The Evening Wrap: Medicine Nobel 2024 awarded to Victor Ambros, Gary Ruvkun

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology 2024, the Nobel Academy at the Karolinska Institutet announced on Monday. They were awarded the prestigious prize for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. “Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were interested in how different cell types develop. They discovered microRNA, a new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation,” The Nobel Assembly said in a press statement. Both Ambros and Ruvkun are American biologists. Ambros currently works at the Programme in Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts in the U.S. Ruvkun is a professor of genetics at the Harvard Medical School and researches microRNA and RNA interference mechanisms at the Ruvkun Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. Ambros and Ruvkun’s groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans, the Nobel Assembly said. “Their surprising discovery revealed an entirely new dimension to gene regulation. MicroRNAs are proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.” MicroRNAs, or miRNAs, are small, non-coding molecules of RNA. They are typically around 19-24 nucleotides long and play an important role in determining how much messenger RNA (mRNA), which carries genetic information, eventually gets translated into protein. While their area of research is similar, Ambros and Ruvkun haven’t worked together since they were postdoctoral fellows in H. Robert Horvitz’s laboratory, who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. “After that, they set up their own labs and worked on different aspects of microRNA regulation. Ambros was the first one to clone a microRNA and Ruvkun cloned the second one...they haven’t collaborated a lot after their postdoctoral work as much as I know...but they did [share some data] and that was the key to this Nobel Prize,” Olle Kämpe, member of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine 2024, said in an interview after the prize announcement. Gunilla Karlsson-Hedestam, chairperson of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine 2024, said that although there are no clear applications of miRNAs yet, understanding them is the first step towards further research. Chennai air show deaths: T.N. CM Stalin announces solatium of ₹5 lakh, assures better arrangement next time A day after five persons, who visited the air show organised by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Marina beach in Chennai, died due to heat-related exhaustion, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday condoled the deaths and announced a solatium of ₹5 lakh to the families of each of the deceased. “I am pained to learn that five precious human lives were lost due to extreme heat and other medical reasons. This is an irreparable and huge loss to the families of the deceased. I extend my deep condolences to them. I have directed for granting a solatium of ₹5 lakh to the families of each of the deceased,” Stalin said. In a statement, Mr. Stalin contended that on the IAF’s request for the conduct of the air show on October 6, the Tamil Nadu government had made arrangements beyond the necessary administrative cooperation. The Police and Fire and Rescue Services departments, Greater Chennai Corporation, and the Health department had coordinated with each other to make comprehensive arrangements, he said. “Because of this, stampedes were prevented. However, since more people had turned up than expected, I learnt that people faced hardships in reaching their vehicles on their way back and in getting public transport. Additional attention would be accorded to these issues when such events of this scale are being organised next time,” Stalin said. Muizzu in India: RuPay card launch in Maldives, new runway at airport to ease transaction, boost connectivity The inauguration of a new runway in the Maldives built under an airport redevelopment project assisted by India and the official launch of the RuPay card in the archipelago nation on Monday are aimed at boosting economic ties and tourism cooperation between the two countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu jointly virtually inaugurated the runway at the Hanimadhoo International Airport and also witnessed via weblink a live transaction using a RuPay payment service card in the Maldives. The launch took place after the two leaders held extensive talks which Muizzu in his press statement said were to “chart a new path for the future collaboration”. The Maldivian President accompanied by First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed and a Maldivian delegation arrived in India on Sunday evening. Prior to the launch of different India-assisted projects in the Maldives, a small official video was played in which details about these projects were shared in the presence of the two leaders at the Hyderabad House. “The bonds between India and Maldives stretch back centuries, woven together through rich trade and cultural exchanges,” it was narrated in the video. Over the years, this relationship has evolved, characterised by “mutual respect and unwavering support”, underpinned by India’s Neighbourhood First policy and SAGAR vision, it said. India has always been the first responder in the Maldives during times of crisis. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mohamed Muizzu, this relationship is to achieve greater heights,” it added. The RuPay card launch will pave the way for strengthened India-Maldives relations by boosting tourism and economic cooperation, according to the video. “It will allow Indian tourists to make cashless transactions easily, reducing cost and enhancing convenience, especially in the Maldives tourism sector,” it said. The inauguration of the new runway at Hanimadhoo International Airport marks a “significant milestone in the airport’s ongoing expansion project”. Its redevelopment, under an “Indian Line of Credit of USD 132 million”, aims to provide complete new infrastructure including runway, ATC tower, ARFF block, hangar, cargo facilities, and passenger terminal building, it added. Prime Minister Modi in his press statement after the bilateral talks said President Muizzu’s visit adds “another chapter to our ties”. After the talks, India also handed over 700 social housing units to the Maldives built under the EXIM Bank’s buyer’s credit facilities. Prime Minister