Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Paul Nurse, Chief Executive, Francis Crick Institute

Nobel prize-winner Paul Nurse has spent his career revealing how living cells work. In this lecture, he will consider the question ‘What is Life?’ by discussing five great ideas of biology, ranging from the ‘cell’ to ‘the logic of life’. By considering these concepts, a direction of travel is set towards a definition of life.

Biography:
Paul Nurse is a geneticist and cell biologist whose discoveries have helped to explain how the cell controls its cycle of growth and division.

Paul’s contributions to cell biology and cancer research were recognised with a knighthood in 1999. In addition, Paul’s endeavours relating to the discovery of cell cycle regulatory molecules saw him jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2001.

Sir Paul's book, What is Life?, is available to buy now from our university bookseller Blackwell's: blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/What-is-Life-by-Paul-Nurse-author/9781788451406

Live Q&A:
The lecture will be followed by a live Q&A with the speakers. You can submit a question during the event using YouTube Live Chat, via Twitter @InsightsNCL or by sending an email to public.lectures@ncl.ac.uk.

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