How chemical evolution took the 2018 chemistry Nobel prize

An illustration depicting evolution in the laboratory

Source: © Josh McKenna/Debut Art

Emma Stoye has the full story of how Frances Arnold, George Smith and Greg Winter put evolution to work in the lab

The 2018 Nobel prize in chemistry was awarded for applying the principles of evolution at the molecular level, with 50% of the award going to Frances Arnold for directing the evolution of enyzmes, and the other half shared equally between George Smith and Greg Winter for their work on phage display. Smith developed the technique and Winter has gone on to use it to create antibody-based drugs