Nobel prize candidates wait often over 20 years to win their prize
Candidates for a Nobel prize often have to wait more than 20 years to receive this highest of scientific accolades. According to a Correspondence by Santo Fortunato of Aalto University in Finland and colleagues, such nail-biting delays are becoming the norm — to the point that aspiring laureates may themselves have expired by the time the medal is due to be presented.
Before 1940, Nobel prizes were awarded more than 20 years after the original discovery for only about 11%, 15% and 24% of physics, chemistry and physiology or medicine prizes, respectively. But by 1985, ...
