Michael Young

On October 2, 2017, Michael Yang was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. On October 2, 2017, the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced, and Jeffrey C Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W Young jointly won the awards. The reason is the discovery of molecular mechanisms that control circadian rhythms. Life on Earth has long adapted to the rotation of this planet. For many years, we have known that various living organisms, including humans, have a biological clock that can help us predict and adapt to the cycle patterns of each day. But how does this biological clock actually work? Jeffrey C Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W Young have explored and successfully elucidated the internal workings of the biological clock. Their discovery explains how plants, animals, and humans adapt to their own biological rhythms and stay in sync with the rotation of the Earth. The three winners used fruit flies as model organisms to isolate a gene that can control daily biological rhythms. They demonstrated through research that a protein encoded by this gene accumulates continuously at night and then undergoes decomposition during the day. In addition, they also discovered other related protein components in this biological process, revealing the mechanism by which cells manage this self-sustaining operation. We now know that the biological clocks of other multicellular organisms, including humans, all operate in the same mechanism. With extraordinary precision, the biological clock allows our body to adapt to various daily changes. It is responsible for regulating various important bodily functions such as behavior, hormone levels, sleep, body temperature, and metabolism. When there is a brief conflict between the external environment and the biological clock, our health will be affected. For example, when we cross multiple time zones by plane, there may be a situation where the time difference cannot be reversed. In addition, if there is a chronic disharmony between lifestyle and the rhythm required by the biological clock, it can affect the occurrence of various diseases in the body. Michael W Young was born in Miami, Florida, USA in 1949. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and currently serves as the Vice President and Professor of Academic Affairs at Rockefeller University in the United States. I obtained a doctoral degree in genetics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975. From 1975 to 1977, I received postdoctoral training at Stanford University School of Medicine and joined Rockefeller University as a professor in 1978. Since 2004, I have been awarded the Richard and Jeanne Fisher Chair.