Nobel Prize Conversations

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Nobel Prize Conversations

Nobel Prize Outreach

120 episodes

2 months ago

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize. The host for this podcast is Adam Smith, who has the happy task of interviewing our Nobel Prize laureates.

Sit in on our conversations as we delve into how these personalities found their fields of interest — often by coincidence — how they view collaboration, curiosity and failure, and what keeps them going. The laureates share what they have learned from their career and what they like to do outside of their work – from music to fly-fishing. We let the discussions flow freely, resulting in richly varied stories on topics ranging from poverty prevention to the science of black holes and the importance of being a role model.

Our latest season is coming in Spring/Summer 2025 and features the new crop of 2024 laureates, and is produced in cooperation with Fundación Ramón Areces.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Society & Culture,

All content for Nobel Prize Conversations is the property of Nobel Prize Outreach and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize. The host for this podcast is Adam Smith, who has the happy task of interviewing our Nobel Prize laureates.

Sit in on our conversations as we delve into how these personalities found their fields of interest — often by coincidence — how they view collaboration, curiosity and failure, and what keeps them going. The laureates share what they have learned from their career and what they like to do outside of their work – from music to fly-fishing. We let the discussions flow freely, resulting in richly varied stories on topics ranging from poverty prevention to the science of black holes and the importance of being a role model.

Our latest season is coming in Spring/Summer 2025 and features the new crop of 2024 laureates, and is produced in cooperation with Fundación Ramón Areces.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show more...

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/120)

Nobel Prize Conversations

David Baker: Nobel Prize Conversations

"If you imagine each researcher as a kind of a neuron in the communal brain, then people call me a connection machine.” – David Baker is a true believer in collaboration. He sees mentoring as one of the most essential part of his job. Baker spends most of his time at his laboratory and his colleagues explain his role as a connection machine as he connects “people who are working on things that are related”. He believes that progress in science is made by working together and sharing ideas.

Despite being in high demand since receiving his Nobel Prize, Baker has turned down all work trips to focus on being present in his laboratory and exploring new frontiers in science. The only work trip he has made since the prize announcement in October 2024 is the journey to Stockholm to receive his Nobel Prize. And for that, he brought 200 former students to Sweden celebrate the award with him.

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2 months ago

39 minutes 31 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

James Robinson: Nobel Prize Conversations

"I just think a book can change your life." 2024 economic sciences laureate James Robinson loves books – he has about 10 000 at home. Growing up without a TV, he and his mother spent evenings discussing news from the newspaper and reading. It's no wonder his interest for social sciences, politics and economic sciences was sparked at a young age.

As well as delving into his thoughts on literature and reading, Robinson shares his opinions on field work in this wide-ranging conversation. For Robinson field work provides an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of why problems exist and how they can be solved.

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize on the Nobel Prize Conversations podcast. Find it on Acast, or wherever you listen to pods. https://linktr.ee/NobelPrizeConversations

© Nobel Prize Outreach.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 months ago

43 minutes 21 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

Geoffrey Hinton: Nobel Prize Conversations

"When we remember, what we're doing is just making up a story that sounds plausible to us. That's what memories are." Join your host Adam Smith as he speaks to physicist Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI. They discuss Hinton's childhood memories and how his family legacy of successful scientists put pressure on Hinton to follow in their footsteps. Throughout the conversation it is clear that Hinton has always had a fascination with understanding how the human brain works.

Together with Smith, Hinton discusses the development of AI, how humans can best work with it, as well as his fears of how the technology will continue to develop. Will our world be taken over by AI? Find out in this podcast conversation with the 2024 physics laureate.

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize on the Nobel Prize Conversations podcast. Find it on Acast, or wherever you listen to pods. https://linktr.ee/NobelPrizeConversations

© Nobel Prize Outreach.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 months ago

39 minutes

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | James Robinson, prize in economic sciences 2024 | Telephone interview

“Get up, you need to get up! You’ve won the Nobel Prize.” That’s how James Robinson discovered he was a 2024 economic sciences laureate, as his wife, Maria Angélica Bautista, woke him up. In this brief call with the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith he talks about the root causes of poverty and how to build the types of political structures that enhance prosperity: “Inclusive institutions are not created by well-meaning elites. They’re created by people who fight for their rights.”

