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The discovery of microRNA brought the Nobel to Victor Ambros and Gary Ravken

Americans Victor Ambros and Gary Ravken won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

KEY FACTS

  • The prize was awarded to them by the Royal Carolina Medical and Surgical Institute for the discovery of microRNA and its role in gene regulation announced the general secretary of the Nobel Committee, Thomas Perlman, quoted by BTA.
  • This year, the monetary value of the prize is 11 million kroner (about US$985,000). It was shared between the two laureates.
  • Victor Ambros was born in 1953 in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. In 1979, he received his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he also conducted postdoctoral research from 1979 to 1985. In 1985, he became a principal investigator at Harvard University. In the period 1992-2007, he was a professor at the School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, and he is currently a professor of natural sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
  • Gary Ravken was born in 1952 in Berkeley, California, USA. He received his PhD from Harvard University in 1982. From 1982 to 1985, he worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1985, he became a principal investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he is currently a professor of genetics.
  • Last year, Catalin Carrico and Drew Wiseman won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries related to modifications of nucleotide bases that allowed the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

TANGENT

The first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded in 1901 to Elim Adolf von Behring of Germany “for his work on serum therapy, especially for its application to diphtheria, thereby opening a new path for medical science and giving physicians a victorious remedy against sickness and death”.

Among the more famous scientists who received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine are: Ivan P. Pavlov (Russia) /1904/, Robert Koch (Germany) /1905/, Alexander Fleming (Great Britain) /1945/, George Biddle (USA) , Edward Tatum (USA), Joshua Lederberg (USA) /1958/ and others.

Cyprus Expected Working Life Reaches 39.5 Years, Above EU Average

People in Cyprus are expected to spend 39.5 years in the workforce, around two years longer than the European Union average of 37.5 years, according to the latest Eurostat data for 2025.

The figure places Cyprus among the EU countries with the longest expected working lives.

Cyprus Ranks Above EU Average

Only a handful of member states recorded higher figures than Cyprus. The Netherlands topped the ranking at 44 years, followed by Sweden at 43.4 years, Denmark at 42.6 years, and Estonia at 41.5 years.

At the other end of the ranking were Romania with 32.7 years, Italy with 33.0 years, Bulgaria with 34.6 years and Greece with 35.3 years.

Gender Gap Remains Wider Than EU Average

Men in Cyprus are expected to remain in work for 42.1 years, compared with 36.7 years for women. The gap of 5.4 years exceeds the EU average gender gap of 4.1 years.

Across the bloc, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were the only countries where women were expected to spend longer in employment than men. Finland recorded the smallest positive gender gap at 0.7 years.

Italy posted the widest gap at 8.9 years, followed by Romania at 6.9 years, Greece at 6.7 years and Malta at 6.3 years.

Working Lives Continue To Lengthen

Between 2016 and 2025, expected working life in Cyprus increased by 3.5 years, placing the country among the strongest performers in the EU over the period. Men’s expected working life rose by 3.3 years, while women’s increased by 3.6 years.

Across the EU, every member state recorded an increase. Malta posted the largest gain at 4.9 years, followed by Hungary and Ireland at 4.2 years each, and the Netherlands at 4.1 years.

Malta’s increase was driven largely by women, whose expected working life rose by 7.8 years, the biggest increase recorded across the bloc.

By comparison, Romania, Spain, Italy, Germany and Austria recorded gains of two years or less over the same period.

Women’s Working Lives Increase Faster Across Europe

Women’s expected working life increased faster than men’s in most EU countries. Denmark, Romania, Sweden and Greece were the main exceptions.

In Cyprus, gains for men and women were broadly similar, alongside Bulgaria, Belgium and Slovenia.

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