What is life? A Trailblazer Lecture with Sir Paul Nurse

Enlarge

Welcomed by LMU President Matthias H. Tschöp and introduced by Dr Lena Bouman (CAS) and Dr Julia Schreiner (CAS), Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse engaged with the enduring question “What is life?” in conversation with Christof Rapp, Director of Center for Advanced Studies (CAS). The discussion took place on 17 April 2026 in the LMU Main Building.

Throughout the conversation, Nurse reflected on the conceptual foundations of biological thinking. He noted that, when grappling with complex questions, he often turns to philosophers for help in refining what he describes as the occasionally 'sloppy' style of scientific reasoning. At the same time, he suggested that genuine insights may require a willingness to move beyond strict conceptual frameworks.

Looking ahead, Nurse expressed his intention to devote further attention to what he termed the “mysteries of life”. Over the course of his career, he has made seminal contributions to biomedical research, most notably through the discovery of key regulators of the cell cycle, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2001. He previously served as Director of the Francis Crick Institute in London. As current President of The Royal Society, he remains an influential voice in international science. With his book "What Is Life?" (2020), he has sought to make core ideas of modern biology accessible to a wider readership.

Christof Rapp is Professor of Ancient Philosophy at LMU and Director of CAS, where he currently serves as co-speaker of the CAS Research Focus “Meaning of Life”.

The event was part of the “BMC Trailblazer Lectures,“ the CAS lecture series “The Meaning of Life“, and the CAS Research Focus “Speciation.”

Trailblazer Lectures at the BMC