From inspiration to results

The path to a Nobel Prize-awarded achievement is often long and winding. Items donated by Nobel Prize laureates often tell of important steps along the way: sources of inspiration, insights, tools, collaborations, visualizations, and writing.

Scientific discoveries, innovative literature or ground- breaking peace initiatives do not come out of thin air. They all build on previous observations, proven knowledge and inspiring approaches.

Encyclopaedias, scientific articles, novels and religious tracts tell us about how Nobel Prize laureates have found knowledge and guidance in previous works.
 

The road to an innovation can be long and winding. Sometimes, interest was sparked early in life, but it is not always that straight forward. A chance encounter or sudden insight may have been crucial, but hard, untiring work is usually at the bottom of it.

A microscope, notebooks or a jar of peanut butter can tell us about awakening passions, germinating ideas and energy-demanding work.
 

Observations of the world around us are fundamental to our daily lives. In science, observation needs to be systematic and recorded so that it can be analysed. Collecting and sorting material is important also to writers, and in the work to promote peace and justice.

Microscopes, measuring instruments and pictures tell us of the work of observing and recording.

Counting is something we do every day. But science often requires far more advanced calculations.
Electronic and computer technology have provided us with new ways of performing scientific calculations.

Slide rules, pocket calculators, computer printouts and circuit cards give us an idea of how conditions have changed.

Trial and error, doing things to see what happens, seems to be ingrained in human nature. Experimenting is also fundamental to science. In literature, also, we find experimental approaches.

Tools, instruments and equipment capture decisive elements for innovation and clarifying experiments.

Collaborating and sharing ideas is crucial to new insights and knowledge. Researchers move between institutions, giving new impulses and contributing to scientific development. Research is almost always a team effort. Some research requires massive collaborations and facilities.

T-shirts and mascots are tributes to the collaboration within research teams. Parts of instruments give us glimpses of large-scale experiments.
 

Our knowledge of the world is based on our sensory impressions. But our senses are limited. Discoveries of unknown phenomena and the development of sophisticated instruments have made it possible to make the invisible visible.

X-ray tubes, cloud chambers and various kinds of microscopes have revealed what we cannot perceive with our senses alone.

A picture can sometimes say more than a complicated explanation. Translating large amounts of information and complex structures into coherent images is important in science.

Diagrams, illustrations and models are different ways of visualising things that are hard to understand.

Being a skilful and persuasive speaker is important, especially when working for peace. For writers, the written word is the material of their craft, but writing is also important for researchers.

Pens, a typewriter and manuscripts give an idea of the everyday life and work of Nobel Prize laureates in the sciences, literature and peace.

Innovative work can lead to results in different ways, in the form of text, images or other objects. These results, in turn, can be valuable to science, society and private life.

Novels, electronic components and a pharmaceutical vial are examples of many different kinds of results.