Modi and President Muizzu met on Monday and “comprehensively reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral ties while noting the progress made by both countries in deepening their historically close and special relationship that has immensely contributed to the betterment of the peoples of the two countries,” the MEA later said in a statement. BJP will implement NRC in Jharkhand if voted to power: Shivraj Singh Chouhan Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) in-charge of the Jharkhand election, on Monday said that the party would prepare a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the State if voted to power. Chouhan said once the NRC is implemented, Bangladeshi infiltrators will be identified and removed. He accused the Hemant Soren government of sheltering infiltrators and protecting them by giving Aadhaar cards. The Minister said the Jharkhand election is not about forming a new government or removing Hemant Soren from the post of the Chief Minister, but is to “protect roti, beti and maati (bread, daughter and soil)“ of Jharkhand. He blamed Bangladeshi infiltration for demographic changes in the Santhal Pargana and decline in the population of tribals from 44% to 28%. “The population of Hindus has been badly affected in Jharkhand due to infiltration. Those who are born on Indian soil are our brothers and sisters. However, for vote bank politics, the Hemant Soren government is allowing the infiltrators to settle here and giving them protection. Their names are being enrolled in the voter list,” Mr. Chouhan said in Ranchi. Chouhan said infiltrators are “grabbing” Indian land and marrying tribal girls and buying property in their names. He also accused them of taking away the jobs of the local people. The BJP has raked up Bangladeshi infiltration while campaigning for the Assembly election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue at a rally in Hazaribag and slammed the Soren government. The issue gathered momentum ever since the Jharkhand High Court last month ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee to identify infiltrators in the State. Delhi riots 2020: HC to hear bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam in UAPA case on November 25 The Delhi High Court will hear on November 25 the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid and student activist Sharjeel Imam in a UAPA case related to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the communal riots here in February 2020. The two bail pleas, along with similar pleas by other co-accused in the case — ‘United Against Hate’ founder Khalid Saifi and others — were on Monday listed for fresh hearing before a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur. The bench, however, did not assemble. The cases were earlier before a bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait but the judge was recently transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court as its chief justice. Khalid, Imam and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The violence had erupted during the protests against the CAA and NRC. Khalid, who was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, has assailed a trial court order of May 28, which refused to grant him bail in the case. Notice on his appeal was issued by the high court in July. The pleas of Imam, Saifi and other accused were filed in 2022 and have been listed before different benches from time to time since then. Imam, in his appeal filed in 2022, has assailed a trial court order of April 11, 2022 which refused to grant him bail. The police had arrested Imam in the present case on August 25, 2020. On May 28, the trial court had rejected Khalid’s plea seeking regular bail for the second time, saying its previous order dismissing his first bail application had attained finality. “When the Delhi High Court has already dismissed the criminal appeal of the applicant [Khalid] vide order dated October 18, 2022, and thereafter, the applicant approached the Supreme Court and withdrew his petition, the order of this court as passed on March 24, 2022 [on the first bail plea], has attained finality and now, in no stretch of imagination this court can make analysis of the facts of the case as desired by the applicant and consider the relief as prayed by him,” the trial court had said. On October 18, 2022, the High Court had upheld the dismissal of the first bail plea and said the city police’s allegations against Khalid are prima facie true. The High Court had said that admittedly, the anti-CAA protests “metamorphosed into violent riots”, which “prima facie seemed to be orchestrated at the conspiratorial meetings” and the statements of the witnesses indicate Khalid’s “active involvement” in the protests. In briefTurkiye President Erdogan says on Gaza war anniversary that Israel will pay price for ‘genocide’ Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday vowed that Israel would pay a price for the “genocide” in Gaza as he marked the first anniversary of the war in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas. “It should not be forgotten that Israel will sooner or later pay the price for this genocide that it has been carrying out for a year and is still continuing,” he said on X, formerly Twitter. A vocal advocate of the Palestinian cause, including Hamas, Erdogan has often attacked Israel, branding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “butcher of Gaza” and comparing him to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler. “Just as Hitler was stopped by an alliance of humanity, Netanyahu and his murder network will be stopped in the same way,” Erdogan said. “A world in which no account is held for the Gaza genocide will never find peace.” Celebrated Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar announces retirement Ace gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who made India a talking point in world gymnastics by securing a historic fourth place finish in vault in the 2016 Rio Olympics, on Monday announced her retirement from the sport. The 31-year-old took to social media platform ‘X’ to announce her decision. Dipa, who had overcome a suspension for doping and injuries to become the first Indian to win a gold medal in the Asian championships in Tashkent in May last, said she was proud of her career. Evening wrap will be back tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 07 October 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Medicine