Today's molecule isn't exactly a molecule. Your task is to figure out what's going on in the photograph. Be as specific as possible using proper terminology—remember, this is a family blog. There's a connection between today's molecule and a Nobel Prize. Sometimes I just can't identify a molecule that points to a Nobel Laureate so I have to use something else. This is going to get harder and harder as I run out of "easy" Nobel Prizes.
The first person to correctly identify what's happening in the photo and name the Nobel Laureate(s), wins a free lunch at the Faculty Club. Previous winners are ineligible for one month from the time they first collected the prize. There are three ineligible candidates for this week's reward. You know who you are.
THEME:
Nobel Laureates
Send your guess to Sandwalk (sandwalk (at) bioinfo.med.utoronto.ca) and I'll pick the first email message that correctly identifies the molecule and names the Nobel Laureate(s). Note that I'm not going to repeat Nobel Laureate(s) so you might want to check the list of previous Sandwalk postings by clicking on the link in the theme box.
Correct responses will be posted tomorrow. I may select multiple winners if several people get it right.
UPDATE: The winner is Steve Matheson who knew that the photograph represented conjugating bacteria (group sex) and the Nobel Laureate is Joshua Lederberg (1958). Congratulations Steve!
[Photo Credit: Researchers Trade Insights About Gene Swapping by Elizabeth Pennasi Science 305:334 - 335. DOI: 10.1126/science.305.5682.334]