Three scientists share 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry

"The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2009 awards studies of one of life's core processes: the ribosome's translation of DNA information into life," the Royal Swedish Academy of Science said in a statement. 

Ribosomes produce proteins, which in turn control the chemistry in all living organisms. As ribosomes are crucial to life, they are also a major target for new antibiotics, the statement said.

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A. Steitz and Ada E. Yonath, though working independently, have showed what the ribosome looks like and how it functions at the atomic level, said the Nobel Committee at a press conference in Stockholm.

All three have used a method called X-ray crystallography to map the position for each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of atoms that make up the ribosome, said the committee.

"This knowledge can be put into a practical and immediate use; many of today's antibiotics cure various diseases by blocking the function of bacterial ribosomes. Without functional ribosomes, bacteria cannot survive," the committee added.

This was the third of this year's crop of Nobel prizes, which are handed out annually for achievements in science, literature, economics and peace.

All but one of the prizes were established in the will of 19th century dynamite millionaire Alfred Nobel. The economics award was established by Sweden's central bank in 1968.

On Tuesday, the Nobel Prize in Physics went to Charles K. Kao, Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith, all from the United States.

Nobel died childless and dedicated his vast fortune to create "prizes for those, who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind."

The Nobel Prizes have been awarded annually since 1901 to those who "conferred the greatest benefit on mankind during the preceding year."

Each prize consists of a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (1.4 million U.S. dollars),  Kazinform cites Xinhuanet.