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Probably the most flat Nobel laureate ever: struggling to the limit, wandering to drink and plant trees
The most "lying flat" Nobel laureate in history? The Extreme Dead Line Behind MicroRNA Research and the Hippie Spirit
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their pioneering contributions to the field of microRNAs. But these two winners have completely different life trajectories, and they can even be said to be "opposite". A "dead line fighter" who completed a thesis miracle in 60 hours; The other is the "hippie" of the scientific community, wandering to plant trees, and eventually returning to the laboratory. Their story is far more exciting than a boring academic paper.
Part 1: "Dead line is the primary productive force" - Ambrose's 60-hour miracle
Victor Ambros, the Nobel laureate, seems to have an indissoluble bond with the word "efficiency" on the road of scientific research. In 2001, he and his wife, Rosalind Lee, who was also his research partner, were amazed by their research efficiency! When researching microRNAs, I encountered the "extreme challenge" of the scientific community: a paper needs to be completed in just 60 hours!
Here's the thing: Ambros saw an abstract of Tom Tuschl's paper published in Science, which was strikingly similar to the research they were doing. This meant that they had to race against the clock to get ahead of Tuschl in publishing their results.
Thus, a 60-hour "marathon" began. Ambros and his wife become "scientific research heroes", and while conducting the final experiments, they are crazy about coding words, and even the time to sleep is compressed to the extreme. In the end, they miraculously met the deadline for the first draft of the paper, and although the reviewers complained that the paper was "extremely badly written", the "hasty work" was successfully published, and together with the paper by Tuschl and another scientist, David Bartel, opened a new chapter in microRNA research.
This is reminiscent of an internet buzzword: "Efficiency, sometimes it's just that simple and crude!" Ambros's story also tells us: on the road of scientific research, in addition to talent and hard work, sometimes we need a little "dead line" stimulation!
(Reliability of information sources: The description of Ambrose's experience in this article is mainly based on the official Nobel Prize press release and a number of related news reports and academic articles, such as the Nature Medicine article mentioned in the article, which have a high degree of reliability.) )
Part 2: From hippie to scientist – Ruffkun's "wandering" life
Unlike Ambros's "high-pressure" scientific path, Gary Ruvkun's life is full of "freedom" and "uncertainty". Born in Berkeley in 1952, this "old native" was also tainted with some hippie freedom and uninhibited during the era of hippie culture. After graduating from college, he did not rush to find a job, but drove a blue and white van and "wandered" along the west coast of United States.
The experience sounded more like a road movie: he tried working at a nuclear power plant and wanted to be a radio DJ, but eventually got a job planting trees in a bar. In one year, he planted about 50,000 trees! This "tree planting" experience later became his daughter's favorite bedtime story.
It wasn't until one day, when he happened across a Scientific United States magazine in Bolivia, that he realized "it's time to go back." As a result, the world has one less tree planter and one more outstanding scientist.
Lu Fukun's experience allows us to see another possibility in life: on the road of pursuing dreams, there is no need to stick to the rules, and the occasional "wandering" and "emptying" may bring unexpected inspiration and harvest.
(Reliability of the source: The "hippie" experience of Rovkun is mainly based on his own interviews and some related news reports, although there is a lack of conclusive evidence, but the source of information guarantees the authenticity of the information to a certain extent.) )
Part 3: A small nematode, a huge contribution
It is worth mentioning that Ambros and Ruvkun's research subject, Caenorhabditis elegans, has won the Nobel Prize four times! This inconspicuous little bug plays an extremely important role in biological research because it is vigorous, easy to raise, and transparent for easy observation.
From 2002 to 2008, C. elegans research made breakthroughs in the fields of organ development, programmed cell death, RNA interference mechanism, and the application of green fluorescent protein, making great contributions to biological research.
(Evaluation of the reliability of information sources: The relationship between nematodes and the Nobel Prize can be verified from the official website of the Nobel Prize and related academic literature, and the reliability of information sources is high.) )
Conclusion: Diversity of scientists
The story of Ambros and Ruvkun shows the diversity of scientists. Their life experiences and research styles are very different, but they have all achieved remarkable results. This tells us that there is no single model of success on the path of science, and the important thing is to stay curious, have the courage to explore, and persevere. Perhaps, the next Nobel laureate will appear next to you and me, in ways you didn't expect.
(References: The source of information and reliability assessment have been indicated in the corresponding paragraphs.) )
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