Nobel laureate Harald zur Hausen dies at 87.
Dr. Harald zur Hausen, a German virologist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2008 for his discovery that the human papillomavirus (HPV) caused cervical cancer, died on May 29 at his home in Heidelberg, Germany. His discovery paved the way for vaccines against HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that can also cause other cancers. Dr. zur Hausen leaves behind a lifesaving vaccine and lifesaving tests to detect the virus. He was remembered by colleagues as courteous, considerate, and respectful, and more than one described him as a “gentleman.”
