Hay Festival Colombia Digital

In 2016, the data agency Cambridge Analytica manipulated, through Facebook, the information received by over 86 million users to influence the result of the US presidential elections and the Brexit referendum that same year. Carole Cadwalladr, a British investigative journalist who works for The Guardian, was the one who broke the scandal. Although Cambridge Analytica no longer exists, there are other companies that are still involved in similar practices. At this event, Cadwalladr will talk about the personal and professional consequences that she continues to face to this day for making her investigation public, and she will also discuss the importance of freedom of speech for democracy. In conversation with Emma Graham-Harrison.

Simultaneous interpreting from English to Spanish available

In 2012, Avi Loeb (Israel/United States) was selected by Time magazine as one of the most influential people of the year for his research into outer space. He is Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University, a member of the American Academy of Arts & Science, and manages various astronomy and astrophysics projects, such as Harvard’s Black Hole Initiative, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Institute for Theory and Computation, and the Breakthrough Prize Foundation’s Science section. His work as a popular scientist covers themes such as the birth of stars, black holes, the future of the universe and extra-terrestrial life. His most recent book, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth (2021) is about the discovery in 2017 of an interstellar object that sparked a serious debate into the possibility that it might be an artefact of alien technology. Avi Loeb, who began the discussion, tells the story in a book that is essential for an understanding of the situation that astronomy as a science finds itself in, one that reflects on humanity’s place in the universe today.

In 2012, Avi Loeb (Israel/United States) was selected by Time magazine as one of the most influential people of the year for his research into outer space. He is Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University, a member of the American Academy of Arts & Science, and manages various astronomy and astrophysics projects, such as Harvard’s Black Hole Initiative, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Institute for Theory and Computation, and the Breakthrough Prize Foundation’s Science section. His work as a popular scientist covers themes such as the birth of stars, black holes, the future of the universe and extra-terrestrial life. His most recent book, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth (2021) is about the discovery in 2017 of an interstellar object that sparked a serious debate into the possibility that it might be an artefact of alien technology. Avi Loeb, who began the discussion, tells the story in a book that is essential for an understanding of the situation that astronomy as a science finds itself in, one that reflects on humanity’s place in the universe today.

We humans like to believe that we act rationally, but the emotions are a much more important part of experience that most of us think. Richard Firth-Godbehere has put his thoughts on this matter into his book A Human History of Emotion, which analyses and studies the role of human emotions throughout history and in different cultures. In conversation with Daniel Pardo, the author will talk about how the emotions, in all their complexity and diversity, have modelled the world that we live in over the course of history. This fascinating work of non-fiction weaves together psychology, neuroscience, art, philosophy and religion.

Simultaneous interpreting from English to Spanish available

Is the human brain still evolving? Are the new technologies affecting it? The Argentinean neurologist Facundo Manes studied at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires and is a Doctor of Science from the University of Cambridge. He has published various books and produced television programmes such as Los enigmas del cerebro and Cerebro argentino, together with the Literature graduate Mateo Niro. His latest book, written with Niro, is called El cerebro del futuro: ¿Cambiará la vida moderna nuestra esencia?, and it tackles themes such as interdisciplinary work, the impact of the new technologies on the brain, neuroethics, how to treat mental illnesses and the role of science when dealing with social problems. He will talk to the BBC journalist Carlos Serrano.

The discovery by the Russian-British scientist, Sir Konstantin Novoselov, of graphene, won him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010. His discovery brings us a material that has numerous applications in our daily lives (in thermal and fire-resistant clothing, for example) and it has made him known around the world. He is currently working with the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials at the National University of Singapore, where he carries out research on intelligent materials that are able to mutate to adapt to certain requirements. However, Novoselov is not the kind of scientist who never leaves the laboratory. Quite the opposite, he pays great attention to the geopolitics of technologies and is an advocate against the concentration of all stages of production in a single country, a trend that is growing after the pandemic. He says that all of us become poorer in this way, and his position is that a region is strong not when it leads in a particular technology, but when it is able to educate, attract and retain talents able to design various technologies, since it is not yet clear what will be necessary for our future.

Novoselov will talk to Diego del Alcázar Benjumea, Executive Vice-president of IE University and the man in charge of this university’s technological immersion.

With simultaneous translation from English to Spanish and vice versa

What do a refugee, a high-level politician and a carbon atom on the other side of the world have in common? All of them share the same pattern of existence. The prominent conceptual and multimedia artist Kate Daudy, who has worked on major international projects; and the scientist and artist Sir Konstantin Novoselov, winner of the 2010 Novel Prize for Physics, have been working since 2017 on a humanitarian art and science project whose goal is to explore the ways in which Everything Is Connected and to invite the public to reflect on these connections. Daudy and Novoselov, who will undertake an artistic intervention as part of the Hay Festival, believe that it is worth considering interconnection when assessing our behaviour: our lives are what our thoughts make them. They will talk at this event about their project, which has involved collaboration with different NGOs and institutions linked to humanitarian work in the context of aid and development cooperation.

They will talk to Javier Gila, chair of the Aida: Ayuda, Intercambio y Desarrollo association, who has been working with them on the project.

With simultaneous translation from English to Spanish and vice versa