![](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/a9aa27a9-1eb4-4556-b611-683888a80f23/aif-2022-blackhole.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=468%2C102%2C1114%2C626&w=800)
Black Hole Survival Guide
Setup
Scientists recently made the monumental announcement of the first picture of a black hole at the center of the Milky Way. As surely as the Earth orbits the sun, we orbit that black hole — 26,000 light-years away and 4 million times the mass of the sun, yet less than 20 times the width. It has been a century of black-hole discoveries, including two Nobel prizes for black-hole science in the past few years. This discovery is deserving of a third, with one billion people worldwide tuning in to look together at the first human-procured image of a black hole. Janna Levin, astrophysicist and author, will give a visually guided tour of black holes and the role they play in our past and our future.
Speakers
- 2022 Festival
- Science
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Science
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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 forme...
![Opening Session](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/1f2484f0-d150-44fd-b0ae-ec935f872503/53812209110_c88799a760_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C178%2C4565%2C2568&w=400)
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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 seem...
![Future of Fertility](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/4ce6ce5f-14f3-471f-8f35-5625cdc6f749/53808730334_2d0d8e8b97_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=1532%2C0%2C2137%2C3205&w=400)
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...
![The Menopause Brain](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/74814f52-6fdc-4590-ac38-99b0b9a094d7/53809795359_322c947e2a_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=11%2C0%2C8245%2C4640&w=400)
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 t...
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Scientific investigation is laser focused on psychedelics to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ease end-of-life anxiety, and address mental health challenges, inclu...
![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=225&q=80&rect=0%2C12%2C4000%2C2245&w=400)
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...
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