The New York Academy of Sciences

Protein is one of the most important nutrients in our diet, but providing an adequate and equitable supply of it to people around the world remains a vexing problem. Population growth and changes in dietary practices globally have led to a tremendous rise in the demand for animal-source foods. While consuming the required amount of protein is fundamental to human health, supplying protein to meet...

The third podcast in our series on the Research Agenda for Nutrition Science focuses on implementation. Creating the agenda was a great first step, but effectively activating it is just as complex and important. A cross-section of experts from around the world discusses this process and their hopes and plans for the future of the field. This podcast is brought to you by the Sackler Institute for N...

Part two of our podcast series on the nutrition research agenda addresses the importance, as well as the challenge, of tackling global nutrition needs in a coordinated, multisectoral way. Experts from all aspects of the nutrition community, from food science to food production and beyond, gather at the Academy to discuss the nutrition science agenda, and how it can best be developed and used to mo...

The first of two podcasts on the development of a global agenda for nutrition research. What, how and why we eat is a broad and complex issue touching on almost every discipline of the sciences, so how does a scientist know what questions have the potential to make the greatest impact? The Academy's own Mandana Arabi discusses the creation of a roadmap for the study of human nutrition, brought to...

Engineering students in the Projects for Underserved Communities program at UT Austin are proving you're never too young to make a difference by putting science to good use. Emily Lamon and Ashwin Ramaswami, respectively a college senior and junior, are putting their academic backgrounds in engineering to good use. In this podcast, they describe the challenges and rewards of planning and implement...

Tolkien wizard Radagast the Brown, a.k.a. climate scientist Dr. Dan Lunt, faces an angry Uruk-hai climate change denialist in a "debate" about the validity of climate science and Middle Earth warming. University of Bristol climate scientist Dr. Dan Lunt studies paleoclimatoglogy. The analysis and interpretation of ancient climates involves modeling an Earth that looked very different than it does...

In this excerpted coverage from our live event, a panel of experts discusses our relationship with our microbiota from research and medical perspectives. Dr. Martin Blaser, Director of the Human Microbiome Program at the NYU School of Medicine

Blavatnik Award winning scientist Dr. Jonathan Fisher discusses the power of various visualization techniques in researching and educating about the brain. Dr. Fisher is the Founder and Director of the Neurodome Project, which adapts immersive visualization techniques used in planetariums to introduce new audiences to neuroscience.

Author Alan Weisman shares insights from his latest book, Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? Can we feed a human population headed toward 11 billion, and still leave enough for other species on which our own survival may depend? Will technological leaps like genetically enhanced photosynthesis or lab-grown meat actually help us avert disaster? In his latest book, Countdown: Our...

A historian and a young scientist discuss the rewards and importance of learning about the history of science. Dr. Carol Moberg, historian of science and Senior Research Associate at The Rockefeller University, shares some of the stories behind her book, Entering an Unseen World, about the history and development of modern cell biology. She's joined by Rockefeller University Graduate Fellow Joseph...

Social psychologist Dr. Piercarlo Valdesolo discusses his work studying moral decision-making processes in the lab. Dr. Piercarlo Valdesolo, Director of the Moral Emotions and Trust Lab at Claremont McKenna College, asks what science can tell us about our moral decision-making processes.

Scientific images are often beautiful, captivating both for their aesthetic value and the concepts they represent. Dr. Mark Siddall, curator of the Museum of Natural History's exhibition, Picturing Science: Museum Scientists and Imaging Technologies discusses the place of scientific images at the intersection of art, science, and education.

As part of our Science and the Seven Deadly Sins series, Dr. Paul Zak discusses his work studying the relation of hormones to human behavior. Specifically, his research focuses on oxytocin's role in regulating generosity and greed. For an interview with Dr. Zak about the crisis in confidence in psychology, science communication, and how to differentiate between sound science and pseudoscience, cli...

