Science
Medicine
![Mount Sinai Presents: Brain-Computer Interface Revolution](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/1f033dc8-4086-4ae8-9f58-448c89ffc1df/240625_braincomputer_009.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=223%2C0%2C2667%2C2665&w=290)
Brain-computer interfaces show potential to restore function to people impacted by incurable neurological conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disease. Experts from neurosurgery, neuroscience and technology explore the current state of BCIs, their applications and the possibilities of this transformative technology.
![Francis Collins on Science and Faith](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/6bfedb4f-4e98-45ef-a03c-fdc78698e0d5/53811234024_81d87a8491_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=199%2C0%2C3895%2C3896&w=290)
Few people are more deeply steeped in science than Francis Collins, former director of the National Institutes of Health and the groundbreaking Human Genome Project, and former acting science advisor to President Biden. The physician and geneticist is also an evangelical Christian and he sees no contradiction there. Indeed, Collins argues that harmonizing science and faith...
![The Menopause Brain](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/74814f52-6fdc-4590-ac38-99b0b9a094d7/53809795359_322c947e2a_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=3356%2C11%2C4630%2C4629&w=290)
The hormonal changes and hot flashes that accompany menopause are familiar to most women, but the accompanying brain changes have not received as much attention. We now know that the inflammatory responses associated with declining levels of estrogen have neurological consequences, which could explain why women are more likely than men to develop Alzheimer’s disease. The a...
![How Genetic Data is Transforming Cancer and Other Diseases](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/c09328de-b753-47f7-b77f-ba466819b598/53810267133_dbec28571d_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1947%2C231%2C2538%2C2531&w=290)
The idea of gathering DNA samples into a vast database in order to identify disease risks and breakthrough therapies was once a distant dream. Not long ago, immunotherapy seemed like pure fantasy. Today, these genetic-based approaches offer patients insights into their risks for developing cancer, potentially leading to new therapeutic approaches, earlier screenings, and p...
![Future of Fertility](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/4ce6ce5f-14f3-471f-8f35-5625cdc6f749/53808730334_2d0d8e8b97_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1726%2C0%2C3214%2C3212&w=290)
From in vitro fertilization (IVF), which combines human eggs and sperm outside the body, to in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), which uses stem cells to create gametes, pregnancy is becoming possible in remarkable new ways. As innovative fertility treatments evolve, so do the surrounding ethical and legal questions. Some businesses now pay for IVF treatments, positioning coverag...
![Blue Zones and Lifestyle Medicine: The Secrets to Longevity Unlocked](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/451b247f-f20a-438b-a194-6a382c8660dd/53809460051_17da9335fe_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=3043%2C0%2C4641%2C4640&w=290)
The communities we call home and the ways we live greatly influence health and longevity. By studying “Blue Zones” around the globe, Dan Buettner has uncovered the macro-level secrets that lead long and vigorous lives. At the individual level, Dean Ornish presents new evidence that lifestyle choices can alter the course of Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, cancer, and ch...
![GLP-1 Agonists: Wonder Drugs of the 21st Century?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/8c839279-ecc7-4717-8a12-38a8a9f64bcd/53812131104_87f7a9dc2b_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=52%2C532%2C5435%2C5445&w=290)
The first drug in a class known as GLP-1 agonists was approved in 2005 to treat diabetes. GLP-1 drugs subsequently proved their mettle to treat obesity and prevent major cardiovascular events and will likely soon be available to treat sleep apnea as well. Looking ahead, their action on the brain is prompting research to gauge their value in curbing drug, alcohol, and nicot...
![Harnessing AI for Equitable Healthcare](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/634c98f5-1ae7-46b5-afe0-1a02d8e05780/240622_equitable_healthcare_013.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1581%2C143%2C2412%2C2413&w=290)
Artificial intelligence is generating enormous excitement for its potential to predict health risks, speed diagnoses, and guide medical decision making. At the same time, the algorithms that make AI so powerful carry an inherent danger of bias, as some models are known to return lower accuracy results on risk assessment or even exclude certain populations from clinical stu...
![Will Psychedelics Go Mainstream?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/c84572ec-3894-4908-8d4f-19c487e7179a/53810485245_1fc8f7f548_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1550%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Scientific investigation is laser focused on psychedelics to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ease end-of-life anxiety, and address mental health challenges, including addiction. The FDA has issued draft guidelines to drug sponsors studying psychedelic-assisted therapy as it considers an application for MDMA-assisted therapy for use in PTSD care. As regulators...
![Food as Medicine](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/96a3301d-ecd0-433e-b370-3fcb475e13a4/53807854062_4f324aa3cd_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=980%2C0%2C3918%2C3918&w=290)
The health benefits of a nutritious diet are well-established, but just telling people to eat more plant-based foods and less unhealthy fat isn’t enough to reduce the toll of chronic diseases. A growing body of research supports a much more systematic approach, woven into the fabric of healthcare, to leverage the medicinal power of food. Medically tailored meals designed t...
