Scientist's off-grid hike interrupted by news of Nobel Prize win

October 8, 2025

Dr. Fred Ramsdell, hiking in Montana with his wife Laura O'Neill, discovered he had won the Nobel Prize for medicine when his wife received numerous text messages while they were off-grid. Initially disbelieving the news, Ramsdell eventually confirmed his award, which he shares with two other scientists for their research on how the immune system attacks hostile infections. The Nobel committee had tried to reach him directly, but his phone was on airplane mode, resulting in a 20-hour delay before he could connect with officials.

Who is affected

Dr. Fred Ramsdell, the Nobel Prize winner
Laura O'Neill, Ramsdell's wife
Two other unnamed scientists who share the prize
Dr. Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Assembly
Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Ramsdell's lab

What action is being taken

Dr. Ramsdell and his wife drove to a town in southern Montana to get phone signal
Dr. Ramsdell contacted the Nobel Committee to confirm his win
The winners are sharing a prize fund worth 11 million Swedish kronor (£870,000)

Why it matters

Dr. Ramsdell and two other scientists won the Nobel Prize for significant research into how the immune system attacks hostile infections
This represents an unusual and challenging notification of a Nobel Prize win, with Dr. Perlmann calling it the most difficult attempt to contact a winner since he assumed his role in 2016
The incident adds to the history of unusual ways Nobel laureates learn about their awards

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC