In a compelling photographic project titled 'De Oförtrutna' (The Relentless), photographer Christer Björkman has documented Swedish scientists who are continuing the groundbreaking work of Carl Linnaeus, the 18th-century botanist who established the modern taxonomic system for classifying living organisms based on their physical characteristics. Each researcher participated in a photoshoot while holding a significant book and an item crucial to their scientific investigations, creating a visual narrative that bridges historical scientific methods with contemporary research practices.
Microscopic Marvels and Botanical Mysteries
The project features numerous specialists who study often-overlooked organisms. Entomologist Mikael Sörensson from Lund University examines featherwing beetles, which rank among the world's smallest insects. His research focuses on spermatheca, the specialized female organs that receive and store sperm. During his portrait session, Sörensson held a tuning fork, inspired by classical music, and rested his arm on a rare 1872 publication about featherwing beetles.
Diverse Research Specializations
Emma Kärrnäs investigates eulophid wasps, tiny insects measuring just a few millimeters, which she describes as resembling "tiny jewels." She was photographed with a triangular sweep net used for collecting specimens. Meanwhile, Anders Lindström from the National Veterinary Institute in Sweden explained his fascination with mosquitoes, posing with a specially adapted camera and a 1691 book by Jesuit scholar Filippo Bonanni about microscopic lifeforms inhabiting decaying organic materials.
Botanist Torbjörn Tyler, also from Lund University, has developed expertise in identifying plant species by examining their hairs. "The most annoying thing is plants that lack hair," he remarked during his session, where he brought a microscope and a 1943 book documenting plants that were accidentally introduced to Sweden and subsequently established themselves in local parks.
Continuing Linnaeus's Taxonomic Tradition
Julia Stigenberg, a researcher at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, directly continues the legacy of Carl Linnaeus, often called the "father of modern taxonomy." Specializing in parasitic wasps, Stigenberg appeared with a microscope and a 1993 taxonomy reference book. "Discovering the unknown is what drives me," she stated, echoing the exploratory spirit that characterized Linnaeus's original work.
Fungal Specialists and Evolutionary Mysteries
Martin Ryberg from Uppsala University studies speciation processes in fungi—how new species emerge through evolutionary mechanisms. He posed with a magnifying lens and a 1992 field guide to fungal identification. Similarly, Anders Dahlberg from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, who specializes in fungal ecology, described nature as "like a drug" while holding his field flask and another 1992 fungi guide.
Yannick Woudstra from Stockholm University expressed fascination with dandelions' asexual reproduction methods, which he noted "go against basic evolutionary theory." He was photographed with a pocket magnifying glass and a 2024 book dedicated to dandelion biology.
Palaeontological Investigations and Insect Studies
Palaeontologist Vivi Vajda from the Swedish Museum of Natural History compared her work to "detective work," using a hammer to extract fossils from stones during field research. She brought a 1986 book examining extinction dynamics to her photoshoot. Entomologist Emma Wahlberg studies thrips, minuscule insects that feed on plant sap, describing them as "those little things everyone walks past." She posed with the delicate brush she uses to handle these fragile creatures and a 2001 book on Swedish flora.
Museum Curators and Botanical Discoveries
Magnus Gelang, senior curator at Gothenburg Natural History Museum, confessed his fascination with bats, noting that "we don't even know how many species there are in Sweden." He held an ultrasound detector and a 2023 publication about these winged mammals. Botanist Mats Thulin recounted how "it became something of a revelation" when he realized he could build a career around his botanical passions. He brought a map of African flora and Linnaeus's seminal 1753 publication to his portrait session.
Åsa Kruys, curator of fungal collections at Uppsala University's Museum of Evolution, spoke about "the beautiful world that exists under the microscope," holding a carved wooden cup gifted by friends when she defended her PhD thesis alongside a 1972 fungi reference book. Botanist Anne-Sophie Quatela from Stockholm University discussed how DNA sequencing has revealed evolutionary complexities, describing this understanding as "kind of a mystery." She posed with a herbarium specimen collection and a 2017 book about evolution's random nature.
Genetic Research and Entomological Advocacy
Paco Cárdenas, who oversees the Linnaean historical collection at Uppsala University, recalled responding "Sure, I can give it a try" when invited to begin a PhD project on sponge genetics. He brought a microscope and a 1989 evolution textbook to his photographic session. Finally, entomologist Mats Jonsell from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences advocated for parental encouragement of children's interest in insects, quipping that "the apple doesn't fall far from the pear tree." He held a collecting stick and a 2002 guide to identifying insects through the damage patterns they leave in wood.
This comprehensive photographic project visually documents how contemporary Swedish scientists across multiple disciplines—from entomology and botany to mycology and palaeontology—are advancing the taxonomic traditions established by Carl Linnaeus nearly three centuries ago, while investigating some of nature's most minute and mysterious organisms.
