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The theme of my keynote of this Commemorative Symposium on Nuclear Receptors, is "Alternative Approach", which was responsible not only for the discovery of the estrogen receptor, the prototype of the nuclear receptor family, but also for other important findings.Curiously, the whole field of nuclear receptors owes its discovery to the Swiss mountains, specificially the Matterhorn, which was the last major peak in the Alps to be climbed, The earlier approach used was that from the Italian side, which does not appear too steep but still was impossible.Little thought was given to attempting the northeast face for it appears to be a sheer wall of rock where only an intrepid fly would venture.Then an English engraver, who earlier had failed the ascent from the Italian side, studied the northeast face by telescope and concluded that it might not be as impossible as it looked.So, in 1865, he and six companions attempted the climb by this novel approach and succeeded in being the first to reach the summit.Today, even á novice can get there, if he or she has a guide to point out the proper way.I know this, for in 1947, as a student in Zürich, I was such a novice who had the privilege of reaching the top.