Physiology or Medicine Nobel Prize Goes to Robert Edwards for IVF
85-year-old Englishman Robert Edwards wins the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his 20-year effort to develop in vitro fertilization. Steve Mirsky reports
The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to 85-year-old Robert Edwards of England, for the development of in vitro fertilization. The Karolinska Institute’s Christer Hoog:
“Robert Edwards, working in the United Kingdom, began his fundamental research on the biology of fertilization during the 1950s. He formulated early a vision to develop an in vitro fertilization method to treat infertility. In this method, an egg will be taken out of a woman, fertilized using sperm in a cell culture dish, and then returned to the woman.”
The first so-called test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in England in 1978.
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
“Since 1978, an increasing number of children, now approximately four million, have been born thanks to IVF. To briefly summarize the status of IVF today, 1 to 2 percent of all newborns in Europe, and America, and Australia and a number of countries, are conceived through IVF.”
—Steve Mirsky
[The above text is an exact transcript of this podcast.]
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.
