We did not conceive of the headline as clickbait, but our recent article “How to reduce the risk of developing dementia” proved very popular. The popularity is perhaps explained by what first interested me in dementia: that, like many people, I had friends and family members who had lived with the condition. In 2020, realising just how many are in that position, and how fast the numbers are growing—with cases expected to reach 150m worldwide by 2050—made me think it was a good topic for one of The Economist’s special reports, which give us reporters time to explore one subject in depth. Mine covered the scope of the problem, efforts to find a cure, how difficult it will be to care for the growing numbers of people with dementia and to pay for that, and the thorny ethical issues raised by cognitive impairment.