The New York Academy Of Sciences

According to Enrico Fermi, there's a high probability of extraterrestrial life, but we haven't found any yet. Why is that? Listen in as top scientists discuss the question of what and who else might be out there. Featuring Adam Frank (University of Rochester), Louisa Preston (astrobiologist and author), Jason Thomas Wright (Pennsylvania State University), and Stephen M. Gardiner (University of Washington), with moderation by Ira Flatow (PRI's Science Friday ), this podcast features audio from the fifth event in our series, The Physics of Everything.

Even in the 21st century, there's a significant percentage of people who deeply mistrust science and scientists. Why? And what can we do about it? The first of a three-part series. For more on this topic, view our Developing Scientists through Outreach eBriefing.

Advances in physical sciences, biology, and neuroscience have dramatically enhanced our knowledge of the human species. But can physical sciences solve the biggest mystery the emergence of human consciousness? A distinguished panel of experts, including David Chalmers, PhD, Michael Graziano, PhD, Hod Lipson, PhD, and Max Tegmark, PhD, will discuss in this new podcast. Scientific American's George Musser moderates. This podcast features audio from the fourth event in our series, The Physics of Everything.

Research only turns into a real-world solution if it becomes something you can buy and use, but there are a lot of challenges to taking a great idea from the lab and making it a viable commercial product. Researchers can become entrepreneurs by studying the marketplace and learning to listen to their potential customers. Learn more about our Proof of Concept Centers here.

Today, more than ever, we can better understand just how complex our world is, from social groups to economic markets to neurons in the brain and our immune systems. But will these new complexity frontiers complement contemporary physics or upend it completely? Listen in to a discussion about the future of complexity with four distinguished speakers: Bernard Chazelle, PhD

Advances in genomic medicine indicate that pediatric cancers may be quite different from their adult counterparts. Hear from experts on why this might be and what scientists are doing to understand it better. Many pediatric cancers do not harbor the same targetable mutations seen in adult tumors, making it imperative that we understand the reasons behind these differences. Following up on the 2016 Sohn Conference, "Pediatric Cancer in a Post-genomic World," presented by The Sohn Conference Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences, this podcast gives listeners a glimpse into where research and treatment are today and where they are headed in the future.

Listen in to a discussion with writer Jim Holt, philosophers David Z. Albert and Hans Halvorson, and science writer Kate Becker about the realms where physics and philosophy intersect. For centuries, physics and philosophy walked side by side in pursuit of their shared goal understanding the nature of reality. The progress of science has pushed the frontier of physics into the realm of advanced mathematics, which requires technical skill and levels of abstraction attainable only after years of dedicated training. At the same time, most physicists today do not receive training in philosophy and epistemology, few have the time to ponder philosophical implications of their work, and some even doubt the possibility of a meaningful dialog between physicists and philosophers. However, at its core, physics addresses the fundamental problems that shape our philosophical outlook. This podcast features audio from our second Physics of Everything event. This podcast was made possible through the support of a grant fr

The Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine and the Academy bring together patients, regulators, manufacturers, journalists, and experts to debate the difficult ethical issues surrounding “compassionate use” of pre-approved medicines. Patients with life-threatening illnesses face challenges in accessing potential therapies at the cutting-edge of R

Featuring cosmologist Neil Weiner, string theorist Eva Silverstein, and physicist Vijay Balasubramanian, with moderation from philosopher of science Jill North, this podcast explores what the future holds for physics. Modern physics and its leading theories have been remarkably successful in describing the history of our universe, and large-scale experiments, such as the Large Hadron Collider, are continuously producing new data that extend our knowledge of the world. Nevertheless, our understanding of some physical concepts that seek to explain our universe dark matter and dark energy, quantum gravity, supersymmetry, and the cosmological constant remain unresolved. This podcast features audio from our first Physics of Everything event. This podcast was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

For 2016, the International Year of Pulses, our Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science is looking at the many opportunities provided by pulses edible seeds like dried, lentils, and chickpeas. Pulses provide a non-animal source of protein, appear to be healthy for the gut microbiome, and help replenish the soil where they are grown. In this podcast we'll talk to scientists studying the benefits of pulses about their research and also how we might solve the challenge of moving these important foods from millions of small-scale farmers in India and Latin America to consumers worldwide.

We explore research methodologies for building an evidence base for nutrition and obesity policy that are emerging across disciplines. Well-informed nutrition policy decisions that consider scientific evidence should strive to improve health outcomes on a large scale. But it's not always easy to find the right evidence to back up those policies. At our October 2015 conference, "Towards Evidence-based Nutrition and Obesity Policy," speakers discussed emerging research methodologies, ways to interpret research outcomes, and how these outcomes can be used to inform policy. Listen in to this podcast to learn more about the important relationship between research and policy.

