He seems a remarkably humble man, for such a high calibre scientist. The article states that Pääbo is described as being "a bit overwhelmed" by the attention h

He seems a remarkably humble man, for such a high calibre scientist. The article states that Pääbo is described as being "a bit overwhelmed" by the attention he received after receiving the Nobel prize and he admits "It’s a bit of a burden, to be honest, all the attention I’ve been getting. But it’s a pleasant burden, and one for which I know I can’t expect much sympathy." He also mentions that at his Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, his co-workers did their best to stop the award from going to his head by "throwing him in the pond outside" and "removing his glasses and taking his phone away beforehand." Additionally, he acknowledges that the prize is as much his colleagues' prize as his, showing humility and team spirit.