Much is known about scientists such as Darwin, Newton, and Einstein, but what about lesser known scientists - people who have not achieved a high level of fame, but who have contributed greatly to human knowledge? What were their lives like? What were their struggles, aims, successes, and failures? How do their discoveries fit into the bigger picture of science as a whole? Overlooked, sidelined, excluded, discredited: key figures in scientific discovery come and take their bow in an alternative Nobel prize gallery.
George Washington Carver: born a slave, Carver become one of the most prominent botanists of his time, as well as a teacher at the Tuskegee Institute. Carver devised over 100 products using one major ingredient - the peanut - including dyes, plastics and gasoline.
Fred Hoyle: an English astronomer noted primarily for the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis - the process whereby most of the elements on the Periodic Table are created. He was also noted for the controversial positions he held on a wide range of scientific issues, often in direct opposition to prevailing theories. This eccentric approach contributed to him to being overlooked by the Nobel Prize committee for his stellar nucleosynthesis work.
Darryl Cunningham studied at Leeds College of Art and lives in Yorkshire. He is now a full-time cartoonist, but he has also worked as a health care assistant on an acute psychiatric ward which informed and inspired his acclaimed first book of factually-based comics, Psychiatric Tales (Blank Slate, 2010). His second book of graphic journalism, an explanation of climate change, the moon landing, evolution and other subjects, Science Tales, published by Myriad in 2012, was shortlisted in the Best Book category at the British Comics Awards 2012. His graphic investigative book, Supercrash: How to Hijack the Global Economy, was published to acclaim by Myriad in October 2014, won the `Best Writer - Independent' category at the Broken Frontier Awards 2014, and was on the New York Times Bestseller list when published in 2015 by Abrams as The Age of Selfishness. His work is published in The Art of Saving a Life, a global resource by renowned artists to encourage vaccination, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.