What causes obesity? The simple answer is overeating. However, that only tells part of the story. The real explanation is much more nuanced and complex. It speaks directly to a topic of increasing interest at 黑料吃瓜资源 (CSHL)鈥攖he connections between the brain and the body. (Indeed, brain-body physiology is one of three core concentrations of CSHL鈥檚 ongoing Foundations for the Future expansion.)
Some of today鈥檚 most popular weight loss drugs work by targeting those connections. You鈥檝e probably already heard of the diabetes medicine Ozempic and a similar treatment prescribed for weight loss, called Wegovy. Nowadays, it seems everyone has an opinion on these drugs. But how many are actually grounded in science? If you鈥檙e looking for just the facts, here鈥檚 a great place to start.
On June 1, Rockefeller University geneticist Jeffrey Friedman came to Cold Spring Harbor to speak with the CSHL Association about 鈥淥besity Causes and Treatments.鈥� It was a talk dedicated to present-day concerns but also steeped in history. The CSHL Association鈥攃omprised of local community members鈥攃elebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Professor Friedman was here to deliver the 45th annual Dorcas Cummings Lecture as part of CSHL鈥檚 88th Symposium on Quantitative Biology. What鈥檚 all that? As Friedman puts it, 鈥淭hese meetings are legendary in the field of science and have been the center of scientific discourse and communication for almost a century.鈥�
Press play for your front-row seat.