"The award of the Nobel Prize recognizes the discovery of a fundamental mechanism in the cell, a discovery that has stimulated the development of new therapeutic strategies, " the committee said in a news release.

CNN: 3 Americans win medicine Nobel for chromosome research

While the process of discovery and invention always includes large doses of failure, energy policy is different than say, cell phones or VCRs, since more public money, time and effort are spent on them.

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Opponents of embryonic stem cell research, which involves destroying the donated embryos from which cell lines are derived, have long argued that the discovery of iPS cells in 2006 (for which Shinya Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine this past year) obviates the need for embryonic stem cell research.

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The very act of pursuing answers to basic scientific questions about cell receptors opened new doors to discovery and innovation.

WHITEHOUSE: Two American Scientists Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Its maker, Amersham Biosciences , a division of Amersham Plc. (nyse: AHM - news - people ) of the U.K., claims the IN Cell machine will cut years off the drug-discovery process.

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