SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY

Call for New Nobel Prizes to Honour ‘Forgotten’ Scientists

From the Times (London)

They are the most prestigious awards that it is possible for any scientist to win, with a roll of honour that includes Albert Einstein, Francis Crick and Alexander Fleming. The Nobel prizes, however, are no longer fit for purpose, according to ten of the world’s most eminent researchers.

The prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel, which were first presented in 1901, need to be reformed and expanded to meet the demands and challenges of science in the 21st century, the scientists say.

In an open letter to the Nobel Foundation, they argue that the scope of the current system, which rewards scientific achievements only in physiology or medicine, chemistry and physics, is too narrow to reflect the breadth of modern science.