By Sheri Quinn
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kuer/local-kuer-637177.mp3
Salt Lake City, UT – Our genetic code is so complex the DNA from a single cell would stretch out for nearly three miles. It once seemed impossible to pick out a single gene, let alone discover its role. But in the late 1980's, University of Utah scientist Mario Capecchi developed a technique called gene targeting that lets scientists find genes and change them within living mice. The pioneering technique revolutionized the study of mammalian biology. And for that, Capecchi learned yesterday that he won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with two other geneticists. Producer Sheri Quinn has this profile of Utah's first Nobel laureate.