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Nobel Prize Conversations
Carolyn Bertozzi: Nobel Prize Conversations
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“Your purpose as a scientist is not to achieve fame or money, that is not your purpose, those might be side effects and good for you, that could be wonderful for you but it is a side effect, it is not the main goal. The main goal is to make discoveries and gift them to humanity. And those discoveries and that knowledge stays with humanity long after you are gone.” — Carolyn Bertozzi on the scientist's purpose.
Meet chemist and 2022 Nobel Prize laureate Bertozzi. In this episode she speaks about her two life-long loves: organic chemistry and music. Her love of music lead to her playing in a college rock band with Tom Morello whilst her love of organic chemistry earned her a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022. Bertozzi also speaks about her desire to create a diverse and open lab environment and how important that is for research. A true advocate of diversity, she sees clearly the advantages derived from diverse ideas and perspectives.
The host of this podcast is Adam Smith, Chief Scientific Officer at Nobel Prize Outreach. Nobel Prize Conversations is produced in cooperation with Fundación Ramón Areces.
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James Robinson: Nobel Prize Conversations
43:21|"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.
Geoffrey Hinton: Nobel Prize Conversations
39:00|"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.
First Reactions | James Robinson, prize in economic sciences 2024 | Telephone interview
04:46|“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.”
First Reactions | Daron Acemoglu, prize in economic sciences 2024 | Telephone interview
09:51|“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.
First Reactions | Simon Johnson, prize in economic sciences 2024 | Telephone interview
03:17|“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.
First Reactions | Nihon Hidankyo, Nobel Peace Prize 2024 | Telephone interview
03:00|“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.”
First Reactions | Han Kang, Nobel Prize in Literature 2024 | Telephone interview
07:30|”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.
First Reactions | David Baker, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 | Telephone interview
06:15|“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.
First Reactions | John Jumper, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 | Telephone interview
03:34|“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.”