Nobeliate Stories: Discoveries of 2025 & Past — How They Were Made, with Ilya Kolmanovsky

Nobeliate Stories: How the Discoveries of 2025 and Past Years Were Made — and Why They Matter a Talk by Ilya Kolmanovsky (in Russian with slides in English)

Join us for an evening with Ilya Kolmanovsky, taking place one week after the announcement of this year’s Nobel Prizes. These will certainly be on the agenda, and Ilya will also share captivating insights into past Nobel laureates: an expelled Eton pupil once branded a failure; a judo prodigy; the children of Norwegian farmers; an Australian doctor with a kamikaze spirit; the penniless daughter of a Hungarian butcher; and a jet-lagged hunter

chasing mutant flies. And, of course, the Cambridge pioneer behind the first “test-tube babies”.

This lecture will be of interest to adults and teenagers.

When: Monday 13 October 2025 18:00–20:00 (BST)

Where: Winstanley Lecture Theatre, Trinity College, Cambridge CB2 1TQ

(Entrance via St John’s Street opposite Trinity College’s main gate)

Language: Russian, with slides in English

Format: In-person & Online via Zoom

In-person tickets: £20 – Standard, £14 – CamRuSS Members, £16 - concessions and students

Zoom tickets: £15 – Standard, £9 – CamRuSS Members, £10 - concessions and students

Please note: The lecture will not be recorded.

Ilya Kolmanovsky is a biologist and a celebrated master of science theatre and stand-up known for his unique ability to blend journalism with the art of live performance. He makes complex scientific ideas both accessible and engaging often combining lectures with games and live experiments.

He completed his dissertation on primate skeletal evolution taught at Moscow’s renowned Second School (specialising in maths and physics) and worked at the Palaeontological Museum where he devised theatrical tours to bring science to life. From 1996 to 2004 he co-led an educational centre for refugee children.

Kolmanovsky has created numerous science shows and projects, including Adventures of a Meatball, About the Brain, and About the Bad. He is also the host of the popular children’s podcast One and a Half Mole Rat, which explains how the world works in a way that’s fun and understandable for young listeners.

For a broader audience, he launched the podcast Golyi Zemlekop (The Naked Mole Rat), which explores scientific breakthroughs, emerging technologies and fascinating topics ranging from microbes and fast food to coronavirus and the influence of genes. In 2024, the podcast was launched in English.

He is also the author of books for children (Why Birds Don’t Fall, How a Pear Gets Into the Brain) and for adults (Mysteries of Genetics, Our Belly: An Alien Within Us, among others).

Kolmanovsky continues to deliver talks internationally and host podcasts; in 2024, he presented a special programme on the brain and artificial intelligence.

Russian-language podcast «Golyi Zemlekop» on YouTube ( https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVtPFfT394tEpC4zZbr5RoTQOErKYlcKL)

and Apple Podcasts ( https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/голый-землекоп/id1505388337)

English-language podcast «The Naked Mole Rat» on YouTube (

and Apple Podcasts ( https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-naked-mole-rat/id1838677279)