I would have appreciated this year's one going for mRNA vaccine research as this would have been clearly the one to meet Nobel's will.
mRNA vaccines could also be eligible for the chemistry prize (which is often a biology prize in disguise).
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
21–30 of 121 posts
Re: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree, but I guess the challenge here is who are the 3 scientists to credit? Katalin Karikó is certainly one of them, but who are the other two? Weissman? Ugur Sahin? Özlem Türeci? Ingmar Hoerr? Noubar Afeyan? And then there is the weirdo guy that calls himself "mrna vaccine inventor"? I guess the committee needs another 1-2 years time to decide on that, with the benefit of hindsight.
They've given it to organizations before (Doctors Without Borders won in 1999). Give it to Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford University then. Or "front line COVID-workers" or something. Exactly who gets it is not the main point, the main point is rewarding this incredible achievement in medicine (both the science of it, but also the work in testing, manufacturing and delivering it to patients).
>Doctors Without Borders won in 1999
That was the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm not sure if the same applies to the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Re: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
#23I like how they always present the work in a readable way for laymen. Look forward to the various awards each year just because it's interesting to dive into all the different stuff. The talks are also often worth a watch.
eg. Explaining topology with bread donut and bretzel https://phys.org/news/2016-10-nobel-physics-prize-awarded-to...
Re: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree, but I guess the challenge here is who are the 3 scientists to credit? Katalin Karikó is certainly one of them, but who are the other two? Weissman? Ugur Sahin? Özlem Türeci? Ingmar Hoerr? Noubar Afeyan? And then there is the weirdo guy that calls himself "mrna vaccine inventor"? I guess the committee needs another 1-2 years time to decide on that, with the benefit of hindsight.
They've given it to organizations before (Doctors Without Borders won in 1999). Give it to Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford University then. Or "front line COVID-workers" or something. Exactly who gets it is not the main point, the main point is rewarding this incredible achievement in medicine (both the science of it, but also the work in testing, manufacturing and delivering it to patients).
> They've given it to organizations before
No, never (You are confusing it with the Peace Nobel)
Re: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's what I was hoping to see, an award to Karikó and Weissman for their mRNA research. I'm sure they'll get the Nobel within the next few years, but it would have been appropriate to award it now. The Nobel Committee doesn't rush the prizes, and they don't generally go to new research, but mRNA would be a very justified exception. We're currently in the worst pandemic in a century, and over the last ten months we'…
I have to say, awarding it for mRNA research could easily save lives by turning a few of the vaccine-hesitant.
I somewhat doubt that anti-vaxxers even care about the Nobel Prize.
Re: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
#26I would have appreciated this year's one going for mRNA vaccine research as this would have been clearly the one to meet Nobel's will.
It's not a popularity content. Nobel prizes are typically not given until several years after the work is complete and enough time has passed to fully appreciate the significance of it.
I'd say it's a bit early for mRNA vaccines.
Re: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
#27Seems to me like maybe a more worthy recipient of this prize might be the vaccines that are currently saving hundreds of million of people from dying in the worst pandemic in a century? You know, the miracle vaccines that were developed many times faster than any other vaccine in history? The ones that (despite being perfectly safe, effective, and arguably the greatest achievement in medicine since antibiotics) are s…
I stopped taking the nobel prize seriously when they awarded the peace nobel prize to Obama.
The peace prize is also very different from the science prizes.
The peace prize is handed out by politicians (members of the Norwegian parliament), whereas the science prizes are handed out by scientists.
Re: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree, but I guess the challenge here is who are the 3 scientists to credit? Katalin Karikó is certainly one of them, but who are the other two? Weissman? Ugur Sahin? Özlem Türeci? Ingmar Hoerr? Noubar Afeyan? And then there is the weirdo guy that calls himself "mrna vaccine inventor"? I guess the committee needs another 1-2 years time to decide on that, with the benefit of hindsight.
They've given it to organizations before (Doctors Without Borders won in 1999). Give it to Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford University then. Or "front line COVID-workers" or something. Exactly who gets it is not the main point, the main point is rewarding this incredible achievement in medicine (both the science of it, but also the work in testing, manufacturing and delivering it to patients).
The Nobel Prize typically rewards basic research, not applied - look up who got the prize with respect polio vaccines if you're curious.
Re: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
#29I would have appreciated this year's one going for mRNA vaccine research as this would have been clearly the one to meet Nobel's will.
It's not a popularity content. Nobel prizes are typically not given until several years after the work is complete and enough time has passed to fully appreciate the significance of it. I'd say it's a bit early for mRNA vaccines.
On the one side, you are correct and it's only last year / this year that mRNA vaccines have seen widespread adoption.
On the other, mRNA research goes back to the 80's, and mRNA vaccine research goes back twenty years; these facts are often overlooked by the "it was developed too fast" crowds.
That said,
> It's not a popularity content.
And yet, they gave Obama the Nobel Peace Prize the year he was elected, without any merit or achievements to back it up. That decision was politically motivated. Same with giving it to Al Gore for his climate activism. They even tried to nominate Hitler in 1939, albeit in jest.
Re: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
I stopped taking the nobel prize seriously when they awarded the peace nobel prize to Obama.
The peace prize is also very different from the science prizes. The peace prize is handed out by politicians (members of the Norwegian parliament), whereas the science prizes are handed out by scientists.
The members of the peace committee are _selected_ by Stortinget but no member of the committee currently serves as a member of parliament (although some are former members/politicians).