The final installment of our step-by-step analysis of the cheeseburger culminates in a question that’s both very simple and tremendously complex should we eat meat? This episode features visits to Kinderhook Farm and Freund's Farm as well as conversations with Maudene Nelson of Columbia University, Dr. Michael McBurney of DSM Nutritional Products, Dr. Stephen Pintauro of the University of Vermont,...

In this installment of A Thought for Food's consideration of the cheeseburger, we analyze the king of side dishes, the French fry. This episode features conversations with Maudene Nelson of Columbia University and Andrew F. Smith of the New School University and the Edible series of books. This podcast is a co-production of the Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science and Science the City.

The fourth installment of our systematic breakdown of a cheeseburger deals with ketchup and pickles, two attempts to give vegetables the power to defy time. This episode features a visit to The Pickle Guys as well as conversations with Andrew F. Smith of the New School University and the Edible series of books and the proprietors of First Field Ketchup. This podcast is a co-production of the Sackl...

For the third installment of our dissection of the humble cheeseburger, A Thought for Food considers a Paleolithic super food that’s still popular worldwide cheese. This episode features a visit to Freund's Farm as well as conversations with Dr. Michael McBurney of DSM Nutritional Products and Dr. Paul Kindstedt, of the University of Vermont and the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese. This podca...

The second installment of A Thought for Food’s systematic analysis of America's sandwich, the cheeseburger, looks at bread one of the strangest and most interesting products humanity has ever invented. Featured in this episode are conversations with Thomas R. and Carol Janas Sinclair, authors of Bread, Beer, and the Seeds of Change , Maudene Nelson of Columbia University, Dr. Michael McBurney of D...

How did the hamburger become a staple American food? A Thought for Food considers the science and history of the key ingredient, beef. Season 2 of A Thought for Food will examine the components of a cheeseburger. This episode "ruminates" on beef, from the genetic design of modern cattle to the processing of meat. Featured in this episode are visits to Kinderhook Farm and Freund's Farm, as well as...

Experts discuss how medical schools can reduce health disparities by promoting more diversity in healthcare professions, equipping doctors with tools to serve underrepresented groups, and reaching out to the community. Dr. Marc A. Nivet, Chief Diversity Officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges, and Dr. Arthur Kaufman, Distinguished Professor at the University of New Mexico's Depart...

Experts discuss the pressures that may lead scientists to misrepresent data and hinder the self-correcting mechanisms of science. This is excerpted coverage of our event, Envy: The Cutthroat Side of Science, which addressed the issues of dishonesty in science, the motivations for misconduct, and possible solutions. Scientific American editor-in-chief Mariette DiChristina moderated the panel, consi...

Professor Owen Jones, Director of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience, and Dr. Kent Kiehl, professor of neuroscience and Executive Science Officer of the Mind Research Network, discuss the relation of neuroscience to the legal system. Dr. Kent Kiehl recently co-authored a study correlating levels of brain activity in the anterior cingulate cortex with the likelihood t...

In this follow-up interview to our “Sloth: Is Your City Making You Fat?” event, Dr. Mariela Alfonzo, a research fellow in urban and regional planning at NYU-Poly and founder of State of Place, discusses the application of statistical analysis to the study of urban design and public health. Dr. Alfonzo is a research fellow in urban and regional planning at NYU-Poly and the founder of State of Place...

Dr. Robert Kaplan, Director of the National Institutes of Health Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, and Dr. Barbara Barry, research scientist with the Northeastern University Relational Agents Group, discuss the evolving role of technology in addressing the behavioral aspects of health. These ideas will be further explored at an event on Friday, March 22, at the New York Academy of...

Dr. Joseph Kvedar, Founder and Director of the Center for Connected Health, Dr. Martin Kohn, Chief Medical Scientist for Health Care Delivery at IBM Research, and Dr. Marc Triola, Associate Dean for Educational Informatics at NYU School of Medicine and Director of the Division of Educational Informatics, discuss the emerging roles of digital technology in healthcare. These ideas will be explored f...