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10 months ago

4 minutes 46 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | Daron Acemoglu, prize in economic sciences 2024 | Telephone interview

“There’s nothing natural about 30-, 40-, 50- fold differences in income per capita in a globalised, connected world.” Daron Acemoglu, economic sciences laureate 2024, speaks about the root causes of persistent poverty among the poorest nations and how to build the types of inclusive institution that can support prosperity. In this conversation with the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith, recorded shortly after the prize announcement, Acemoglu also highlights the importance of democracy and his fears regarding AI, and how its misuse could result in a two-tier society.

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10 months ago

9 minutes 51 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | Simon Johnson, prize in economic sciences 2024 | Telephone interview

“True, genuine, inclusive democracy matters, very clearly.” Simon Johnson, economic sciences laureate 2024, learnt of the award from the congratulatory text messages piling-up on his phone. In this short conversation with the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith, recorded just moments after he had heard the news, he highlights the importance of participatory decision-making in making the most of human potential.

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10 months ago

3 minutes 17 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | Nihon Hidankyo, Nobel Peace Prize 2024 | Telephone interview

“The dream came true!” The prize came as a big surprise, says Masako Wada, a representative from the Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo, which works to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. In this interview shortly after learning about the Nobel Peace Prize 2024, she shares her deep concerns on the world’s backlash on nuclear disarmament, not least after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “Rather than anger, I feel sorrow and fear how deep humans will fall into darkness.”

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10 months ago

3 minutes

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | Han Kang, Nobel Prize in Literature 2024 | Telephone interview

”I’m so surprised and honoured.” 2024 literature laureate Han Kang had just finished dinner with her son at her home in Seoul when she received the news. In this interview with the Nobel Prize, she reflects on being the first South Korean literature laureate and talks about how writers as a collective have influenced her. “All their efforts and strengths have been my inspiration.” Han Kang also talks about her writing process on the international hit “The Vegetarian”, and recommends her most recent book “We Do Not Part” for anyone who’s curious to start reading her books.

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10 months ago

7 minutes 30 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | David Baker, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 | Telephone interview

“I got the phone call and my wife promptly started screaming.” News of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry gave David Baker’s household a very early wake up call. Here, just after the prize announcement, Baker speaks to the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith about the exciting potential of building brand new proteins, the inspirational effect his fellow laureates have had on his field and whether it is necessary to understand how predictive algorithms work.

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10 months ago

6 minutes 15 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | John Jumper, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 | Telephone interview

“It’s absolutely extraordinary.” John Jumper had just heard the news of his 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry when he spoke to the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith. “I thought I had a 10 % chance,” he reveals. To save his nerves, his plan had been to sleep in until after the announcement, which didn’t quite work out. In the interview, he talks about being the youngest chemistry laureate in over 70 years, and about AI’s role in science. “What I love about all this is that we can draw a straight line from what we do to people being healthy.”

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10 months ago

3 minutes 34 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | Demis Hassabis, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 | Telephone interview

“The best scientists paired with these kinds of tools will be able to do incredible things.” Demis Hassabis, 2024 Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry, reflects on building the right research environment and the interplay between AI and individual scientists. This short conversation with Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith was recorded just after he had received the call from Stockholm.

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10 months ago

5 minutes 8 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | John Hopfield, Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 | Telephone interview

“You have to build up from the bottom.” In this interview shortly after the announcement, 2024 physics laureate John Hopfield talks about how he found out about the prize when he was going through his e-mails. ”It didn't sink it until I got to the fourth e-mail!” Hopfield reflects on how to tackle big questions, such as how the mind works, in this conversation. He and his wife Mary Waltham spoke to the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith from his cottage in the village of Selborne in England, which was home to the 18th century naturalist Gilbert White.

