On the anti-ageing movement...
The race to conquer ageing has become a multibillion-dollar industry, big news in Silicon Valley.
The Economist recently reported that investment in longevity biotech exceeded $5 billion globally, driven by over 100 companies chasing the fabled "longevity escape velocity," the point at which life gets extended by science faster than the process of aging.
From Myth to Reality....
The desire to slow down the ageing process is not new, methods do so go back to ancient India and Greece, and right up to contemporary times - immortality has been a persistent theme in Sci Fi too - from The Time Machine to Altered Carbon.
And this is big news in the tech giant world... the likes of Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison and Sergey Brin have all poured fortunes into longevity startups. Their shared belief: death is a problem that can be solved through data, biology, and computing power. These companies are betting that ageing, once thought inevitable, is a disease that can be treated, and perhaps “cured.”
Blood Boys, Stem Cells, and Genetic Tweaks
Among the more headline-grabbing figures is Bryan Johnson, a 47-year-old tech millionaire who has spent millions each year attempting to biologically regress his body to that of an 18-year-old. His experiments include a strict vegan diet, sleep optimization, and even “plasma exchange” therapy, in which he received blood from his teenage son — dubbed the “blood boy” treatment.
This idea reflects a wider “biohacker” movement which focuses on cellular rejuvenation. Other techniques include CRISPR gene editing, stem-cell regeneration and senolytics — drugs that target ageing cells. In separate initiatives, Calico and Altos Labs are exploring how to “reprogram” cells to behave as if they were young again.
The Dream of Digital Immortality
Beyond biology, transhumanists envision uploading consciousness onto machines-a digital continuation of the self. The futurist Ray Kurzweil has asserted that "mind uploading" could be possible by 2045 and might join human memory with machine processing in a sort of eternal afterlife.
Hopefully robotic limbs will be more advanced by then!
How Realistic Is Any of This?
I'm sceptical about the ability of these movements to conquer ageing... this is just part of the natural life cycle, and I'm not convinced pouring billions into it is going to have any social benefit...
Ageing is complex and there are many many variables that intertwine together to make it happen, I'm not sure it's something we can isolate out and overcome through conscious practice.
That said I am a big believer that there are certain things we can do which can slow down the ageing process. Although a lot of them can hardly be described as fun?!?
I expect there will eventually be some breakthroughs in slowing down aging, but quality of life matters. Initially it will just be the really rich who can afford it. Uploading minds could be a long way off. For now we still have a lot of people living short and unpleasant lives. Someone like Musk could solve world hunger, but will he? Some common diseases are preventable, but anti-vaccine crap is hindering this. In general we need to fix the issues of the bottom 50% before those of the top 0.0001%.
Couldn't agree more... these are only gonna apply to the super rich
Once again, the segregation between different classes will be widely laid bare.
Oh 100% and massively so!
I'm skeptical of uploading my consciousness to a computer. It immediately makes me think of the Ship of Theseus paradox.
I'm not familiar with that I'll look it up!
I think most of these people are just lunatic... I've seen some report of people taking in excess of 30 pills a day (suplements) and spending insane amounts of cash monthly to "biohack"themselves.
There has to be a point where it's just not worth it!
Yep, and for me is waaaaaaaay before stuffing yourself with pills...
of absolute boredom.
Being as healthy as you can for as long as you can, then popping your clogs with pain-free ease, maybe while you are enjoying your nightly cigar and whisky while writing a letter of complaint to, I don't know, Private Eye. Now that's something to invest in.
What a nice way to go! Couldn't think of a better way!
Was actually the way a friend of a friend died, hale and hearty and writing letters of complaint until they were 88!
I think we've come a long way and we're getting closer to the time when people typically live past 120. Bryan Johnson is one example of what can be achieved today, but there are others. He is spending his own money, and maybe in more helpful ways for humans in general than many other rich folks. He tells everyone what he is doing and taking, free of charge. He does sell a line of "Blueprint" products but one could fashion their own program and buy their own foods if they want to do it that way.
The pace of innovation in this area is increasing, as it is in many others, due to AI. For example, protein folding computations are done millions of times faster now than in recent decades which allows better research and modelling of what novel molecules can do for human cells. Also entire human cells and at some point complete organs and biological systems may be able to be simulated by AI making testing faster than current human trials for testing all kinds of potential health breakthroughs.
The benefits for society will be lower healthcare costs often paid for by government programs. If older folks stay healthy for longer, the really expensive to treat end of life issues as well as the cost of nursing homes often paid for by government funds may decrease.
In addition, older folks have a lifetime of experience and knowledge. I think they are a big asset to humanity and if they're able to function well and stay active in the world, I think in general this will be a net positive.
The idea that it will stay expensive to purchase all the things you will need to achieve a longer healthier life, and will be available to only rich folks is not something I foresee. There is a history of things that were once expensive and limited in availability to the rich which are now available to almost everyone. We can think back to indoor plumbing, running water, electricity. But more recently, I think about computers, cell phones, and internet access with all that brings.
Just some of my thoughts, inspired by your well written article on anti-ageing. Thanks for opening this conversation with your post! :)
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Hey thanks for the detailed comment - I certainly feel as if AI is a bit of a distraction, the next big revolution is going to be biotech, and yes there is plenty potential for health improvements.
It's just very sad that a lot of the strategies towards longevity are battered out of people through social struggles!