Post by @maxplanckgesellschaft@wisskomm.social

2026-10-09 12:04 UTC

While the brilliant Lise Meitner (1878-1968) was nominated for the #NobelPrize 49 times for her work – 30 x for Physics & 19 x for Chemistry – she was famously snubbed & only her long-time collaborator Otto Hahn received the award. Yet her legacy lies not in a medal: in solving the puzzle of #nuclearFission, she fundamentally changed our understanding of matter & energy forever. #WomenInScience

Replies (2)

@VisualStuart@pdx.social 2026-10-09 13:21

@maxplanckgesellschaft@wisskomm.social The Lost Women of Science podcast produced a great two-part series on Lise Meitner. It's well worth listening to. https://www.lostwomenofscience.org/podcast-episodes/why-did-lise-meitner-never-receive-the-nobel-prize-for-splitting-the-atom

Open ##5303625
@amici@fribygda.no 2026-10-09 20:02

@maxplanckgesellschaft@wisskomm.social the fact that they named an element (Meitnerium) after her is a bigger honor than a Nobel Prize though imo, just bad she wasn't alive to experience that particular honor people forget Nobel Prize recipients quickly, especially because they keep multiplying, but if we ever discover a use for Meitnerium (a synthetic element), she could end up being remembered for thousands of years

Open ##5303626