Nobel 2024 awarded to Victor Ambros, Gary Ruvkun for discovery of microRNA [Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology]( 2024, the Nobel Academy at the Karolinska Institutet announced on Monday. They were awarded the prestigious prize for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. “Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were interested in how different cell types develop. They discovered microRNA, a new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation,” The Nobel Assembly said in a press statement. Both Ambros and Ruvkun are American biologists. Ambros currently works at the Programme in Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts in the U.S. Ruvkun is a professor of genetics at the Harvard Medical School and researches microRNA and RNA interference mechanisms at the Ruvkun Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. Ambros and Ruvkun’s groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans, the Nobel Assembly said. “Their surprising discovery revealed an entirely new dimension to gene regulation. MicroRNAs are proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.” MicroRNAs, or miRNAs, are small, non-coding molecules of RNA. They are typically around 19-24 nucleotides long and play an important role in determining how much messenger RNA (mRNA), which carries genetic information, eventually gets translated into protein. While their area of research is similar, Ambros and Ruvkun haven’t worked together since they were postdoctoral fellows in H. Robert Horvitz’s laboratory, who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. “After that, they set up their own labs and worked on different aspects of microRNA regulation. Ambros was the first one to clone a microRNA and Ruvkun cloned the second one...they haven’t collaborated a lot after their postdoctoral work as much as I know...but they did [share some data] and that was the key to this Nobel Prize,” Olle Kämpe, member of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine 2024, said in an interview after the prize announcement. Gunilla Karlsson-Hedestam, chairperson of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine 2024, said that although there are no clear applications of miRNAs yet, understanding them is the first step towards further research. Chennai air show deaths: T.N. CM Stalin announces solatium of ₹5 lakh, assures better arrangement next time A day after five persons, who visited the air show organised by the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Marina beach in Chennai, died due to heat-related exhaustion, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. [Stalin on Monday condoled the deaths and announced a solatium]( of ₹5 lakh to the families of each of the deceased. “I am pained to learn that five precious human lives were lost due to extreme heat and other medical reasons. This is an irreparable and huge loss to the families of the deceased. I extend my deep condolences to them. I have directed for granting a solatium of ₹5 lakh to the families of each of the deceased,” Stalin said. In a statement, Mr. Stalin contended that on the IAF’s request for the conduct of the air show on October 6, the Tamil Nadu government had made arrangements beyond the necessary administrative cooperation. The Police and Fire and Rescue Services departments, Greater Chennai Corporation, and the Health department had coordinated with each other to make comprehensive arrangements, he said. “Because of this, stampedes were prevented. However, since more people had turned up than expected, I learnt that people faced hardships in reaching their vehicles on their way back and in getting public transport. Additional attention would be accorded to these issues when such events of this scale are being organised next time,” Stalin said. Muizzu in India: RuPay card launch in Maldives, new runway at airport to ease transaction, boost connectivity The inauguration of a new runway in the Maldives built under an airport redevelopment project assisted by India and the official launch of the RuPay card in the archipelago nation on Monday are [aimed at boosting economic ties and tourism cooperation]( between the two countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu jointly virtually inaugurated the runway at the Hanimadhoo International Airport and also witnessed via weblink a live transaction using a RuPay payment service card in the Maldives. The launch took place after the two leaders held extensive talks which Muizzu in his press statement said were to “chart a new path for the future collaboration”. The Maldivian President accompanied by First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed and a Maldivian delegation arrived in India on Sunday evening. Prior to the launch of different India-assisted projects in the Maldives, a small official video was played in which details about these projects were shared in the presence of the two leaders at the Hyderabad House. “The bonds between India and Maldives stretch back centuries, woven together through rich trade and cultural exchanges,” it was narrated in the video. Over the years, this relationship has evolved, characterised by “mutual respect and unwavering support”, underpinned by India’s Neighbourhood First policy and SAGAR vision, it said. India has always been the first responder in the Maldives during times of crisis. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mohamed Muizzu, this relationship is to achieve greater heights,” it added. The RuPay card launch will pave the way for strengthened India-Maldives relations by boosting tourism and economic cooperation, according to the video. “It will allow Indian tourists to make cashless transactions easily, reducing cost and enhancing convenience, especially in the Maldives tourism sector,” it said. The inauguration of the new runway at Hanimadhoo International Airport marks a “significant milestone in the airport’s ongoing expansion project”. Its redevelopment, under an “Indian Line of Credit of USD 132 million”, aims to provide complete new infrastructure including runway, ATC tower, ARFF block, hangar, cargo facilities, and passenger terminal building, it added. Prime Minister Modi in his press statement after the bilateral talks said President Muizzu’s visit adds “another chapter to our ties”. After the talks, India also handed over 700 social housing units to the Maldives built under