Wild About Science: What Bacteria Can Teach Us About Life's Big Questions

Researcher and author Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi has developed methods to "listen" to bacterial communication - and what she hears reveals a surprising picture. Bacteria live in advanced societies with communication, cooperation, conflicts, and survival strategies.

In the lecture, she poses questions such as: does it pay to cheat? What happens to a society if everyone stops cooperating? And what can bacteria tell us about the meaning of life?

Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi is a research leader and associate professor at the Department of Science and Environment at Roskilde University, with a PhD from the Technical University of Denmark. She has received the Lundbeck Foundation Talent Prize, the L'Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Science, and was named by Berlingske in 2024 as one of Denmark's 100 greatest talents. Forbes named her in 2019 one of Europe's "30 under 30" in science and health, and her TED talk has been viewed by over 2 million people.

The lecture takes place on the Main Stage, LIVE, 4th floor of the Main Library, lasts 45-60 minutes and is followed by questions and book signing. It is part of Copenhagen Libraries' festival "Wild About Science", running October-November at libraries across Copenhagen municipality. Entry is free with a ticket, but seats cannot be reserved and the view is limited from certain seats. If the event is sold out, you can join the waiting list and will be notified on a first-come, first-served basis - late cancellations do occur, so it is also possible to show up without a ticket.

From the Central Hall entrance on Krystalgade, you will find the stage area on the 4th floor via elevator or stairs to the right, or via escalators to the 3rd floor and from there a staircase to the right up to the 4th floor.