Duke professor wins Nobel Prize

That’s our second one in three years

Biochemistry professor Paul Modrich has sensationally won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. 

Modrich was awarded the prize alongside two scientists from Sweden and the UK for his work on how cells repair DNA.

He is the second Duke scientist to win the Nobel in the last three years, following Robert Lefkowitz in 2012.

Prof Modrich reflected on his Nobel Prize win in a video today, saying: “Did I ever think this would happen? The answer is easy—no.

“One of the best parts of this for me is more to share with Aziz Sanchar and Tomas Lindahl, both of whom I consider friends.”

In a phone call from his vacation cabin in New Hampshire, Modrich added: “This was sort of a shock.

“I actually started getting emails about six-thirty this morning, and I…was stunned. Difficult to believe, actually.”

One student on YikYak said Modrich’s win is the first time in over fifty years a school has won both a Nobel and a basketball championship in the same year.

What’s next? Let’s go burn the benches!

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