All humans begin as a single cell – the fertilized egg. That one cell then begins to divide and develop into an embryo, and eventually into a fetus. But how does life actually begin? How do cells know what to become, and what can go wrong?
Welcome to the third part of the conversation series Three museums on the beginning of life, where researcher Fredrik Lanner shares insights into the very first steps of human development. The conversation is recorded for the Nobel Prize Museum’s podcast Idéer som förändrar världen and is hosted by Gustav Källstrand, historian of ideas and Nobel expert.
Three museums on the beginning of life
Nordiska museet, Nationalmuseum, and the Nobel Prize Museum invite you to a series of conversations exploring life’s big questions through cultural history, art, and science.
This autumn, we gather around the theme of life’s beginning – in conversations with chemists, artists, and folklorists. Together, we explore magical beliefs and rituals surrounding the child, the artist’s gaze on the origin of everything, and science’s attempts to understand when a human becomes human.
Fredrik Lanner
Fredrik Lanner is a researcher at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, and the Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine at Karolinska Institutet.
Gustav Källstrand
Gustav Källstrand is a Nobel expert at the Nobel Prize Museum, host of the podcast Idéer som förändrar världen, and author of the book Tänk som en Nobelpristagare.
About the programme
Date
Friday 21 November 2025
Time
18:00–19:00
Location
Nobel Prize Museum
Language
Swedish
Price
150 SEK adults
110 SEK students and seniors
Free admission for members
Tickets
Nordiska museet: The beginning of life through folk beliefs and rituals
Wednesday 22 October
17:30–19:00
When a child is conceived, it is followed by a vulnerable period during which the child must be protected from various dangers. People have done this through magical techniques, rituals, and clothing.
Meet Marit Baer and Jonas Engman, curators at the Nordic Museum, in a conversation.
Read more about the programme at Nordiska museet’s website.
Nationalmuseum: The beginning of life in art
Thursday 6 November
18.00–19.00
How has the beginning of life been depicted in art? Depictions of childbirth appear—though rarely—in early modern art, and are primarily linked to religious dogmas surrounding the Virgin Mary.
Contemporary artist Ylva Snöfrid (b. 1974) presents the materiality of birth in works where placentas, breast milk, and umbilical cords are vividly present in the painting. In a conversation with Associate Professor Martin Olin and Ylva Snöfrid, we explore the image of birth. What is symbolism, and what is realism?
Read more about the programme at Nationalmuseum’s website.
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