Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1989

Sidney Altman

Photo: Yale University. From the Nobel Foundation archive

Prize share: 1/2

Thomas R. Cech

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/2

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1989 was awarded jointly to Sidney Altman and Thomas R. Cech "for their discovery of catalytic properties of RNA"

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1989. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach 2026. Fri. 7 Aug 2026. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1989/summary/>

Go to the top of the page

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.