Nobel prize laureate finds winning news on internet

US scientist Martin Chalfie went on the internet to find out he was one of three co-winners of the 2008 Nobel Prize for chemistry, he said, after he ignored a telephone ring early Wednesday he thought came from next door.

"A couple of day ago, I inadvertently adjusted my phone so it had a very soft ring," the Columbia University biologist told a press conference hours after he received the winning news from the Swedish academy.

"I woke up this morning ... and realized there was a phone ringing somewhere," he said, but he thought the call was from a neighboring apartment.

"I was a little bit annoyed that they were not answering their phone. Then I realized, that they must have announced the Nobel prize in Chemistry, so I decided to find out what schmuck won this year," he said.

"So I opened up my laptop and found out I was the schmuck."

Chalfie, who shared the prize with fellow US scientist Roger Tsien and Osamu Shimomura of Japan, said he was surprised by the news, and that he later spoke with the Swedish academy.

The prize was given for work with fluorescent protein from jellyfish, which is now a widely-used research tool.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) has revolutionized research in medicine and biology, enabling scientists to get a visual fix on how organs function, the spread of disease and the response of infected cells to treatment, the Nobel jury said in Stockholm.

"GFP has functioned in the past decade as a guiding star for biochemists, biologists, medical scientists and other researchers," it said.

"This protein has become one of the most important tools used in contemporary bioscience."

Chalfie said government support for his work had been critical to its success, but added that "unfortunately, support for basic research has diminished in the US over the last eight years."

"It's a regrettable situation for us to see," he said.

If needed support for science is not fully restored, he continued, many more Nobel prizes might go outside the United States in future.

Chalfie said the first thing he did after finding out he was a Nobel Prize winner was to pledge his support for Democrat Barack Obama for US president.

Sixty-one Nobel prize winners last month signed an open letter stating their support for the Illinois senator, and Chalfie said he wanted to join that list.

In their letter, the Nobel winners said America "urgently needs a visionary leader who can ensure the future of our traditional strengths in science and technology and who can harness those strengths to address many of our greatest problems: energy, disease, climate change, security, and economic competitiveness."

"We are convinced that Senator Barack Obama is such a leader," they said.

© 2008 AFP

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