Ardem Patapoutian and David Julius were awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday. Giorgio Parisi, Syukuro Manabe, and Klaus Hasselmann received the physics prize for their work on chaotic climate. Benjamin List and David MacMillan were honored with the chemistry award for their molecule building tool. Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah, aged 72, became the second writer of color in sub-Saharan Africa to win the Nobel Prize for Literature on Wednesday. Toni Morrison was the last Black recipient of the prize in 1993. Anne-Marie Morhed, head of the Swedish Association of Female Academics, noted that Gurnah fits the criteria of a writer from a non-traditional cultural background, but is not a woman. There are two remaining awards, the Peace Prize and the Economy Prize, which the Norwegian Nobel committee still has the opportunity to present to a woman. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, an exiled Belarus opposition leader, and Greta Thunberg are two women who are considered contenders for the Nobel Peace Prize, which will be announced in Norway on Friday. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is predominantly made up of women, with a woman leading the committee, just like the previous committee. In recent years, there has been a significant effort to diversify the recipients of prestigious awards, such as the Nobel Prize, by not exclusively awarding them to white men from North America and Western Europe, as was common in the past. Professor Winston Morgan, a toxicologist at the University of East London, has highlighted the lack of Black recipients in the fields of medicine, chemistry, and physics compared to the history of Black peace laureates. He also noted that there is a significant gender gap in the number of female prize winners, prompting scientists of both genders to express their disappointment on social media about the lack of women recognized for their achievements. GenderAvenger, a non-profit organization committed to promoting women's voices in public discussions, criticized the Nobel Prize awards for their lack of female representation in four out of six categories. They compared the situation to a mystery novel where the ending is already known halfway through. Additionally, some individuals, such as Ellie Murray, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, expressed disappointment that the contributions of Katalin Kariko and Kizzmekia Corbett, who played key roles in developing mRNA vaccines during the pandemic, were not recognized in this year's awards. Experts who follow the Nobel Prize closely believe that Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman are likely to be recognized in the future, as the committee typically rewards recipients after some time has passed. The Nobel Prize has specific criteria and traditions that are difficult to deviate from, but it is expected that the committee will acknowledge scientific advancements made during the pandemic in the next few years. While the number of women and scientists from Japan and China receiving Nobel Prizes is increasing, there has not been a similar trend for Black scientists. He expressed more concern about the lack of black scientists in universities and their support. When questioned about the lack of Black Nobel Prize winners in literature, Gurnah mentioned that the world was evolving. Jesper Haeggstrom, chairman of the Nobel Assembly for Physiology or Medicine, stated that the under-representation of women in science historically was a factor in the lack of female prize winners. Haeggstrom refused to comment on the impact of gender in the committee's selection process, stating that scientific competence is the main factor. Critics argue that the composition of the committees raises concerns, with only a small percentage of women represented in key positions. The chemistry committee is made up of six male members and two co-opted female members.