The Pius XI Medal—named after the pope who rebranded the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1936—has been awarded every two years to a promising scientist under 45.

As of 2026, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which advises the pope on scientific matters, has included 90 Nobel laureates among its members.

Explore the list of Pontifical Academicians that make up the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Watch a video overview of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which advises the pope on science, from one of its Nobel Prize-winning members.

The Academy of Lynxes—a 17th-century science academy—was cofounded by an 18-year-old whose father suspected he was associating with sorcerers and magicians.

Various awards have been established to honor contributions in science, technology, and mathematics beyond the disciplines honored by the Nobel Prizes.

Galileo Galilei—considered the father of modern science—was once president of the Academy of Lynxes and used the name Galileo Galilei Linceo on the title pages of his works in its honor.

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is the only supranational academy of sciences in the world, with its members giving up some of their sovereignty to achieve shared objectives.

The Nobel Prizes are among the highest science honors, though they have long been criticized for their limited scope and representation of disciplines and minorities.

In 2026, Pope Leo XIV published a 42,000-word document on AI, written with the advice of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

The Lucasian Chair is among the most prestigious academic positions in science

With rules established when scientists worked in small labs or in isolation, the Nobel Prizes have struggled to reflect the collaborative nature of modern research.

The 2017 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to LIGO's founders

The first Nobel Prize ceremony, which honored the discovery of X-rays and the cofounder of the Red Cross, occurred five years after Alfred Nobel's death.

In 2011, the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to a deceased scientist, which is forbidden under the Nobel Foundation's rules.

The 2018 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for applications in laser physics, including the creation of light-based tweezers.

Read more about the backstory on the 2025 Nobel Prize for immune system work

The Ig Nobel Prize—a satirical version of the Nobel Prize—aims to engage broader audiences by spotlighting scientific achievements that make people laugh before they think.

Since 1901, the Nobel Prizes have honored major global achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace efforts.

Nobel Prizes in science have favored male, North American, and European scientists from established academic institutions, with only 11 female winners in the 20th century.

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was not among the prizes in Alfred Nobel's will but was established by Sweden's central bank in 1968.

Of the 736 Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, and economics awarded through 2023, more than 95% went to the same academic family.

The 2011 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for the discovery of dark energy, which has driven the accelerated expansion of the universe.

Georges Lemaître, a Belgian Catholic priest who proposed the Big Bang theory in 1931, became president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1960.

Some Nobel laureates have expressed beliefs in pseudoscience after winning

As of 2025, only five people have won two Nobel Prizes, with Marie Curie the only person to do so in two different sciences.

Browse the published volumes from the Pontifical Academy of Sciences—the Vatican's scientific advisory board.

In 2000, the Clay Mathematics Institute placed million-dollar bounties on seven unsolved problems in mathematics—the Millennium Prize Problems—in the hopes of spurring solutions.

As Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei's vision for AI has been inspired by the loss of his father to an illness that was made 95% curable four years after his passing.

How a competition honoring a king's birthday uncovered history's first chaotic system

Ten underrated astronomy studies from 2022

During his 'miraculous year,' Albert Einstein published four groundbreaking papers, including the postulates of special relativity.

Watch Bill Nye be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

By measuring them in hot-air balloons during a partial solar eclipse and at night, Victor Hess discovered cosmic rays and concluded they came from beyond the solar system.

Hundreds of individuals are nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize each year, and nominees have included controversial figures like Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler.

Steve Jobs was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

When Marcus Aurelius created endowed philosophy chairs in Athens

Nominations for each Nobel Prize in science are submitted by an invitation-only group of thousands of people, which includes leading academics and former Nobel laureates.

How Nobel Prize-winning research unraveled why the immune system doesn't always attack itself

Meet the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project.

A look at the giants of quantum mechanics

Early 20th-century debates about horses with 'paranormal mathematical abilities' helped shape modern approaches to psychological research.

A quote by scientist Nikola Tesla

Explore a list of Nobel Prize winners supported by National Science Foundation grants.

Joel Mokyr won the 2025 Economics Nobel as a historian of scientific ideas

Marie Curie's research on radioactivity made her the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win awards in two sciences.

Explore a library of educational games and animated interactives based on Nobel Prize awarded achievements.

Using scientific bets, Hawking challenged and highlighted major physics ideas

Scientific breakthroughs funded by NASA, the NSF, and the NIH include GPS, sign language, bladeless LASIK surgery, and quantum dots—tiny semiconductor crystals used in many modern televisions.

Galileo’s discovery of Jupiter’s moons led to multiple scientific advancements

Despite his disability, Stephen Hawking reshaped our understanding of black holes