New England Aquarium Lecture Series: The Omega Principal

When:
Thursday, Jul 19, 2018 7:00p -
8:00p

Where:
New England Aquarium
1 Central Wharf
Boston, MA 02110

EventScheduled OfflineEventAttendanceMode

Admission:
$Registration required

Event website:
http://www.neaq.org/learn/lectures/upcoming-lectures/

Omega-3 fatty acids have long been celebrated by doctors and dieticians as key to a healthy heart and a sharper brain. In the last few decades, that promise has been encapsulated in one of America’s most popular dietary supplements. Today, Omega-3s are a multibillion-dollar business, and sales are still growing apace, even as recent medical studies caution that the promise of omega-3s may not be what it first appeared.


But a closer look at the omega-3 sensation reveals something much deeper and more troubling. The miracle pill is only the latest product of the reduction industry, a vast, global endeavor that over the last century has boiled down trillions of pounds of marine life into animal feed, fertilizer, margarine, and dietary supplements. The creatures that are the victims of that industry seem insignificant to the untrained eye, but turn out to be essential to the survival of whales, penguins, and fish of all kinds, including many that we love to eat.


Behind these tiny molecules is a big story: of the push and pull of science and business, of the fate of our oceans in a human-dominated age, of the explosion of land food at the expense of healthier and more sustainable seafood, and of the human quest for health and long life at all costs.


James Beard Award-winning author Paul Greenberg probes the rich and surprising history of omega-3s, from the dawn of complex life, when these compounds were first formed; to human prehistory, when the discovery of seafood may have produced major cognitive leaps for our species; and on to the modern era, when omega-3s may point the way to a bold new direction for our food system.


Paul will sign copies of his new book, The Omega Principle, in the Simons IMAX® Theatre lobby directly following his presentation.

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07/19/2018 19:00:00 07/19/2018 20:00:00 America/New_York New England Aquarium Lecture Series: The Omega Principal Omega-3 fatty acids have long been celebrated by doctors and dieticians as key to a healthy heart and a sharper brain. In the last few decades, that promise has been encapsulated in one of America’... New England Aquarium, Boston, MA 02110 false MM/DD/YYYY

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