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A black-and-white photo of a person’s hands holding a black-and-white barred chicken. The feathers of its breast have been pulled back to reveal a large tumor.
Transmissible Tumors, 1909
Pathologist Peyton Rous made a groundbreaking discovery in the early 20th century, but his work wasn’t widely recognized until more than 40 years later. 
Transmissible Tumors, 1909
Transmissible Tumors, 1909

Pathologist Peyton Rous made a groundbreaking discovery in the early 20th century, but his work wasn’t widely recognized until more than 40 years later. 

Pathologist Peyton Rous made a groundbreaking discovery in the early 20th century, but his work wasn’t widely recognized until more than 40 years later. 

Nobel Prize

a black pencil with a white eraser on the tip leaves eraser marks on a piece of paper
Nobel Prize Winner Faces Investigation into Paper Integrity
Katherine Irving | Oct 21, 2022 | 2 min read
Seventeen studies coauthored by Gregg Semenza have been retracted, corrected, or raised for concern, and 15 more are currently under investigation.
blue-gloved hands pipetting from test tube
What’s Next for Ancient DNA Studies After the Nobel?
Mary Prendergast, The Conversation | Oct 5, 2022 | 4 min read
The award highlights tremendous opportunities for aDNA as well as challenges related to rapid growth, equity, and misinformation.
Illustration of the winners of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Biocompatible Reactions In Living Cells Garner Chemistry Nobel
Katherine Irving | Oct 5, 2022 | 4 min read
This year’s award recognizes Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal, and K. Barry Sharpless for developing click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.
Svante Pääbo with a skeleton
Svante Pääbo Awarded Nobel for Paleogenomics
Shawna Williams | Oct 3, 2022 | 3 min read
The geneticist’s accomplishments include sequencing Neanderthal DNA and leading the project that identified a new species of hominin, the Denisovans.
Sidney Altman looks into the camera
Nobel Laureate Sidney Altman Dies At 82
Lisa Winter | Apr 14, 2022 | 2 min read
The biophysicist shared the 1989 Prize in Chemistry for discovering RNA’s catalytic properties.
Man in black suit looking at camera
Pioneering Geneticist C. Thomas Caskey Dies at 83
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Jan 28, 2022 | 3 min read
Caskey’s contributions to the field were instrumental to modern genetics.
Neuro collage
Our Favorite Neuroscience Stories of 2021
Chloe Tenn | Dec 29, 2021 | 4 min read
From a Nobel prize and photosynthesis-powered brains to neurodegeneration research and controversy over a new Alzheimer’s drug, a look back at some of the biggest brain-related developments of the year.
sketch of two men smiling
Mechanisms of Chili’s Heat, Menthol’s Cool Garner Nobel
Chloe Tenn | Oct 4, 2021 | 4 min read
David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian won this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research on the ion channels involved in perceiving heat, cold, pain, and touch.
A bunch of trophies sit in a rubbish heap.
Opinion: We Should Ditch Awards in Science
Bill Sullivan | Jul 8, 2021 | 3 min read
Conducting research to elucidate nature’s mysteries is reward enough.
Headshot of Richard Ernst, circa 1990
Nobel Laureate Richard Ernst Dies at 87
Lisa Winter | Jun 11, 2021 | 3 min read
The chemist refined nuclear magnetic resonance technology, giving rise to the development of MRI.
Updated June 1
Head shot of Eric Lander, the president and founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Science Advisor Nominee Faces Tough Questions from Senate Panel
Jef Akst | Apr 30, 2021 | 2 min read
Senators raise concerns about how Eric Lander of the Broad Institute has handled equality issues.
Action at a Distance, Circa Early 1950s
Diana Kwon | Dec 1, 2020 | 3 min read
Neuroscientist Rita Levi-Montalcini began her Nobel Prize–winning work in a makeshift laboratory in Italy during the Second World War.
CRISPR, Cas-9, Nobel, Chemistry
CRISPR’s Adaptation to Genome Editing Earns Chemistry Nobel
Amanda Heidt | Oct 7, 2020 | 4 min read
Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna reprogrammed the bacterial immune response into one of the most popular tools for genetics and molecular biology.
Researchers Who Discovered Hepatitis C Earn Nobel Prize
Max Kozlov | Oct 5, 2020 | 3 min read
Harvey Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles Rice share the Physiology or Medicine award for their contributions to identifying the virus and demonstrating that it was responsible for hepatitis among blood transfusion recipients.
Biochemist Stanley Cohen Dies
Catherine Offord | Feb 10, 2020 | 2 min read
The Vanderbilt University professor was awarded a Nobel Prize for his discovery of epidermal growth factor.
nobel prize physiology or medicine william kaelin peter ratcliffe gregg semenza hypoxia oxygen sensing hif
Cells’ Oxygen Sensing Discovery Earns Nobel Prize
Emily Makowski | Oct 7, 2019 | 2 min read
For the Physiology or Medicine award, Peter Ratcliffe, William Kaelin, and Gregg Semenza are credited with figuring out molecular and genetic responses to oxygen levels.
Opinion: Can Prizes Help Women Shatter Science’s Glass Ceiling?
Marja Makarow | Oct 2, 2019 | 3 min read
As we await the announcement of the 2019 Nobel Prize winners, it’s time to question why female scientists still lag behind their male colleagues.
sydney brenner nobel prize c. elegans rna mrna
Sydney Brenner, mRNA Discoverer, Dies
Kerry Grens | Apr 5, 2019 | 3 min read
One of the foremost molecular biologists of the 20th century, the Nobel laureate established C. elegans as a model organism, mapping its genes and development.
Women Who Win Science Prizes Earn Less Money, Prestige than Men
Ashley Yeager | Jan 18, 2019 | 2 min read
Biomedical awards from the past 50 years reveal a gender imbalance, but it appears to be improving.
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