Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021 has been jointly awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.
According to the reports, the Nobel laureates’ discoveries have unlocked one of the secrets of nature by explaining the molecular basis for sensing heat, cold and mechanical force, which is fundamental for our ability to feel, interpret and interact with our internal and external environment.
The report further added that the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet stated in a statement that Julius utilised capsaicin — a pungent compound from chilli peppers that induces a burning sensation, to identify a sensor in the nerve endings of the skin that responds to heat, while Patapoutian used pressure-sensitive cells to discover a novel class of sensors that respond to mechanical stimuli in the skin and internal organs.
The statement further added that these breakthrough discoveries launched intense research activities leading to a rapid increase in our understanding of how our nervous system senses heat, cold, and mechanical stimuli. The laureates identified critical missing links in our understanding of the complex interplay between our senses and the environment.