![How Genomics is Personalizing Medicine and Revolutionizing Healthcare](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/51a65a94-96a3-446b-a9dc-9922bf2a030c/KDyuIm5U.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1222%2C0%2C2667%2C2667&w=290)
Managing disease is getting personal. With the genomic revolution upon us, we now understand that many diseases don't always follow the same predictable course and personalized treatments often work best. The recognition that disease patterns are greatly influenced by individual genetic makeup, combined with advances in technology and gene therapy, are driving a paradigm s...
![Atul Gawande, Advocating for a Global Immune System](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/a58c1b54-2eed-452f-8b29-a6bd14484164/53809060518_cd635369af_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1052%2C0%2C3455%2C3454&w=290)
To secure equitable global health and security, the world needs its own immune system. That’s the message from surgeon and author Atul Gawande, who leads global health assistance for the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The current strategy is emergency-driven, rarely going beyond reactive responses to infectious diseases, natural disasters, and the violenc...
![You Can Live Longer!](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/09b5158f-2012-437a-868e-6005cfb554bd/53809706163_9beb5008ea_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C5504%2C5504&w=290)
Scientists are deeply engaged in efforts to slow aging and eliminate age-related diseases by editing genes, reprogramming cells, and developing novel molecular therapeutics. AI-driven technologies are sorting through existing compounds to repurpose them for longevity. Biotech companies are developing therapies that target metabolic aging to improve the effectiveness of new...
![Your Gut: An Owner’s Guide to a Happier, Healthier Belly](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/921ed588-d073-4eca-8a1d-7b45937993f5/53809709738_1f674a8513_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=512%2C0%2C5504%2C5504&w=290)
In polite conversation, we don’t share much information about our gastrointestinal tract or daily bathroom rituals but gut health is crucial to overall wellbeing. Knowledge of the microbiome, which consists of microorganisms that are especially prevalent in the intestines, reveals how inextricably the gut is linked to brain health, inflammation, and the immune system. Lear...
![Health Equity through a Climate Lens](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/21f37547-fcd7-40a3-9e7d-5606b7a4e818/53809458196_a39e326257_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=399%2C0%2C4641%2C4640&w=290)
Climate change, with its global threats to health, could destroy low-lying nations and push as many as 135 million people into poverty by 2030, according to the World Bank. But these catastrophic consequences are not inevitable. Acknowledging that the burdens of climate change have been distributed inequitably, and targeting aggressive action specifically to vulnerable pop...
![Primary Care Evolves](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/4f14ce17-8da1-460c-b731-84ee43c88e77/53810016421_30e688c17a_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
There is clear evidence that broader, more equitable access to primary care generates better health outcomes. But the traditional paradigm—seeing a family doctor in the office—is shifting in tandem with changing technology, new attitudes among young people, and physician shortages. Digital portals and other telehealth tools, walk-in clinics, and community-based facilities...
![What Animal Health Can Teach Us](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/6988b843-bb9a-4c5f-9bb1-730a4d574952/53808903483_011fedee0e_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1903%2C0%2C3704%2C3702&w=290)
Human beings sometimes forget they are animals themselves. The biological and emotional patterns of other mammals—seen in cancer among golden retrievers, high blood pressure in pregnant giraffes, the social behavior of insects, and connections among elephants that safeguard against loneliness—have much to teach us about our own health. The emerging field of zoobiquity, whi...
![In Conversation with CRISPR Pioneer Jennifer Doudna](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/e06f2d05-3842-45df-a7de-c5aee46ead67/53807864915_33f9fd0af3_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1305%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Barely a dozen years ago, Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues published a paper in Science about CRISPR, the pioneering gene-editing technique that thrilled the scientific community. In 2020, the discovery earned her a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. CRISPR is now a mainstream area of study, with researchers looking at its use not only to advance medicine but also to improve ani...
![CRISPR 2.0, the Next Generation](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/664fa430-dd44-42c1-9e79-96c5a63c1fc0/53807106830_a6524a26eb_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1653%2C0%2C3802%2C3803&w=290)
History was made this year when the first FDA-approved CRISPR-based gene editing therapy became available to patients, designed to cure sickle cell anemia. That represents ground-breaking progress, but the treatment involves a months-long ordeal with often-brutal side effects and it is hugely expensive. With dozens of CRISPR therapeutics in the second phase of human tri...
![New Prescription for Trust](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/290bac42-f841-4530-b4d7-d1e32a03dc4d/53807869390_cfe6318fa0_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Although most Americans (83%) still trust their doctors to tell them the truth about health issues, fewer than half have faith in healthcare CEOs, government leaders, or journalists. As trust declines, people are turning to less reliable sources of medical information. The result: 40% of those surveyed say they regret a health decision they made based on misinformation. Sh...