The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded Wednesday to Frances H. Arnold, George P. Smith and Gregory P. Winter.

The first half of the prize was awarded to Arnold for the directed evolution of enzymes, and the other half jointly to Smith and Winter for the phage display of peptides and antibodies.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which chose the winners on Wednesday, said Arnold conducted the first directed evolution of enzymes, whose uses include "more environmentally friendly manufacturing of chemical substances such as pharmaceuticals and the production of renewable fuels."