Nobel in Medicine Goes to 2 Americans, German

This year's first Nobel Prize has been announced, and the award in medicine goes to a pair of Americans and a German. James Rothman of Yale, Randy Schekman of UC Berkeley, and Thomas Suedhof of Stanford won the prize for their work on cells' internal transportation, or "vesicle traffic," the AP reports. The group helped explain how "cargo is delivered to the right place at the right time," the Nobel committee said.

"Through their discoveries, Rothman, Schekman, and Suedhof have revealed the exquisitely precise control system for the transport and delivery of cellular cargo," the committee noted, per Reuters. "Disturbances in this system have deleterious effects and contribute to conditions such as neurological diseases, diabetes, and immunological disorders." The $1.2 million prize precedes upcoming announcements for Nobels in physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and economics, the AP notes. The Nobel committee explains more about the trio's findings here. (More Nobel Prize stories.)