The Nobel Prizes in science will be announced this October. To mark the occasion, we’re celebrating world-class research with a cosy afternoon in our historic auditorium at the Medical Museion. Once again, Politiken’s science editor Lasse Foghsgaard will be your host, bringing sharp perspectives, surprising insights and a great atmosphere.
As always, there’ll be cake and coffee during the break, followed by a glass of bubbles to round off the afternoon in the beautiful surroundings of the Museion.
See the programme below.
Philip Ball in conversation with Louise Whiteley
The Ever-Changing Body – Where Do We Draw the Line in Stem Cell Research?
Philip Ball (UK) is one of Europe’s leading science writers. At this year’s Science Festival, he will explore the colourful and fascinating cultural history of stem cells.
Stem cells are the body’s biological building blocks. They can reproduce themselves and develop into many different types of cells. We all have them inside us, and they play a crucial role in our development from a fertilised egg into an adult. They also help maintain and repair the body.
Today, researchers can grow and manipulate stem cells in entirely new ways and even reprogramme adult cells back into a stem cell state. These new biotechnologies have enormous medical potential and could eventually make things possible that were once confined to the realms of fantasy and science fiction: from growing replacement organs and limbs to creating living animals without the need for eggs or sperm.
Drawing on science, history and culture, Philip Ball explores what it means that “any part of our body could potentially be turned into any other part of ourselves – including an entire self” using new stem cell technologies.
Philip Ball was an editor at the internationally renowned scientific journal Nature for more than two decades. He has also written numerous popular science books exploring the relationship between science and the wider culture, including Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another (2004), How to Grow a Human (2019) and How Life Works (2023).
Note: This talk will be in English.
Birgitte Skadhauge and Ilka Braumann in conversation with Lasse Foghsgaard
Two Women Crack the Genetic Code of Hops
A project led by Danish researchers has succeeded in mapping the genetic code of hops, the final key ingredient in beer, down to the smallest detail. The breakthrough could pave the way for alcohol-free beers that taste like the real thing, while also potentially helping to develop crops that are more resilient to climate change.
Birgitte Skadhauge, Research Director at Carlsberg Research Laboratory, and Ilka Braumann, Head of Hop Innovation, talk to Lasse Foghsgaard about hop DNA and how their findings could shape the future of crop cultivation. As a preview to their conversation, you can read Lasse Foghsgaard’s interview.
Note: This talk will be in Danish.
Patrick Munk in conversation with Lasse Foghsgaard
Thanks for the Shit: What Does Your Poop Tell Us About Antibiotic Resistance?
Are there scientists studying what we flush down the toilet? Yes, actually, and Patrick Munk is one of them. Using supercomputers, he studies antibiotic resistance through our toilets, and our poop can tell us quite a lot about what antibiotic resistance looks like around the world. Find out exactly what Patrick Munk is looking for, and how people in Denmark compare with people elsewhere in the world.
Patrick Munk is a microbiologist trained at the University of Copenhagen. He is an associate professor at DTU, where he researches antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and microbiomes, including those found in wastewater and animals. Read more here.
Note: This talk will be in Danish.
Sofie Lindskov Hansen and Svend Krøjer Krebs in conversation with Morten Busch
The Quantum Race: What’s at Stake for Denmark?
Quantum computers could eventually have an impact on everything from new medicines and materials to encryption and security. But how far has the technology actually come? And, how much of it is still hype?
Quantum technology has become a matter of geopolitics. The US, China and Europe are investing heavily, and Denmark is in an unusually strong position. However, can we maintain that position and get better at turning research into real-world applications before the technology and companies move elsewhere?
Meet Sofie Lindskov Hansen, a quantum physicist and adviser at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Svend Krøjer Krebs from the Niels Bohr Institute. He works on the next generation of quantum computers and how they can be used to tackle challenges in fields including medicine, chemistry and the green transition.
Together with Morten Busch, editor-in-chief of ScienceNews, they’ll explore what quantum computers can actually do today, what is still standing in the way – and why quantum technology is already about much more than physics.
Note: This talk will be in Danish.
Practical Information
- Date: Saturday 26 September, 13:00–17:00. The museum opens at 11:00.
- Address: Medical Museion, Bredgade 62, 1260 Copenhagen.
- Plus membership price: DKK 140
- Student price (with valid student ID): DKK 80
- University of Copenhagen staff: DKK 140
- Non-member price: DKK 195
- Ticket fee: DKK 10 per ticket.
Note: The ticket price includes admission to the museum, coffee and cake during the break, and a glass of bubbles to round off the afternoon.
Memory lane
From Nobel Prize-winning chemist Morten Meldal, stem cell researcher Agnete Kirkeby and professor and Nobel Prize contender Jens Juul Holst to DNA researcher Eske Willerslev, hedgehog researcher Sophie Lund Rasmussen and physics talent Albert Sneppen. These are just some of the star scientists who have joined us at the Science Festival over the years.
Below, you can explore the programmes from previous Science Festivals:
