Ask a sixteen-year-old about a social media ban, and you get an answer sharper than most adults arguing about bans. She says, “It doesn’t prepare us for the real world when we will have to deal with these distractions in our life”. The teenager’s response strikes at the core of the ban vs
How I got hooked on chasing solar eclipses Traveling the globe for celestial events may seem downright loony—until you get a taste of the addictive world of ‘eclipse chasing’ Published on: Aug 23, 2026, 18:30:10 IST WSJ Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link ‘It was glorious
Made-in-India semiconductor chips are now powering key Indian space missions. These domestically manufactured components support lunar and solar exploration efforts. Specialized chips from Mohali's Semiconductor Laboratory are used in Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1
India's space program began with a small rocket range in 1962. It progressed to launching its first satellite and developing indigenous launch vehicles. Chandrayaan-3's lunar landing marked a significant achievement for the nation. The program now includes private sector involvement and ambitious
India plans to establish its own space station by the year 2035. The first module for the Bharatiya Antariksha Station has already received approval. This ambitious project aligns with the nation's growing space capabilities and aspirations. National Space Day celebrates India's achievements and
Charles Richet and his Nobel-winning work on severe allergic reactions
Charles Richet and his Nobel-winning work on severe allergic reactions
The 1913 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Charles Richet “in recognition of his work on anaphylaxis.”His research uncovered a paradoxical reaction in which the body’s defenses, instead of protecting it, could overreact with severe consequences. This discovery became a cornerstone of immunology and the study of allergic diseases.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, medicine was advancing rapidly in understanding infections and immunity, but certain reactions remained mysterious. Doctors and researchers observed that both people and animals could suddenly develop difficulty breathing, collapse, or even fatal reactions after exposure to substances that had previously caused little harm. These responses were unpredictable and could not be explained by the existing understanding of how the immune system worked. Without understanding these reactions, treatments for toxins, vaccines, and other medical interventions carried significant risk, and there was no framework to prevent or manage severe allergic responses.
Charles Robert Richet was born on August 26, 1850, in Paris, France. He came from a medical family --his father, Alfred Richet, was a surgeon and professor. Besides immunology, he also studied subjects including physiology, psychology, and neuroscience. He studied medicine at the University of Paris, where he developed a fascination with physiology, toxins, and the body’s defensive mechanisms. Early in his career, Richet focused on understanding how animals responded to poisons and venoms, often observing that repeated exposure sometimes caused reactions far more severe than the first encounter.
These observations sparked his interest in systematically studying what he would later define as anaphylaxis. Richet spent years performing controlled experiments to uncover the principles behind these dangerous immune responses.
Richet’s breakthrough came in 1902 through experiments with marine toxins, in collaboration with French physiologist, Paul Portier. They exposed dogs to jellyfish and sea anemone venoms. While an initial dose often produced mild effects, subsequent exposures sometimes provoked violent reactions, including shock and death.
Richet documented these outcomes and recognised a distinct physiological phenomenon: anaphylaxis. He named it from the Greek “ana-” (opposite of) and “phylaxis” (protection), emphasising that the immune system could react in a harmful, rather than protective, way.
This discovery explained previously puzzling severe allergic reactions and became the first systematic description of hypersensitivity. Richet’s work showed that the immune system could overreact, providing the basis for understanding allergies, severe drug reactions, and other immune-mediated conditions. When Richet first described anaphylaxis in 1902, scientists largely believed the immune system only protected the body. His experiments revealed the opposite could also happen --the body’s own defenses could trigger sudden, deadly reactions after a second exposure to a substance.
Beyond describing anaphylaxis, Richet’s research laid the groundwork for safer medical practices. His findings informed the development of allergy testing, immunotherapy, and emergency interventions such as epinephrine treatment for life-threatening reactions. He also influenced the broader field of immunology, helping scientists understand that immune responses can be both protective and pathological.
Richet continued to study physiological reactions and toxins throughout his career, contributing to general knowledge of the nervous and circulatory systems. However, his work on anaphylaxis remained his best recognised achievement.
Charles Richet’s discovery fundamentally changed the understanding of the immune system. Today, anaphylaxis is recognised as a medical emergency, and protocols for its management directly reflect Richet’s insights. Treatments, preventive measures, and patient education in allergy care all trace back to his work.
His research also influenced the study of autoimmune diseases and other conditions in which the immune system causes harm. By revealing that the body’s defenses can sometimes overreact, Richet opened the door to safer therapies, vaccines, and clinical practices that anticipate and prevent harmful immune responses.
Charles Richet passed away on December 4, 1935, but his legacy endures. His experiments and documentation provided a framework for modern immunology, saving lives through a deeper understanding of allergic and hypersensitivity reactions.
Published - May 10, 2026 08:10 am IST
Nobel Laureates in Medicine
Source: TheHindu
Related Posts: allergic reactions, anaphylaxis,severe allergic reactions,immunity
India observed its third National Space Day, commemorating the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing. ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan recalled the agency's humble beginnings and current global standing. He highlighted Chandrayaan-3's soft landing near the Moon's south pole in August 2023
1 days ago
The Indian government created the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) to offer students an intellectually vibrant research environment and to bring them into research at a relatively — vis-à-vis the Indian milieu — early stage
1 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to lure global expertise to India's expanding space landscape. He identifies the private sector's potential as a crucial asset for global competition. Key advantages include India’s affordability and its appetite for innovation
1 days ago
The Northeast India Space Workshop 2026 will convene in Guwahati to explore regional transformation. This event aims to leverage space technology for global reach and economic growth. Stakeholders will discuss Northeast India becoming a developer and testbed for space solutions
1 days ago
The dramatic 1° Celsius rise in global temperatures since industrialisation has already proved to have upended the lives of wild flora and fauna: that of at least 15,801 species on the Red List of Threatened Species, according to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
2 days ago
India faces a substantial cost gap with the United States for launching payloads. A recent study estimates India's cost at over $13,000 per kilogram by 2025. This contrasts with the United States' estimated cost of $3,225 per kilogram. The study highlights scale and experience as key factors for
2 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged young space entrepreneurs to innovate for agriculture and daily life. He highlighted the potential of India's private space sector for global impact. Startups were urged to engage with schools and inspire future generations
2 days ago
Rock-solid evidence for the origins of birds Stones in dinosaur stomachs may help understanding of avian evolution Published on: Aug 20, 2026, 21:09:09 IST The Economist Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link How do you know what a dinosaur ate? Guts rot away after death
3 days ago
Was it meat or glucose that fueled the growth of the human brain? If evolutionary science told us, hitherto, that human brain expansion relied on meat to grow, a new study has an interesting addition to this theory. Published in a recent issue of Science
4 days ago
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the GISAT-1A satellite in September, in a mission that will be watched closely for many important reasons. Since the two successive PSLV mission failures, in 2025 and early 2026, ISRO had paused launches as it investigated the reason
4 days ago
The Hara forests are a vital ecological treasure of the Persian Gulf. Spanning the Strait of Hormuz, these mangrove forests consist mainly of grey mangrove trees (Avicennia marina), which have a special filtration system in their roots that allows them to thrive in saline conditions
5 days ago
India spends more to put a kilogram of payload into orbit than any other major spacefaring nation, marring its public image as a cost-effective launcher, according to a new peer-reviewed analysis of more than six decades of rocket launches published in Economics Letters
7 days ago
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there,” the English novelist L.P. Hartley wrote famously in his 1953 novel The Go-Between. In a peculiar twist, the same cannot be said of the Moon. It is not a foreign country, or even a foreign world: the U.S
7 days ago
The computer did not create a virus. It did not touch a test tube or handle a living cell. What it did may ultimately be more consequential: it helped decide what the virus’s genome should be. Researchers at Stanford University and the Arc Institute used artificial intelligence (AI) to design
8 days ago
Spectators across Spain watched in wonder, some whipping off their protective glasses and rising to their feet in unison, as a rare total solar eclipse swept across the north of the country on Wednesday (August 12, 2026) evening, plunging it into darkness
8 days ago
Japan's MMX mission will blast off soon to collect Martian moon samples. The spacecraft will orbit Mars for three years and land on Phobos. This mission aims to understand Solar System origins and life's emergence. A rival Chinese mission also plans to return Mars samples around 2031
8 days ago
Draft rules for the SHANTI Act, 2025, mandate financial security for nuclear damage. Operators must maintain insurance or financial security until spent fuel removal. Foreign reactor designs require certification by their country of origin's regulatory body
9 days ago
As a total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Europe on August 12 for the first time since 1999, solar physicists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru, along with collaborators, have predicted the magnetic structure of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or its ‘crown’
9 days ago
When a young man was brought to my clinic after his first episode of psychosis, his parents wanted to know when he could return to college. This is not an atypical first interaction. However, in many instances, after a few consultations later and especially once the immediate crisis had settled
11 days ago
Some people can live apparently ordinary lives even when both copies of a gene (one inherited from the mother and the other from the father) have stopped working. Until their DNA is sequenced, they may never know that this has happened. A large study from Pakistan, published in Nature (June 2026)
11 days ago
Physicist Deepak Dhar received the 2026 Dirac Medal for his statistical mechanics work. He shares the award with three other scientists for their complex systems research. Their contributions span biology, finance, computer science, and artificial intelligence
12 days ago
Colombia and Venezuela experienced deadly earthquakes due to tectonic plate friction. The Nazca plate sliding beneath the South American plate caused tremors. Earthquake magnitude and depth significantly influenced the destructive impact. Building codes and terrain also played crucial roles in the
12 days ago
India has been invited to join NASA's Moon Base program. Discussions focused on expanding civil and commercial space cooperation. Both nations agreed to advance open scientific data sharing under Artemis Accords. They also reaffirmed commitment to UN guidelines for outer space sustainability
12 days ago
A team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has found that several inherited traits in the mouse genome break the rules Gregor Mendel laid down in the 19th century about how genes work. This is not because the genes mutate but because of chemical modifications of the genome
13 days ago
Urban India’s water emergency will not be fixed by better crisis management alone. Over the coming decades, hundreds of millions more people will live and work in Indian cities, driving a sharp increase in the urban water demand. And unless we change how we design, finance
15 days ago
IN-SPACe seeks private partners to manage ISRO's new launch complex. This facility will support small rocket launches and enhance launch efficiency. Private entities will handle end-to-end operations and maintenance of the complex. ISRO will provide initial technical and operational support for
15 days ago
NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Jessica Meir on Friday (August 6, 2026) concluded their spacewalk outside the International Space Station to assemble the modification kit for its power channel that would allow addition of solar arrays. The spacewalk – 281st in support of the space station –
15 days ago
