What happens to your brain when you consume the news - and why does it sometimes leave you feeling anxious, overwhelmed or powerless?

BBC journalist, presenter, and podcast host Hannah Gelbart explores the neuroscience of news consumption. She explains how scientists have discovered that distressing headlines and graphic images trigger our brain’s fight-or-flight response, with events happening thousands of kilometres away sparking real fear in our minds and bodies.

But research shows our brains are also drawn to bad news. We’re wired to seek out danger, novelty and answers. That’s why doomscrolling feels so addictive. Studies show we notice, remember and respond more strongly to negative news than to positive. It’s a survival mechanism with unintended consequences in the digital age.

And what can journalists learn from this?

Hannah talks about her experience of developing a new format for young people who may avoid traditional news but still want to be informed. ‘What in the World’, a daily podcast from the BBC World Service, tries to make the news feel like self-help. It offers context, agency, connection and solutions, along with information about the world we live in.

As the digital revolution reshapes every industry, healthcare stands at a pivotal crossroads. This talk explores how the convergence of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics is transforming not only how we diagnose and treat illness, but how we design the very systems and spaces in which healthcare delivery takes place.

From algorithm-driven patient triage to smart hospital infrastructures that adapt in real time, the future of healthcare lies in our ability to harmonize human expertise with intelligent technologies. But this transformation is about more than machines—it’s about trust, ethics, equity, and access. How do we build digital tools that enhance, rather than replace, human compassion? How can we ensure these systems serve all populations fairly, not just the digitally privileged? And what role must clinicians, designers, and technologists play together in shaping this evolution?

This talk offers a visionary yet grounded look at the future-ready medical systems already emerging—and the ones still waiting to be built. Through real-world examples and provocative insights, it uncovers how healthcare in the age of algorithms can lead us not only to smarter healthcare, but more humane care.

In a world of curated posts, filtered conversation, and predatory algorithms, how do we stay true to who we really are?

Adole-sense dives headfirst into the digital labyrinth, exploring what happens when a generation grows up online, where every like, comment, and algorithmic suggestion quietly sculpts our identity before we even comprehend it.

I belong to Generation Z, a cohort raised in a fully digital, hyper-connected global village. As a 15-year-old student journeying across continents with diplomat parents, I'm a self-proclaimed tech aficionado with a keen interest in global issues. From participating in my school’s award-winning robotics club to representing my institution at Model UN summits, I’ve seen firsthand how our online existence can be a double-edged sword. Digital platforms don’t merely distract—they emotionally engineer us, feeding insecurity and pushing toxic content, making us anxious, prone to violence, and even leading some to contemplate suicide.

Drawing from personal anecdotes and groundbreaking research, I will unravel how Generation Z’s authentic voice is under siege—and how we can reclaim it. Authenticity isn't about oversharing; it’s about safeguarding our voices from being manipulated by machines, trends, filters, or the deafening silence of conformity.

The takeaway from this talk? If we don’t seize the moment, we risk silencing an entire generation’s voice, including my own. But if we unite—adolescents, parents, and society at large—we can protect what truly matters. Change begins with small steps. The future starts now.

Join me as we navigate this digital age with wit and human intelligence. Our voices deserve to be heard, unfiltered and unaltered. Let’s make sure they are.

What if we treated sexual education not as a topic of controversy, but as a powerful tool of prevention?

This talk explores how comprehensive, inclusive sex education is one of the most effective strategies we have to reduce violence, support sexual health, and foster equality.

Drawing from recent research and international standards, it unpacks how early, rights-based education can shape the future—for example, by teaching consent, addressing harmful gender norms, and empowering young people to understand and protect themselves and others.

Sexual education is not just about information; it's about prevention, protection, and participation. It equips individuals to navigate relationships with respect, awareness, and agency.
In a world where silence still puts lives at risk, education becomes a protective act.

The future is now—and it’s informed, inclusive, and safer for all.

We always somehow felt that we are not alone… Since a while, we know they live within us… This is not about bacteria or other microorganisms, this is about other human cells that accompany us almost our whole life!

I will familiarize you with the concept of chimerism, the phenomenon of cells from our moms, (elder) siblings, and (sometimes) children that live inside of us! This fascinating presence of other human cells in our bodies tells quite some stories, like a mother giving birth to kids that were actually from her sister… who never was among the living!

Although chimerism is somehow miraculous and spooky, we all are affected. During pregnancy, moms and babies exchange cells. These cells stay beyond birth and can be found scattered across all our organs—which makes all of us microchimera!

