More Nobel winners, less innovation? Chinese study reveals cost of top-tier awards

Science prizes usually put the spotlight on winners, celebrating their discoveries but paying little attention to the researchers left out. A study by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has found that prominent innovation awards may discourage colleagues from pursuing unconventional research – with the most prestigious prizes having the strongest negative effect. The findings raise questions about the wider consequences of scientific honours, including the Nobel Prize, as...