This programme is held in Swedish
We can cure diseases and reduce the risk of premature death by living a healthy life, but does the cells’ own chemistry set a limit to how long we can live?
Welcome to the second part of the conversation series Three museums on death, where chemist Ulf Ellervik talks about what happens in our cells when we live, when we die – and why we cannot live forever.
The conversation is recorded for the Nobel Prize Museum’s podcast Ideas That Change the World, and hosted by Gustav Källstrand, historian of ideas and Nobel expert.
Three museums on death
Nordiska museet, Nationalmuseum, and the Nobel Prize Museum invite you to a conversation series where we approach life’s big questions through cultural history, art and science.
During the spring, we gather around humanity’s view of death – in conversations with chemists, artists and folklorists. Together, we explore magical beliefs and rituals surrounding the end of life, death in art, and the cell’s own life cycle.
Ulf Ellervik
Ulf Ellervik is a professor of organic chemistry at Lund University of Technology. In 2018, he was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and since 2022 he has been the chair of its Education Committee.
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 27 March 2026
Time
18:00–19:00
Location
Nobel Prize Museum
Language
Swedish
Price
160 SEK adults
120 SEK students and seniors
Free admission for members
Tickets
Food and beverage
Lighter meals are available at Bistro Nobel for programme participants
Nordiska museet: Humans and death
Wednesday 11 March
17:30–19:00
How do humans relate to death? Curator Marit Baer and ethnologist Jonas Engman meet in a conversation about folk narratives and beliefs surrounding death, and about rituals at the end of life.
The invited guest is Pia Kristoffersson, Civil Celebrant through her company LIV & DÖD Kulturbegravningar.
Read more about the program item on Nordiska museet’s website (in Swedish).
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