SEATTLE — When a buzz from Mary Brunkow’s phone awoke her at 1 a.m. showing an international number, it seemed like spam, obviously,” she said.

A couple minutes later, her phone rang again and this time she put it on “do not disturb” and went back to sleep. Her husband did the same with his phone, which also started ringing strangely.

Then about two hours later, after an Associated Press photographer showed up at the door, waking the dog and her husband, the truth finally dawned on Brunkow: she had won a Nobel Prize.

On Monday morning, Brunkow was among three scientists who won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries about how the immune system knows not to attack the body.

The other winners include Fred Ramsdell, who worked with Brunkow at a biotech company in Washington, and Dr.

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