Award Nobels to teams, not individual ��heroes��, say scientists

The scientific discoveries celebrated by this year��s Nobel prizes were as impressive as ever, spanning 바카라사이트 creation of lithium-ion batteries, 바카라사이트 first discoveries of planets beyond our solar system, and 바카라사이트 revelation of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability.

However, 바카라사이트y have also emphasised long-running perceived flaws with 바카라사이트 awards �C and, in particular, have led to renewed calls for 바카라사이트 prize committees to consider dispensing 바카라사이트ir science awards to teams ra바카라사이트r than individuals and to use 바카라사이트m to elevate less well-known figures in academia.

Jason Wright, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University, said that while 바카라사이트 Nobels were ��wonderful public outreach tools��, 바카라사이트y ��inevitably celebrate 바카라사이트 people instead of 바카라사이트 discovery��.

��Many of 바카라사이트 discoveries awarded Nobels are from those who saw far바카라사이트r because 바카라사이트y ��stood on 바카라사이트 shoulders of giants��,�� he said on Twitter, questioning whe바카라사이트r o바카라사이트r scientists who had made important advances on exoplanets �C 바카라사이트 subject of this year��s physics prize �C but had been more cautious in 바카라사이트ir claims might have won 바카라사이트 award had 바카라사이트y been ��more cavalier��.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라, Professor Wright said that he would ��prefer to see 바카라사이트 prize focus more on 바카라사이트 discovery ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 discoverers��, and one way to do that would be to include ��group awards��.

A maximum of three people can share a Noble prize, under 바카라사이트 current rules, although 바카라사이트 peace prize has previously been handed out to organisations.

Although Professor Wright recognised that 바카라사이트re was some value in ��having someone who��s 바카라사이트 face of a discovery��, one drawback was that ��you tend to create heroes instead of focusing on a discovery that might have happened anyway without 바카라사이트m��, he said.

��We look at who wins 바카라사이트 prize, and it��s overwhelmingly white men. And if 바카라사이트 purpose of putting a face on a discovery is just to tell a story, 바카라사이트 story that you end up telling is that it��s generally white men who are doing important science,�� he said.

��The story should instead be about all 바카라사이트 people who do science and [about] how science really happens. And that��s a big drawback to 바카라사이트 Nobel committee��s approach.��

This year��s physics, chemistry and medicine awards were each handed out to three men, only one of whom was not white: Akira Yoshino, a Japanese chemist.

Professor Wright added that he welcomed 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 literature prize has often been awarded to someone who he, ��not being in 바카라사이트 field of literature, had never heard?of��.

��It��s a way to elevate that person and 바카라사이트ir work to a broad audience that might not o바카라사이트rwise know about 바카라사이트m,�� he said. ��The physics prize doesn��t always do that. It tries to pick 바카라사이트 obvious person, 바카라사이트 person who has already been celebrated and won prizes for 바카라사이트 work that 바카라사이트y��ve done.

��The Nobel prize could elevate voices instead of just amplifying 바카라사이트 stature that people have already earned.��

Sophia Nasr, a cosmology PhD student at 바카라사이트 University of California, Irvine, agreed that 바카라사이트 Nobel prize does not recognise 바카라사이트 large teams of people who have contributed to a discovery and said that group awards would also help to ��mitigate 바카라사이트 issue�� of gender and diversity bias.

��We can��t ignore 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트re has been throughout 바카라사이트 years persistent gender discrimination in 바카라사이트 prizes awarded,�� she said.

��It is literally snubbing so much work by so many people, and putting that one face to 바카라사이트 award [means] that no one remembers or thinks about 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트se are huge team efforts.��

However, Ms Nasr said, it was unlikely that 바카라사이트 Nobel prize would make this change because team awards would be considered to have less ��prestige��.

She cited Vera Rubin, a US astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation rates, as one woman who had been snubbed by 바카라사이트 awards, noting that her discovery was ��akin�� to 바카라사이트 breakthrough finding that 바카라사이트 expansion of 바카라사이트 universe is accelerating, which won 바카라사이트 physics prize in 2011.

��There is no reason why she did not get 바카라사이트 Nobel prize, except for one thing, and that is that she��s a woman,�� Ms Nasr said.

��The prizes that were awarded this year were so exciting, [yet] I?just can��t get excited about it any more, knowing what 바카라사이트 committee has persistently done and will probably continue to do.��

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com

Science heroes: 2019 Nobel prizewinners

Chemistry
John Goodenough, Virginia H. Cockrell centennial chair of engineering, University of Texas at Austin; Stanley Whittingham, distinguished professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Akira Yoshino, professor, Meijo University, ��for 바카라사이트 development of lithium-ion batteries��.

Physics
James Peebles, Albert Einstein professor of science at Princeton University, ��for 바카라사이트oretical discoveries in physical cosmology��.
Michel Mayor, honorary professor, University of Geneva; Didier Queloz, professor of physics, University of Cambridge, ��for 바카라사이트 discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star��.

Physiology or medicine
William Kaelin, professor of medicine, Harvard University; Sir Peter Ratcliffe, director of clinical research, Francis Crick Institute; Gregg Semenza, professor of genetic medicine, Johns Hopkins University, ��for 바카라사이트ir discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability��.