Shiv Nadar Foundation presents Synapse Conclave that unfolded in New Delhi, India, earlier this year, left the viewers with a spectrum of emotions—hope, optimism, doubt, uncertainty and a myriad of questions. The event, organised by the international science and technology platform Lucid Lines, surfaced some of the most pressing and compelling conversations of a contemporary world where technology and innovation are interwoven so closely with humankind that they sometimes refuse distinction. As current trends—giant, uninhibited, leaps in technology, artificial intelligence and science—catalyse this simmering fusion, the iridescent, sci-fi vision of the future is met with scepticism. Humans and machines, emotions and algorithms, philosophy and science, humanity and artificial intelligence: does the latter endanger the former or augment it?

An intricate web of conversations was woven through a stellar lineup of speakers including path-breaking scientists, technologists, researchers, writers, artists, entrepreneurs, and even spiritual leaders. A diverse set of talks that constituted the programme were tied together by a common thread—the growing intersections of technology and society. Amongst the motley panellists were three seminal women hailing from disparate professional backgrounds, each, a vanguard of her sphere: Elizabeth Parrish, Malaika Vaz and Vidita Vaidya.

Ageing: nature, biological glitch or a disease?

For Elizabeth Parrish, ‘biohacker’ and founder of the Seattle-based biotech company BioViva, ageing is a process—or ‘disease’—that can be ‘cured,’ and her body is a vessel for her genetic experiments. An advocate of genetic cures and regenerative medicine, Parrish, risking her own life, has undertaken several gene therapies without FDA approval as ‘Patient Zero.’ At Synapse, the entrepreneur partook in the segment titled BOUNDARY BREAKER | Biohacking & Gene Editing with her talk The God Principle, curated by Shoma Chaudhury, founder, Lucid Lines. The thought-provoking conversation touched on the intrinsic duality of the pursuit of age reversal. On one hand, is a utopian vision of a disease-free world where humans live in their peak physical health up to 150 years of age, where biological age is modifiable and death is not inevitable. On the other, it is a dystopia marked by overpopulation, plausible class divides based on financial access to technology, environmental degradation and leaders who remain in power, forever. What are the awe and ethics of age reversal, defying death—and life as we know it? Where and when must it be regulated?

In a conversation with STIR, Parrish explains how her initiative aims to help society, “When people live longer they create more amazing things and they can solve more problems, and they take heart in those problems. So things like climate change, the environment and feeding more people becomes important when people have a higher value for lifespan, and that comes with living healthier and longer.” 

Protecting nature as a service to humanity

Malaika Vaz, award-winning filmmaker and CEO of Untamed Planet, is an adventurer and explorer presenting her audience with digital doorways to tales of natural history, endangered wildlife and the human-wildlife interface. In 2020, Vaz was nominated for a Panda award for her feature-length documentary and she was also recently named an Advocate for The Earthshot Prize. Her work speaks about the need for the worlds of business and sustainability to come together, a scenario where environmental change is industry-driven and industry stakeholders are held accountable. At the Synapse Conclave, Vaz joined the panel of Don’t Look Up, in the segment titled HOT BUTTON I The Age of the Anthropocene. She delved into the interactions of nature, humans and technology and the increasingly urgent conversation of environmental destruction and the climate crisis in the ‘fifth season,’ the Anthropocene. The panel also included Martin Green and Peter Seligmann, while the discourse was moderated by three-time Pulitzer winner Thomas Friedman.

Vaz tells STIR some of the key emergencies the planet faces today and what potential solutions may look like, “Managing infinite aspirations on a planet with limited resources is incredibly hard. But at the core of it, it really boils down to having solutions that centre the voices of the community, that do not antagonise corporations and bring them into the challenge of protecting nature, and that work with a wide range of stakeholders.”

Psychedelics and the science of emotions

Stress, anxiety and mental health complications have a prominent presence in the world today. These brain responses and their associated neurocircuitry are, therefore, being researched heavily by medical professionals and scientists alike—yielding a wide repository of plausible treatments; one of them is the science of psychedelic drugs. Vidita Vaidya, an award-winning neuroscientist at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, brought her deep insight into the realm of psychedelics to the Synapse Conclave with a discourse titled Miracle Molecules in the segment BOUNDARY BREAKERS I Moods & Minds. The stimulating conversation between Vaidya and Chaudhury unravelled the nuances and complexities of the countless brain circuits that define our mental state, and how these can respond to the introduction of psychedelics in the body. Can the re-emerging field of psychedelics be a paradigm shifter, a new ‘wonder drug,’ in healing mental health disorders?

“We are looking at a society where there is a frightening increase in mental health disorders, it is a serious concern,” Vaidya tells STIR. “This whole promise for potential breakthrough therapy, if we handle it well, research it effectively and identify ways of regulating, legislating and appropriately utilising it, I think is very promising. It is an exciting time for psychiatry because it has been a long time since we had a set of molecules that had this sort of promise and power,” she adds.

Synapse Conclave 2024 focuses on science, technology and society, exploring the exciting and troubling implications of age reversal, gene editing and big data. STIR as an amplification partner brings you a series of conversations from the lineup that warrant further reflection.