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10 months ago

10 minutes 2 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | Geoffrey Hinton, Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 | Telephone interview

“How could I be sure it wasn’t a spoof call?” 2024 physics laureate Geoffrey Hinton received the phone call from Stockholm at around 2am in a hotel room in California, and multiple Swedish accents helped reassure him that his Nobel Prize in Physics was real. Greatly surprised, he talks to the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith about the state of machine learning, the pressing need for safety research, and his hopes that the award might make people take the fears he voices more seriously.

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10 months ago

6 minutes 47 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | Victor Ambros, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024 | Telephone interview

“We see it as a celebration of the way of doing science,” says Victor Ambros of his Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In this call with the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith, Ambros speaks about the joy of basic research and the ever-expanding fascination of RNA. Recorded just after Ambros found out about the prize, we also discover how the news was broken to the new laureate by his son, who began with the leading question, “Have you been getting calls from Sweden?”

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10 months ago

5 minutes 38 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

First Reactions | Gary Ruvkun, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024 | Telephone interview

“I heard what sounded like an authentic call from the Nobel Committee!” New medicine laureate Gary Ruvkun might have received a prank call or two in the past, but today’s was genuine. He talked to the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith minutes after hearing the news, about the pleasure of finding things out, the electrifying growth of the microRNA field over the years, and the benefits of taking time out. And as for what’s about to follow: “It’s going to be a fun ride!”

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10 months ago

6 minutes 26 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

Jon Fosse: Nobel Prize Conversations

Is the creative process different in the fields of art, literature and music? In a podcast conversation, literature laureate Jon Fosse speaks about all three fields and how they are similar in many ways. American painter Mark Rothko is mentioned as a source of inspiration as well as art in general. We also get insights into Fosse's childhood where music was large part of his life.

Today Jon Fosse enjoys a world of silence and avoids the noise of the world if possible. He describes his writing process, how he enjoys writing by hand with fountain pens and how a reader can tell if a book is written by hand or not. He also speaks about his relationship to God and religion.

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1 year ago

38 minutes 33 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

Pierre Agostini: Nobel Prize Conversations

Hear physics laureate Pierre Agostini describe how he found his love of science: ”It was only when I started doing research that I discovered the fun of physics." Together with podcast host Adam Smith, he talks about multiphoton ionisation, Planck time and contradicting Einstein.

Agostini also tells us about how his life has changed after being awarded the 2023 physics prize and how it has taken him some time to get used to his new role as a Nobel Prize laureate.

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1 year ago

30 minutes 3 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

Moungi Bawendi: Nobel Prize Conversations

Is it possible to 'see' quantum mechanics in action? In a podcast conversation, chemistry laureate Moungi Bawendi speaks about the incredible gratification of visualising quantum mechanics and how his collaboration with co-laureate Louis Brus started.

He also shares his love of music and speaks about how his lab's yearly ski trip helps his group work better together. Intuition and diversity in science are two more topics that are up for discussion.

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1 year ago

34 minutes 27 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

Louis Brus: Nobel Prize Conversations

Some words of wisdom from chemistry laureate Louis Brus: "You recognise opportunity and then you have to take advantage of it. Seize the opportunity basically. It takes some struggle."

In a conversation with podcast host Adam Smith, Louis Brus speaks about the process of discovery and his own scientific path.

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1 year ago

32 minutes 53 seconds

Nobel Prize Conversations

Anne L'Huillier: Nobel Prize Conversations

What are the benefits of creating a diverse laboratory? In this podcast episode with physicist Anne L’Huillier, we speak about the importance of diversity and how she herself speaks and thinks in three languages. From cultures and countries to gender, we discuss the advantages of bringing together people with a variety of backgrounds and experiences and how to promote this.

Also up for discussion are the consequences of becoming a Nobel Prize laureate. L’Huillier sees both the good and bad sides, including being a source of inspiration while having less time to write her new scientific textbook.

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1 year ago

34 minutes 26 seconds