Scientist discovers his Nobel prize after missing calls on remote hike

"A scientist learned he had won a Nobel prize in medicine after his wife found cellphone service as they came to the end of a weeks-long backpacking adventure. Fred Ramsdell was blindsided with the news after spending three-and-a-half weeks on vacation with his wife, Laura O'Neill, at about 8,000 feet in the mountains of Wyoming. On their last night, the couple were driving through Yellowstone National Park when they stopped at a small town and his wife's phone came into signal."

"The device was quickly overwhelmed with hundreds of congratulatory messages about Ramsdell's accomplishment, according to Wired. 'She kind of yelled, "Oh my god, oh my God." I was outside and we're in grizzly territory, and I thought, "Bear? There's no bear." She comes out and says, "You just won the Nobel Prize,"' Ramsdell told the outlet. '"No, no, come on," I said. She's like, "I have 200 text messages"... We already booked a hotel room for that night."

Fred Ramsdell and his wife spent three-and-a-half weeks backpacking in Wyoming at about 8,000 feet. On the trip's final night they drove through Yellowstone National Park and stopped in a small town where his wife's phone regained signal and received hundreds of congratulatory messages. Ramsdell learned he had won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries in peripheral immune tolerance, shared with Mary E. Brunkow and Shimon Sakaguchi. Their research identified a genetic cause in mice that led the immune system to attack the body's own organs and established a foundation for treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases. Ramsdell said he was unaware the awards were being announced and attempted to contact the Nobel Committee late that night.

Read at Mail Online