Mobile technology is emerging as a powerful tool for transforming the way clinical research is conducted now and in the future. Acquisition of real-time biometric data though the use of wireless medical sensors will allow for around-the-clock patient monitoring, reduce costly clinic visits, and streamline inefficient administrative processes. With the promise of this technology also comes challenges including digital data privacy concerns, patient compliance issues, and practical considerations such as continuous powering of these devices. This podcast provides an illuminating examination of both the promises and challenges that underpin the implementation of mobile technology into the clinical realm.

It's easier to find people to invest in a great new tech product if you can show that it will be profitable relatively quickly. Unfortunately, that's not so easy to demonstrate. Learn how we're working to change that. The Academy and NYSERDA (the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) are teaming up to drive investment in the new technologies that will help revolutionize the way we produce and use energy by supporting Proof of Concept Centers - institutes that bridge the gap between academic laboratories and working companies. In this podcast we learn about Proof of Concept Centers: what they are and how they have the potential to create a sea change in the way new technologies are turned from ideas into realities.

Understanding nutrition's impact on health requires an intricate knowledge of all the different systems within the human body. Learn how a systems approach to nutrition could change the field. Drawing on examples from obesity and diabetes prevention, weight loss threshold effects and the role of physical activity, this podcast highlights the need to bring biology, epidemiology, psychology and other disciplines together in a systemic way. Based on a conference organized by The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science and held at the New York Academy of Sciences on April 16, 2015, this podcast is supported by Metagenics.

A recent conference held at the Academy asked a downright outrageous question: Can dementia be prevented by making changes to your diet? In this podcast we look at what the answers might be. Podcast listeners learned a lot over the past two months about neurodegenerative dementia - what it is, what it isn't, and how heartbreakingly little medical science can do right now to treat it. In that context, a recent conference held at the Academy asked a downright outrageous question: Can dementia be prevented by making changes to your diet? In this podcast, we hear answers to that question, some of which are surprisingly optimistic.

In the final episode of our Dementia Decoded series, we look at some of the innovative approaches that are being taken, and how they hold out new hope for the future. The prospects for a cure for neurodegenerative dementia might seem bleak - there's still so much we don't know about these conditions and about the brain itself, and research funding for it has traditionally been much lower than for other conditions that effect a similar number of people. But there's a new wave of international momentum to better understand and treat diseases like Alzheimer's, and most in the field are optimistic that a big breakthrough is coming soon.

In this episode of the Dementia Decoded series, we'll look at new and innovative ways people around the world are addressing this problem, and offer some tools and strategies for people dealing with dementia in their own families and communities. As the research community continues to work to find new and better medical treatments for neurodegenerative dementia, it's affecting millions more people every year, at a staggering cost to not only these people and their families, but also the world economy. How to best care for people living with dementia, and the millions of unpaid caregivers who are putting their lives on hold to support them, is one of the most crucial public health questions facing the world today.

In the third episode of our Dementia Decoded series, we look at the current slate of treatment options available to people living with neurodegenerative dementia, and the road toward new and better ones. Dementia isn't like other diseases - the fear and stigma surrounding it often make it difficult to even get someone who may be living with it to get a proper diagnosis, and the perceived lack of options lead many to wonder if a diagnosis can do more harm than good. But while there's no cure yet for Alzheimer's disease, there are definitely ways of approaching it medically, and often things that look like Alzheimer's are really something much easier to treat.

In the second episode of our Dementia Decoded series, we look at the current state of knowledge about the basic physiology of Alzheimer's, and how scientists are working to unlock its secrets. We've known about the basic pathological signatures of Alzheimer's disease for more than 100 years, but there's still a very great deal we don’t know about how the disease works and how to prevent it's devastating effects.

The first episode of our new five-part Dementia Decoded podcast series looks at what Alzheimer's is, how it differs from other forms of Dementia, and whether is it an inevitable part of aging. Polls show that Americans fear Alzheimer's disease more than any other illness. And little wonder - it's debilitating, fatal, incurable, and currently afflicts hundreds of millions worldwide, a number that's going to continue increasing as the world’s population both grows and grows older. But what is Alzheimer's? How is it different from other forms of Dementia? And is it an inevitable part of aging? This podcast features interviews with leading experts from every aspect of the study of Dementia: academia, health care, public policy, and beyond.