S8 Ep258: NOBEL SNUBS AND LATER CONTROVERSIES Colleague Professor Paul Halpern. In the aftermath of the Big Bang's confirmation, Gamow fought for recognition of his prior theoretical contributions before his death in 1968. Halpern discusses the controversy surroun

NOBEL SNUBS AND LATER CONTROVERSIES Colleague Professor Paul Halpern. In the aftermath of the Big Bang's confirmation, Gamow fought for recognition of his prior theoretical contributions before his death in 1968. Halpern discusses the controversy surrounding the Nobel Prize for nucleosynthesis, which was awarded to William Fowler but excluded Hoyle, possibly due to misconceptions by the nominators. In his later years, Hoyle became a controversial figure, promoting panspermia—the idea that diseases like AIDS come from comets—and rejecting Darwinian evolution. Halpern concludes by describing both men as intuitive, "seat of the pants" thinkers who preferred spontaneity over rigid archival research. NUMBER 4
1960