In fact, in its more than one hundred years of history, the Nobel Prize has never honored a Brazilian in its six recognized categories — Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace and Economy —. However, the country has already had names considered.
Among them, physicist César Lattes stands out for having been nominated seven times, between 1950 and 1956, for his discovery of the pi meson particle.
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In 1950, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Briton Cecil Powell, who led the research group at the University of Bristol.
The recognition was for the “development of the photographic method for studying nuclear processes”, in addition to the discovery of meson particles using this method.
However, the identification of the pi meson subparticle, crucial for nuclear structure, is an achievement attributed to Lattes, a member of Powell's team. This situation generated debates about the lack of direct recognition of the Brazilian scientist by the Nobel Academy.
Cesar Lattes, in 1947, not only described the pi meson particle in an article in the renowned journal Nature, but also paved the way for the new field of studies in elementary particle physics.
Brazilian public health also had its highlights: Manoel de Abreu, with three nominations in the Medicine category, revolutionized the early diagnosis of tuberculosis with the invention of abreugraphy.
The technique proved to be an economical and efficient solution, resulting in a drastic reduction in deaths from the disease.
The sanitarian Carlos Chagas, with two indications, is recognized worldwide for identifying the complete cycle of malaria and Chagas disease.
Physicist César Lattes. (Image: National Archives/Reproduction)
In 1983, physicist Mario Schenberg, a pillar of Brazilian theoretical physics and collaborator of great minds such as Enrico Fermi, was nominated for the Nobel Prize. But that year, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, one of his colleagues, was honored with the award.
Global agricultural production also owes a lot to Brazil. Johanna Dobereiner, appointed in 1997, is the force behind the revolution in food production. His studies formed the basis for the National Alcohol Program and boosted soybean cultivation.
The Brazilian ecosystem had a defender in Otto Gottlieb. Appointed in 1999, his studies on the chemical structure of plants are vital for environmental preservation.
Despite their immense contributions, names like Vital Brazil, pioneer in antivenom serums, and Oswaldo Cruz, who led the eradication of several diseases, were never formally nominated for the Nobel Prize.
The discovery of a vasodilator compound in jararaca venom by doctorsMauricio Silva It is Sergio Ferreira it also put them in the spotlight, even though they were not nominated for the race.
