The Most Cited Science Papers of All Time

Unveiling the Titans of Science: Most Cited Papers Across Disciplines Spark Fresh Insights

In a captivating new episode of SciShow released just hours ago on May 18, 2026, host Madelyn Leembruggen takes viewers on an illuminating journey through the most cited scientific papers of all time. Drawing from fields as diverse as materials science, computer science, physics, biology, and chemistry, the episode highlights why certain works continue to shape research decades after publication. As a science anchor reporting from Mumbai, I find these revelations particularly timely, underscoring how foundational discoveries fuel ongoing innovation in health, technology, and beyond.

The standout in materials science is the seminal 2004 paper on graphene by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov. Published in Science, this work has amassed over 150,000 citations. Graphene's single-layer carbon structure promises revolutionary applications in electronics, energy storage, and even biomedical sensors. Researchers today cite it constantly as they develop flexible displays and advanced drug-delivery systems that could transform treatments for chronic diseases prevalent in urban populations like Mumbai's.

Shifting to computer science, the 2015 paper "Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition" by Kaiming He and colleagues at Microsoft Research stands out. Known as the ResNet paper, it has surpassed 200,000 citations. By introducing residual connections to train ultra-deep neural networks, it overcame vanishing gradient problems that plagued earlier models. This breakthrough powers modern AI applications, from medical imaging diagnostics to predictive analytics in epidemiology—tools increasingly vital for global health monitoring.

In physics, the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functionals, particularly the 1996 Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) paper, dominate with hundreds of thousands of citations. These approximations simplify density functional theory calculations, enabling accurate modeling of electronic structures in complex materials. Scientists rely on them for simulating everything from catalysts in renewable energy to protein interactions in drug design, accelerating discoveries that bridge physics and medicine.

Biology's champion is the 1970 SDS-PAGE method paper by Ulrich Laemmli. Cited over 300,000 times, it revolutionized protein separation techniques. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis remains a staple in labs worldwide for analyzing protein sizes and purity. Its enduring popularity stems from simplicity and reliability, supporting everything from vaccine development to cancer biomarker research.

Finally, the Lowry assay for protein quantification, detailed in a 1951 paper by Oliver Lowry, has racked up citations exceeding 400,000. This colorimetric method provides quick, sensitive measurements essential for biochemistry experiments. Though newer assays exist, Lowry's foundational approach continues to be referenced in protocols for studying cellular processes linked to aging and metabolic disorders.

These papers endure because they solve core problems elegantly, offering methods or insights that researchers adapt across generations. Their citation counts reflect impact but active utility in today's labs. For instance, graphene research now intersects with health through wearable biosensors detecting glucose levels in real time.

As these insights from SciShow remind us, science builds cumulatively. The most cited works are not relics but living tools propelling humanity forward.

This is Dr. Raj Patel for Global1.news, reporting from Mumbai.

Source: SciShow via YouTube — 2026-05-18T17:00:22+00:00.