So far, scientists have found microchimeric cells in several organs, including the brain. Moreover, their presence was associated with beneficial and adverse effects, such as tissue repair or cancer.

Interestingly, all placental mammals show microchimerism—its evolutionary advantage still unclear. The biology of microchimerism is far from understood. All we know for sure is that we carry remnants from our relatives—a comforting thought!?!

The talk discusses why our minds often misread tomorrow.

We tend to imagine a single “future” and forget that there are many possible futures. We misunderstand probabilities, mistake randomness for patterns, and fall victim to false certainty or needless panic. In moments of crisis, our coping mechanisms make us postpone critical decisions that determine our future. Hype can blind us to the difference between true hope and wishful thinking.

Drawing on insights from critical futurism, behavioral economics, statistics, psychology, and cognitive sciences, this talk exposes how biases obscure our vision of what may lie ahead. It offers practical strategies to spot mental traps, expand our thinking, and approach the future with clearer vision, greater confidence, and a sense of agency.

Key takeaway:

We can’t predict the future—but by spotting mental traps, we can think and ACT about it more wisely, creatively, and courageously.

Can we build a better world through play?

In this talk, games researcher and developer Johanna Pirker explores how game technologies—from virtual reality to interactive storytelling—can help us understand complex systems, solve real-world problems, and spark social change.

Drawing on examples from her own work, including VR simulations and empathy-building experiences, she shows how games can positively influence education, mental health, and community engagement.

This is a call to rethink games not as distractions, but as one of the most powerful tools we have to shape the future—playfully and meaningfully.

Imagine a world where a simple infection or routine surgery becomes life-threatening—not because we lack knowledge, but because we lack medicine. This isn’t a distant dystopia; it’s happening now.

Globally, drug shortages are leaving patients and doctors without essential antibiotics, painkillers, and even cancer treatments. In Austria alone, nearly 500 medicines are currently unavailable or only partially accessible.

Why? Over 70% of the world’s pharmaceutical ingredients come from just two countries: China and India. Our health systems rely on fragile global supply chains—vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, trade disputes, and natural disasters. Meanwhile, traditional drug manufacturing remains outdated, slow, costly, and environmentally damaging.

But what if we could change this? Imagine storing pure pharmaceutical ingredients for decades using smart technology, then rapidly transforming them into life-saving medicines when and where they’re needed. Picture new, faster, greener manufacturing methods—and a world where we recycle valuable pharmaceutical compounds instead of throwing them away.

Tomorrow starts now—if we dare to rethink how we store, produce, and recycle medicines. Join me to discover how!

What comes to mind when you hear the word “scientist”? For many, it’s an image of someone distant, elite—even arrogant.

In this talk, I challenge that stereotype by sharing my personal journey into science, one that didn’t follow the traditional path. I show how science is not a closed-off world for a chosen few, but a way of thinking that belongs to all of us.

Through honest storytelling and reflection, I break down the myth of the “untouchable, unreachable scientist” and make the case for a more human, inclusive approach, where curiosity, humility, and collaboration matter more than credentials or ego.

My goal is to empower the audience to see science differently: not as a cold, exclusive system, but as a creative and collective effort we can all be part of.

The future starts today—let’s transform the scientific landscape into a space where people are welcomed in and have the opportunity to explore, contribute, and lead.

Surprise is not the enemy of strategy – it is the raw material of progress.

In this talk, Rafael Popper shows how low-probability wild cards and faint weak signals can be harnessed to power Sustainable Disruptive Growth, using the SMART Futures cycle of Scoping, Mobilising, Anticipating, Recommending & Transforming to turn early hints into decisive action. With the Foresight Diamond, he blends evidence, expertise, interaction, and creativity; Critical Issues Analysis then ranks what matters most, while Action Roadmapping converts insight into concrete, sustainable steps across context, people, process, and impact.

You will meet the SD-Growth Model’s four behavioural modes – transient, capture, deep transient, and deep capture – and learn to spot the thresholds where systems tip from stability to opportunity.

Drawing on 25-plus years advising the EU, UN agencies, and startups on five continents, Popper distils a playbook: monitor systematically, question assumptions, design options early, and rehearse disruption before it happens. You will leave able to scan horizon noise for game-changing clues, test ideas against robust scenarios, and build roadmaps that grow, rather than break, our planet.

Thriving on surprise is a skill; this session hands you the tools.

AI isn't a threat; it's a tool for patient power.

We'll explore how algorithms can demystify health data, empowering patients as partners in care. Learn how tech can "reboot" the system, driving personalized, proactive healthcare.

Key takeaway:

Your health, your data, your future.