the EXIM Bank’s buyer’s credit facilities. Prime Minister Modi and President Muizzu met on Monday and “comprehensively reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral ties while noting the progress made by both countries in deepening their historically close and special relationship that has immensely contributed to the betterment of the peoples of the two countries,” the MEA later said in a statement. BJP will implement NRC in Jharkhand if voted to power: Shivraj Singh Chouhan Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) in-charge of the Jharkhand election, on Monday said that the [party would prepare a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the State]( if voted to power. Chouhan said once the NRC is implemented, Bangladeshi infiltrators will be identified and removed. He accused the Hemant Soren government of sheltering infiltrators and protecting them by giving Aadhaar cards. The Minister said the Jharkhand election is not about forming a new government or removing Hemant Soren from the post of the Chief Minister, but is to “protect roti, beti and maati (bread, daughter and soil)“ of Jharkhand. He blamed Bangladeshi infiltration for demographic changes in the Santhal Pargana and decline in the population of tribals from 44% to 28%. “The population of Hindus has been badly affected in Jharkhand due to infiltration. Those who are born on Indian soil are our brothers and sisters. However, for vote bank politics, the Hemant Soren government is allowing the infiltrators to settle here and giving them protection. Their names are being enrolled in the voter list,” Mr. Chouhan said in Ranchi. Chouhan said infiltrators are “grabbing” Indian land and marrying tribal girls and buying property in their names. He also accused them of taking away the jobs of the local people. The BJP has raked up Bangladeshi infiltration while campaigning for the Assembly election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue at a rally in Hazaribag and slammed the Soren government. The issue gathered momentum ever since the Jharkhand High Court last month ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee to identify infiltrators in the State. Delhi riots 2020: HC to hear bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam in UAPA case on November 25 The Delhi High Court will hear on November 25 the [bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid]( and student activist Sharjeel Imam in a UAPA case related to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the communal riots here in February 2020. The two bail pleas, along with similar pleas by other co-accused in the case — ‘United Against Hate’ founder Khalid Saifi and others — were on Monday listed for fresh hearing before a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur. The bench, however, did not assemble. The cases were earlier before a bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait but the judge was recently transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court as its chief justice. Khalid, Imam and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The violence had erupted during the protests against the CAA and NRC. Khalid, who was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, has assailed a trial court order of May 28, which refused to grant him bail in the case. Notice on his appeal was issued by the high court in July. The pleas of Imam, Saifi and other accused were filed in 2022 and have been listed before different benches from time to time since then. Imam, in his appeal filed in 2022, has assailed a trial court order of April 11, 2022 which refused to grant him bail. The police had arrested Imam in the present case on August 25, 2020. On May 28, the trial court had rejected Khalid’s plea seeking regular bail for the second time, saying its previous order dismissing his first bail application had attained finality. “When the Delhi High Court has already dismissed the criminal appeal of the applicant [Khalid] vide order dated October 18, 2022, and thereafter, the applicant approached the Supreme Court and withdrew his petition, the order of this court as passed on March 24, 2022 [on the first bail plea], has attained finality and now, in no stretch of imagination this court can make analysis of the facts of the case as desired by the applicant and consider the relief as prayed by him,” the trial court had said. On October 18, 2022, the High Court had upheld the dismissal of the first bail plea and said the city police’s allegations against Khalid are prima facie true. The High Court had said that admittedly, the anti-CAA protests “metamorphosed into violent riots”, which “prima facie seemed to be orchestrated at the conspiratorial meetings” and the statements of the witnesses indicate Khalid’s “active involvement” in the protests. In brief Turkiye President Erdogan says on Gaza war anniversary that Israel will pay price for ‘genocide’ Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday [vowed that Israel would pay a price]( for the “genocide” in Gaza as he marked the first anniversary of the war in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas. “It should not be forgotten that Israel will sooner or later pay the price for this genocide that it has been carrying out for a year and is still continuing,” he said on X, formerly Twitter. A vocal advocate of the Palestinian cause, including Hamas, Erdogan has often attacked Israel, branding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “butcher of Gaza” and comparing him to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler. “Just as Hitler was stopped by an alliance of humanity, Netanyahu and his murder network will be stopped in the same way,” Erdogan said. “A world in which no account is held for the Gaza genocide will never find peace.” Celebrated Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar announces retirement Ace gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who made India a talking point in world gymnastics by securing a historic fourth place finish in vault in the 2016 Rio Olympics, on Monday [announced her retirement]( from the sport. The 31-year-old took to social media platform ‘X’ to announce her decision. Dipa, who had overcome a suspension for doping and injuries to become the first Indian to win a gold medal in the Asian championships in Tashkent in May last, said she was proud of her career. 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