans to feel temperature and touch. Their work was in the field of somatosensation, that is the ability of specialised organs such as eyes, ears and skin to see, hear and feel.
The Nobel committee said Mr. Julius, 65, used capsaicin, the active component in chilli peppers, to identify the nerve sensors that allow the skin to respond to heat.
Mr. Patapoutian found separate pressure-sensitive sensors in cells that respond to mechanical stimulation, it said.
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