The Nobels need to overcome their three-body problem

An interesting aspect of the Nobel prize in physics is that, while there are many cases of deserving scientists who were not honoured, there are very few cases of the opposite, i.e., undeserved awards. It is remarkable that in a century that saw several revolutions in physics, there are very few instances where we now think "Oops, that discovery was not what we thought it was"! As regards the three-body problem, I too find the "Nobel laureate = genius" mantra most irritating, but I think it would dilute the status and astonishing PR of the prize if there were regular awards to large groups. Do we really want thousands of Nobel laureates ever few years? Perhaps the best solution is more alternative prizes as pointed out by the author