The Nobel Curse

Nobel prize winners’ research published later in their career find a tougher reception by the scientific community.

Written byCristina Luiggi
| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share

Nobel Prize medal in medicine

Along with superstardom, money, and prestige, a Noble Prize can bring tougher critics for the laureates and their subsequent work. By tracking the publication record of Nobel Prize-winning ideas from 204 laureates from 1980 to 2009 in physics, chemistry, and medicine, psychologists at Ohio State University found that papers published after the Nobel was awarded were often cited less and published in journals with a lower impact factor than the first publication on the subject.

“While their work is still successful, laureates find their later work doesn’t get the same level of attention and acceptance as their earlier work,” study leader Christine Charyton, a visiting psychology professor at Ohio State University, said in a press release.

The researchers, who presented their finding this past weekend ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Share
December digest cover image of a wooden sculpture comprised of multiple wooden neurons that form a seahorse.
December 2025, Issue 1

Wooden Neurons: An Artistic Vision of the Brain

A neurobiologist, who loves the morphology of cells, turns these shapes into works of art made from wood.

View this Issue
Stacks of cell culture dishes, plates, and flasks with pink cell culture medium on a white background.

Driving Innovation with Cell Culture Essentials

Merck
Stacks of cell culture dishes, plates, and flasks with pink cell culture medium on a white background.

Driving Innovation with Cell Culture Essentials

MilliporeSigma purple logo
Abstract wireframe sphere with colorful dots and connecting lines representing the complex cellular and molecular interactions within the tumor microenvironment.

Exploring the Inflammatory Tumor Microenvironment 

Cellecta logo
An image of a DNA sequencing spectrum with a radial blur filter applied.

A Comprehensive Guide to Next-Generation Sequencing

Integra Logo

Products

brandtech logo

BRANDTECH® Scientific Announces Strategic Partnership with Copia Scientific to Strengthen Sales and Service of the BRAND® Liquid Handling Station (LHS) 

Top Innovations 2026 Contest Image

Enter Our 2026 Top Innovations Contest

Biotium Logo

Biotium Expands Tyramide Signal Amplification Portfolio with Brighter and More Stable Dyes for Enhanced Spatial Imaging

Labvantage Logo

LabVantage Solutions Awarded $22.3 Million U.S Customs and Border Protection Contract to Deliver Next-Generation Forensic LIMS