The 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian “for their discoveries on the receptors that regulate the perception of temperature and touch”. Thanks to their studies we know how touch and our ability to perceive temperature variations work, qualities that we take for granted, but which are essential to get an idea of what we come into contact with and any dangers.
Julius used capsicin, the irritant found in chillies, to identify receptors on the skin’s nerve endings that are activated by heat. Ardem, on the other hand, has deepened the studies on particular types of cells that are sensitive to pressure and that participate in the stimulation of receptors that respond to mechanical stimuli, both on the skin and in our internal organs. Numerous studies have then originated from their research, which have helped us to better understand how the central role of the senses in our existence.
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