Ada Yonath

At the end of the 1970s, I was a young researcher at the Weizmann Institute with an ambitious plan to shed light on one of the major outstanding questions concerning living cells: the process of protein biosynthesis.

I wanted to reveal how genetic code is translated into protein. I knew a great application could be for antibiotics, since half of the useful ones target the ribosomes, but I didn't believe I could contribute to it. It was like the next Mount Everest to conquer. It was my dream to contribute something to humanity.

The ribosome is a machine that gets instructions from the genetic code and operates chemically in order to produce the product.

From the age of 11, I was cleaning floors, washing dishes, making sandwiches and being a cashier. Survival was the name of the game. Life was so hard that I had to struggle to keep up my standards. Under these conditions, I didn't think about science too much.

There are over 7,000 different types of proteins in typical eukaryotic cells; the total number depends on the cell class and function.

Proteins are constantly being degraded. Therefore, simultaneous production of proteins is required.

Many ribosomes act simultaneously along the mRNA, forming superstructures called polysomes.

Words originating from the verb 'to die' were frequently used when I described my initial plans to determine the ribosome structure.

It is a great honor for me to be able to express my sincere gratitude to the Nobel Foundation.

I don't walk into the lab in the morning thinking, 'I am a woman, and I will carry out an experiment that will conquer the world.' I am a scientist, not male or female. A scientist.

After I spent my compulsory army service in the 'top secret office' of the Medical Forces, where I was fortunate to be exposed to clinical and medical issues, I enrolled to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

My memories from my childhood are centered on my father's medical conditions alongside my constant desire to understand the principles of the nature around me.