The winner of this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Svante Paabo, has expressed his appreciation for the research institutions he works at, because they have allowed him to engage in long-term projects.

The Nobel Assembly on Monday announced its decision to award the prize to the Swedish scientist for his discoveries that shed light on the origins of humans.

On Tuesday, Paabo was speaking online in a news conference held by the Okinawa Institutes of Science and Technology Graduate University, or OIST, in Japan.

He is an adjunct professor at OIST, and the founder of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany.

He said it has been "sort of a privilege" over the years to work at research organizations, such as Max Planck and OIST. Paavo noted that he received long-term reliable resources to do projects that can take a long time to produce results.

He stressed the importance of such environments in order to achieve something fundamental.

He expressed his willingness to look into the DNA of ancient humans from Okinawa and other parts of Japan in the future.

Asked to send a message to young people in Okinawa, Paabo said: "If you are wondering what you should do in life, I think a good idea is to do what you are really interested in and what you find fascinating." He said that's "because you tend to do it well, if you really like doing something. And then, you see what comes out."