Nobel Jurors Facing Bribery Probe

RockDoctor writes "A report is circulating that in the run-up to the selection of prize-winners for 2006 and 2008, some members of the Nobel jury accepted an expenses-paid trip (or trips) to China to 'explain the selection process.' That's not, in itself, an incriminating event ('Is there something that we're doing incorrectly, or not doing?' is a valid question), and if there was dishonorable intent, it doesn't seem to have worked too well (the last Chinese Nobel Laureate was in 1957). There does seem to be embarrassment about falling into an obvious conflict-of-interest mantrap." PhysOrg mentions that a corruption prosecutor is also looking into a Nobel-related sponsorship from a pharmaceutical company that was linked to one of the winners for this year's Medicine prize.

3..2..1..Que

[TapeCutter]

...Al Gore jokes and conspiracy theories.

I get a story idea

[Opportunist]

How about a movie about that? Oh, and I already have the idea for the sequel. A movie about the movie about the hollywood conspiracy and how the movie didn't get a single Oscar nomination despite great reviews.

All rights reversed.

Re:Bah! Humbug.

[bagsc]

Not scientists? Listen buddy - Go outside and ask a random person if they'd rather observe a Higgs boson or a million dollars in their bank account. And remember that to economists, a million dollars is never a significant figure.

Physicists have a good year when they can get a thousand observations of the value of c. Economists have a bad year if they only get a quadrillion observations of the value of a dollar.

If physicists want to run an experiment, they just have to manipulate a few particles. If economists want to run an experiment, we have to manipulate Congress.

If physicists make a mistake in an experiment, maybe a few thousand people die in a lab explosion. If economists make a mistake in an experiment, maybe a few hundred million people die in an economic implosion.

If a physicist makes an important discovery, he can create a billion dollar industry. If an economist makes an important discovery, he can create a trillion dollar industry.

That being said, you are right about the fragile egos :)