Morten Meldal: Never. I enjoyed it a lot. It is a very beautiful country. It is almost like the Scandinavian model. Many things are working in a similar way to what we have in Scandinavia.
Mm: They have the same priorities, the same attitude towards public health, education and many other things. Maybe at a different stage, but people’s attitude is very similar to what we have in Scandinavia. And, if they continue like this, everything will eventually do well.
Mm: They told me an hour before the official announcement. It is not allowed to tell anyone. So you feel that it is the most wonderful time and, at the same time, the most terrible of your life. I called my wife; She was talking to another person, so I called my son. He left his class immediately, he went down and bought a cake to come to celebrate with me. When they warned, I left my office and were all my colleagues with champagne. It was very nice, you feel your entire scientific career and achievements under a completely different light.
Mm: In Colombia there are two laureate with the Nobel Prize. We have 14 in Denmark. But 25 years ago we had our last Nobel. So, of course, people were happy. It’s like winning the World Cup or something.
Mm: I have two jobs. The Nobel Prize, in which I work in the dissemination of science. And my same position in research and teaching. So, now, my day is completely full, from morning to night, with tasks. But I emphasize teaching. I want to keep teaching. And I also want to do research. I have a group of ten people working on a variety of different programs in the laboratory. Today I am in Colombia and I will be in Spain next week. I travel all the time.
Mm: I really like to inspire young people to increase knowledge about science. And interest in science. Because science is a search for truth. Science is, in reality, the best existential philosophy you can have. Because it’s about the truth in life. And I really encourage young people to learn about science. Learn about chemistry, which is all that surrounds us. There is nothing around us or within us that is not chemical. They are all molecules that interact and combine. And life only has 16 atoms. So simple … 16 atoms. It is not much to generate this amazing complexity and diversity that you see around you.
Mm: Because chemistry is everything. So why shouldn’t we study the whole? Everything can be explained by chemistry. Even our brain reactions are chemical reactions. And knowing what happens, perhaps we can control our reactions. Maybe we can plan better, maybe we can make better decisions when we vote. We need to understand it to solve some of the global challenges we face, such as global warming, pollution, excess plastics. Is there a chemical way to solve these problems? Don’t know. But we need young people to really be interested in that. Because it is your future.
Mm: They are very good and ask excellent questions. I have a lot of hope.
