Neil Gershenfeld
In 1965, American engineer Gordon Moore was asked to make predictions about the semiconductor industry for a special issue of the journal Electronics. The future co-founder of Intel noticed that the number of transistors per silicon chip—a measure of the chip’s complexity—had doubled every year for the past…
Mice do not fall in love. Ducks have corkscrew-shaped penises. Gender is different than sex.
The conversation at the Science of Sex event on February 12, 2018, was thought-provoking and thoroughly interesting. With Valentine’s Day approaching, the topic of discussion was entirely appropriate. Hosted at The William Vale, the event…
On a cold, rainy night in December 2017, a dedicated band of scientists and storytellers met at The William Vale in Brooklyn. The event: Science Speed Dating. The objective: scientists have seven minutes to talk about their life’s work, followed by a Q&A panel. While all too brief, our speakers…
Do no harm. This basic tenant of the Hippocratic Oath is incredibly simple. But now, as we move into a future of radical transplant techniques, gene therapies, and evermore expensive pharmaceutical wonders, the advances in technology are coming face to face with the ethics around what can be done versus…
The year is 2117. You arrive home from work and your door knows your name. It opens for you. The lights dim to the precise brightness where you feel most relaxed. Your speakers are the perfect DJ—they play the exact song you want to hear without requesting it. You pull…
Horror movies have always given us plenty of nightmare fodder. Moments like the disturbing elevator full of blood in The Shining, Psycho’s famously chilling shower scene, and a possessed girl’s head spin in The Exorcist have burned themselves into our brains from the very first viewing.
But ultimately, we can…
An audience of filmmakers and scientists packed the screening room of The Science & Entertainment Exchange Vice-Chairs Jerry and Janet Zucker for a salon on the subject of gene editing. Janet Zucker opened the night commemorating the late Ralph Cicerone, former president of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), by…
The Exchange offered an array of cool events at Comic Con this year, including the live-streamed “Women in Media” panel.
The conversation—casual but pointed, witty but serious minded—featured a handful of accomplished women discussing the intersection of technology and storytelling, the challenges and opportunities they face in their respective career…
What is the greatest threat to human health? Guests at the Farm and Food event held at director Oz Scott’s house were prompted to consider that question by Ellen Silbergeld, a professor of environmental health sciences, epidemiology, and health policy and management at Johns Hopkins University. Silbergeld’s answer was not…
Our first date set the tone, dressed for the occasion. A suit with a turquoise shirt, silver hoops in his ears, pins on his lapel, and boots with flames coming up over the toes. The wine was chilled, the lights were dimmed, and the clock had started ticking. He spent…
