Marriage a plus for Nobel

Stockholm: Since the creation of the Nobel prizes in 1901, six children have followed in the footsteps of their parents, becoming Nobel laureates themselves. A seventh won the award jointly with his father in 1915 at the tender age, in Nobel terms, of 25. The Curie family alone clocked up a grand total of five awards: two to Marie Curie, who first won the physics prize 1903 with her husband Pierre and Henri Becquerel, and then the chemistry distinction in 1911. Irene, her eldest child, was awarded the chemistry Nobel with her husband Pierre Joliot in 1935.

For Ulrika Bjoerksten, director of science programmes at Swedish public radio, the appearance of Nobel families down through the decades “shows the importance of social inheritance”.Some might even argue that Irene Joliot-Curie, Aage Bohr and Roger Kornberg, all prize winners with Nobel laureate parents, had the advantage of finding it easier to gain recognition for their work and be nominated by their peers.

But Nobel Museum curator Gustav Kaellstrand disagrees. “They all had a parent who succeeded in transmitting their interest,” said Kaellstrand, adding that “having a well-known name doesn’t favour the candidates”.For the Nobel committees, which choose the winners and keep their deliberations secret for 50 years, being the child of an existing laureate is neither a handicap nor an advantage.