HIV's discoverers win the Nobel

What happened

Barré-Sinoussi and Montagnier were recognized for identifying HIV as the cause of AIDS — the basis for the tests and antiretrovirals that turned it treatable.

Why it matters

The science that transformed a near-certain death sentence into a manageable chronic condition.

Sources

• The Nobel Foundation. Nobel Prize in Medicine 2008 (HIV) (2008) · General source