Nobel Prize for medicine goes to Swedish scientist for research on evolution

The medicine prize kicks off a week of Nobel Prize announcements.

Swedish scientist Svante Paabo (dpa via AP)

This year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Swedish scientist Svante Paabo for his discoveries on human evolution.

Mr Paabo has spearheaded research comparing the genome of modern humans and our closest extinct relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans, showing that there was mixing between the species.