Research that won the Nobel Prize in 2019 was rejected in scientific journals 27 years ago

by Steve Johnson

Scientific discoveries do not happen immediately, but only when people's consciousness changes and they “accept” the findings. Research that won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2019 was not initially accepted by people, and was rejected by scientific journals 27 years ago.

27-Year-old Letter Reveals Scientist Peter Ratcliffe's Nobel Prize Winning Study Was Rejected by Journal-News18
https://www.news18.com/news/world/27-year-old-letter-reveals-scientist-peter-ratcliffes-nobel-prize-winning-study-was-rejected-by-journal-2344475.html

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was sent to three researchers, Professor William Kellin, Professor Greg Semenza, and Professor Peter Ratcliff , who studied how human cells sense and adapt to changing oxygen levels. It was. The effect of oxygen on cells has been recognized as important, but it has not been known how cells adapt to change. The Nobel Committee evaluates that his research is 'a way to open up new strategies to combat anemia, cancer and many other diseases.'

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2019, 3 photos from US and UK International News: AFPBB News
https://www.afpbb.com/articles/-/3248368

However, this paper was rejected by a scientific journal in 1992, 27 years ago.

On August 5, 1992, Mr. Laurie Hawet, one of Nature's editorial board members at that time, told Ratcliff, 'We decided not to publish the paper after receiving comments from two reviewers.' I sent a letter.

The letter says, “Unfortunately, we received a disagreement from one reviewer, but we finally concluded that your paper should be published in a more specialized journal.” It was said to have been. At that time, two reviewers were unable to understand the response of the genetic mechanism to hypoxia, and the publication was rejected because the research direction exceeded the understanding of other researchers, Mr. Ratcliff Says.

In addition, Mr. Ratcliff is not the only case where the papers of Nobel Prize winners were rejected. Peter Higgs, who submitted a paper on the theory of the Higgs particle, was rejected in 1964, but won the Nobel Prize in 2013. Rosalin Yarrow, who developed the radioimmunoassay technology, was rejected by the reviewer because he was judged to be “found lacking”, but won the Nobel Prize in 1977.