Humanity has always been intrigued by its own origins. Where do we come from, and how are we related to the forms of humans who came before us? What makes us Homo sapiens different from other types of humans? Through his pioneering research, Svante Pääbo accomplished something no one thought possible: sequencing the genome of Neanderthals, an extinct relative of present-day humans. He also discovered a previously unknown form of human, which came to be known as Denisova.

This is a ready to use Nobel Prize lesson on the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The lesson is designed to take 45 minutes and includes a slideshow with a speaker’s manuscript, a video and a student assignment.

1. Show the slideshow (15 min)

Show the slides, using the speaker’s manuscript.

Slideshow (PDF 3 MB)

Speaker’s Manuscript (PDF 120 Kb)

2. Show the interview  (5 min)

3. Student assignment (15 min)

Let the students work with the assignment.

Student assignment (PDF 200 Kb)

4. Conclusion (10 min)

Summarise the work with the assignment and capture any questions from the students.

Links for further information

Press release for the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

A Nobel Prize lesson about Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prize

A Swedish version of the lesson is available at nobelprizemuseum.se