Nobel Prize Conversations
Where science takes us: looking back, looking forward
5 May 2026, 18:30 – 20:00 CEST
Madrid, Spain
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Is real progress ever predictable, how dependent is the development of our understanding on new technology, does AI change everything and what role does imagination play in scientific discovery?
Join us for a conversation investigating the evolution and progress of science, and what might be to come. Featuring Nobel Prize laureates Stefan Hell and Benjamin List, we explored the transformations in understanding they have seen in their scientific lifetimes over the past half century, and what they imagine will happen next.
Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry Hell and List were accompanied on stage by the scientific historian José Manuel Sánchez Ron, and philosopher of science Laura Nuño de la Rosa. The panel discussion and audience dialogue was moderated by Adam Smith, Chief Scientific Officer at Nobel Prize Outreach.