Along with two other European scientists, Jacques Dubochet and Joachim Frank, Scottish molecular biologist Richard Henderson has won the Nobel prize in chemistry.
Together they developed new ways of visualizing molecules. Here’s an extract from the Insider magazine report explaining their achievement:
‘Their technique, called cryo-electron microscopy, allows scientists to freeze biomolecules in action and “visualise processes they have never previously seen”, according to the Nobel statement. It means that molecules including bacteria and viruses can be examined in their native, undamaged state. Before the breakthrough, electron microscopes were only suitable for imaging dead matter, because the powerful electron beam destroyed biological material.’
http://www.insider.co.uk/news/scottish-molecular-biologist-richard-henderson-11286709
This is another impressive example of the recent achievements by scientists and researchers from Scotland’s universities. See:
Scottish scientists part of breakthrough in cystic fibrosis research
Scottish university research to help developing nations remove arsenic from water supplies
University of Dundee awarded £7 million to work in partnership with India to fight diabetes
Scottish Association for Marine Science to lead seaweed research to benefit developing nations
Punching above our weight?
Talking-up Scotland 
Hi John – Flip – I arrive a bit late to the blog and find you’ve been awarding a Nobel Prize yourself – to yours truly!
Greatly honoured with the ‘name- check’ on the blog Masthead but am trusting this is a very temporary phenomenon. We are not worthy!. This is one of the Nobel prizeworthy blogs of the push for Indy and the person carrying it is you John. We really all do appreciate the massive time and energy you give to this vital project.
Did anyone notice the coverage of the Scottish Nobel Prize story on the beeb Scotland website? Please observe this sentence culled from the article (see below):
“..Prof Dubochet was born in Switzerland, Joachim Frank is German and Richard Henderson is from Edinburgh, UK.”
Now – I don’t know about anyone else – but I notice something odd about that information – Now what can it be? – Oh yes – there it is – ‘..born in Switzerland’ (seems a nice clear statement), ‘..is German’ (so far so good) – ‘..is from Edinburgh, UK.’ (!!! – that is, genuinely, what is up on the beeb SCOTLAND webpage. The frothing mouthed nature of our BritNat MSM seems to be – if such a thing is possible – actually getting worse.
Ta, Ludo (character actor – not ‘co-star’)
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Ludo, The Beeb Scotland website headlined ‘Scottish Scientist wins Nobel Prize’ but the link took us to the Science page where the article was located and in that there was the description as you have stated.
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At least they didn’t ignore the birthplace and go for hid current home – England!
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John, You could also have mentioned the Nobel Prize for Physics the previous day. The team which was awarded half the prize, had formerly included Professor Ronald Drever, who sadly, died of Alzheimer’s last year. Ronald Drever, had he lived, would almost certainly have been included in the citation. He was one of my lecturers when I was a Natural Philosophy undergraduate at Glasgow University in the 1960s. I had hoped/expected that Professor Jim Hough, also of Glasgow University might have been included in the awards.
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Alasdair
Beat me to it!
Think he died in March this year, Nobel don’t award posthumously. . . Don’t see much sense in that. . . surely a person deserves recognition dead or alive
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Missed that one. Sorry I did
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Hi guys – recognition alive or dead – Hear, Hear to that.
Thanks for clarifying the beeb Scotland website headline Alasdair – It is important that any observations re. the MSM be clothed in the maximum accuracy (as that is something they so seldom attempt themselves). I still don’t understand why their Science page would couch Richard henderson’s origins in the phraeology employed? – unless they had an ulterior (BritNat) motive.
Brilliant news anyway – Here’s hoping Ronald Drever and Jim Hough are fully recognised one way or another – Ta, Ludo
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O/T. The first comment posted on following link contains a link to an article from the newsnet.scot archive from October 2012. Refers to a meeting between the Tories and the Spanish Gov. And hints at A deal to gain Spanish opposition to Scottish Independence.
http://indyref2.scot/has-madrid-leant-on-the-ec-again
Clicking on the link produces the 403 Forbidden message . As does attempting to access the newsnet.scot site by other means.
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Should have read, …. A meeting between Ruth Davidson and the Spanish P. P.
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Not surprised. Before my report in 2014, the used to leave edition of Reporting Scotland up for weeks then decided 24 hours would be enough.
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