Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson have won the Nobel Prize for chemistry for their work to simplify and improve the imaging of biomolecules.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the award Wednesday along with its $1.1 million prize.
The scientists developed a way to generate three-dimensional images of molecules, which the academy said has brought biochemistry "into a new era."
"Researchers can now freeze biochemicals mid-movement and visualize processes they have never previously seen, which is decisive for both the basic understanding of life's chemistry and for the development of pharmaceuticals," the academy said.