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The fastest spacecraft ever launched, NASA’s New Horizons left Earth on January 19, 2006, headed for Pluto and the Kuiper Belt at 36,373 mph. Hurling three billion miles from Earth, New Horizons completed the first exploration of the Pluto system, culminating in last summer’s highly successful flyby inside the orbits of all five of Pluto’s moons. New Horizons Mission Leader Alan Stern describes the history of the mission, the encounter with planet Pluto, the major scientific discoveries made to date, and the public’s reaction to the awe-inspiring visuals captured during the flyby.
- 2016 Festival
- Science
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Science
![Are We Alone Out There?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/336d1ff6-e32b-4ca0-9bac-94dacbf8959b/53825023100_e70fda2b21_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=2122%2C0%2C3669%2C5503&w=400)
For as long as humans have looked at the skies, we’ve speculated about whether there is life in space. Scientists, the U.S. military and the CIA have all searched for proof of...
![Sci-Fi or Reality? Talking Tomorrow’s Climate Tech](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/67c1104a-0ac3-459e-9a92-d199aebe8b33/53821312503_cbf498aa31_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C4651%2C2618&w=400)
It sounds like sci-fi: Scientists are beaming solar energy from space, subbing seaweed for plastic and brightening clouds to reflect sunlight to lower temperatures in a warmin...
![Wolves at Our Doorstep](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/e1dea645-24a8-4bc1-bf3f-cabf0ac8e4c9/53821142190_64419f7b41_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C494%2C7690%2C4326&w=400)
*No food or service animals allowed in this session.* The creator of Fat Bear Week in Alaska gives insight on the importance of wildlife education, and then ecologists unpack...
![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=225&q=80&rect=0%2C207%2C4000%2C2250&w=400)
Brain-computer interfaces show potential to restore function to people impacted by incurable neurological conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury...
![New Leash on Life: Is Dog Longevity the Key to Ours?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/0f295343-3b10-40c3-8312-5a0c4af71e36/53816698821_21be040805_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=2293%2C0%2C3669%2C5503&w=400)
Scientists are developing life-extending drugs for dogs, and new advancements could bring them to market by 2025. Two leaders working to slow the aging process for Fido discus...
![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=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C5843%2C3289&w=400)
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)
Part 1. Contrary to Popular Opinion — Bill Maher in Real Time: The iconoclastic host of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” sits down with Tina Brown to talk about calling out...
![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=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C4651%2C2618&w=400)
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...
![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=225&q=80&rect=4%2C0%2C8248%2C4640&w=400)
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...
![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=225&q=80&rect=0%2C824%2C5504%2C3092&w=400)
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 cardi...
![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=600&q=80&rect=2581%2C0%2C2070%2C3101&w=400)
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...
![Food as Medicine](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/96a3301d-ecd0-433e-b370-3fcb475e13a4/53807854062_4f324aa3cd_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C355%2C5878%2C3308&w=400)
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...
![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=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C5423%2C3052&w=400)
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 assista...
![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=600&q=80&rect=1340%2C0%2C1780%2C2667&w=400)
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 personalize...
![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=225&q=80&rect=0%2C384%2C5504%2C3098&w=400)
Scientists are deeply engaged in efforts to slow aging and eliminate age-related diseases by editing genes, reprogramming cells, and developing novel molecular therapeutics. A...
![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=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C8256%2C4646&w=400)
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...
![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=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C8245%2C4640&w=400)
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. Bu...