Is the future written in our DNA? Does extra-terrestrial intelligence exist?

One of the most important questions in 21st-century science is whether humans possess free will. This year is one of our central topics at this year's Brain Bar with our star expert coming from the US: Kathryn Paige Harden, a behavior researcher and author for the New York Times and the Washington Post, who will discuss how our DNA influences our success in life, health, and the way we interact with others.

In September, Brain Bar festival is kicking off for the tenth time, where, in addition to the Texas-based reacher, many other names are confirmed speak. Avi Loeb, the former chair of Harvard's Astronomy Department, has dedicated his life to researching extraterrestrial life and intelligence. He will be coming to Hungary to show our audience that there, in fact, is life beyond Earth. 

Gerard Barron's company pioneered mining metals from the depths of the Pacific Ocean that could solve Earth's energy supply problems. At Brain Bar, he'll delve into how far we are from a complete transition to clean energy. The legendary ethologist, Professor Lars Chittka, will also take the stage at the festival. Thanks to him, we know just how surprisingly intelligent bees are. Aside from their marvelous abilities, he'll also discuss how much we owe to them and what the world would look like without them.

Lionel Shriver, author of "We Need to Talk About Kevin," is also coming to Budapest for Brain Bar's sake - and she thinks we need to talk about societal insanities. She believes we'd all be better off if issues as important as #MeToo or intelligence equality were not exempt from societal debate - but today, it feels as if everyone must have the same opinions about them. The author will give us her best ideas on how not to follow public opinion without criticism and how to form our views truly freely.

Each year, we put the most pressing questions of the future on stage, and we're not afraid to pose them with a sharp twist. We'll discuss what if there's no solution to the climate crisis, whether AI will ever be capable of more than what we see of it today, and if influencer culture truly represents the future of work.

Once again, our Hungarian hosts for the event will be Márkó Linczényi and Lil Frakk. Returning to Hungary for the third time as the festival's moderator is former British Ambassador Iain Lindsay, and stand-up comedian Sid Moorthy will take the stage for the fifth time in September.