Staying skeptical during Nobel season

It’s Nobel Prize season—the time of year when scientists speculate who among them will receive one of the most coveted awards in research . This year, on Oct. 7–9, C&EN staff in the US will rise well before dawn to watch the live announcements, catch the energy of the day, and report on who won what and why. But as we’ve prepared for the celebration this year, we’ve come to wonder: Do these awards adequately represent talent in the global chemistry enterprise? Scientist and businessperson Alfred Nobel devised the Nobel Prizes in 1895 in his will as a way to recognize “those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind” with a monetary award. Today, that will still lays out the logistics of the awards. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901, 5 years after their eponym’s death. Since then, the world of science