Nobel Prize honors discovery of temperature, touch receptors

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Two U.S.-based scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discovery of the receptors that allow humans to feel temperature and touch. David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian focused their work on the field of somatosensation. That is the ability of specialized organs such as eyes, ears and skin to see, hear and feel. The winners were announced Monday by Thomas Perlmann. He is the secretary-general of the Nobel Committee. Patrik Ernfors of the Nobel Committee said Julius used capsaicin, the active component in chili peppers, to identify the nerve sensors that allow the skin to respond to heat. He said Patapoutian found separate pressure-sensitive sensors in cells that respond to mechanical stimulation.