Leicester University Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys wins science's oldest prize
| Posted: August 05, 2014
Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, the scientist who helped map human DNA, has won the Copley Medal, believed to be the world's oldest scientific prize.
The Royal Society announced Sir Alec, who made the break-through at the University of Leicester in 1984, received the medal for his pioneering work on variation and mutation in the human genome.
The medal was first awarded by the Royal Society in 1731, 170 years before the first Nobel Prize.
It is awarded for outstanding achievements in scientific research and has been awarded to eminent scientists such as Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
Thirty years ago, Sir Alec discovered a method of showing the variation between individuals' DNA – known as genetic fingerprinting. He said: "I am particularly delighted that the award recognises our work over three decades into exploring human DNA diversity and the processes that generate this variation, and not just our accidental foray into forensic DNA.
"It is also very satisfying to see the relatively new field of genome dynamics being given such wonderful recognition."
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