Rita Levi-Montalcini

Interview

Interview, November 2008

Interview with the 1986 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine Rita Levi-Montalcini in Rome, Italy, 26 November 2008. The interviewer is Adam Smith, Editor-in-Chief of Nobelprize.org.

Rita Levi-Montalcini talks about her daily work in the institute, why she had to make a laboratory in her bedroom to conduct research during World War II (3:06), the benefits of working in isolation (5:03), her post-war move to the United States (6:25), her work with Stanley Cohen and the discovery of nerve growth factor (7:15), the roles of intuition and chance in biological research (15:14), her current research (16:58), her advice to young scientists (17:41), and why this period of her life has been the best so far (28:10).

To cite this section
MLA style: Rita Levi-Montalcini – Interview. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Thu. 21 Nov 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1986/levi-montalcini/interview/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.

See them all presented here.

Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.