Who won the Nobel Prize last year for a malaria medicine?

• A. Alexander Fleming
• B. Jonas Salk
• C. Tu Youyou
• D. Louis Pasteur

Answer: (C)

This question tests your knowledge of a landmark malaria treatment breakthrough and who made it possible. Tu Youyou led the discovery of artemisinin, a powerful anti-malarial drug derived from sweet wormwood. By examining traditional Chinese medicine and then validating it with modern methods, she identified artemisinin as effective against the parasite and helped develop artemisinin-based combination therapies, which became a frontline treatment that dramatically reduced malaria deaths. For this life-saving work, she received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015, making her a historic laureate for contributions that connect traditional knowledge to modern medicine. The other figures are famous for discoveries in other areas—antibiotics or vaccines for different diseases—not for malaria medicines.