Technologies Extending Life
There seems to be no end to New Discoveries in Technology and Medical Science. You can find stories on the News every week that will amaze you. And truthfully, what you hear about is only the Tip of the Iceberg because of scientific caution about disclosure of new concepts without a minimum level of scientific proof. The learning curve over time is graphing close to vertical and the rapidly increasing level of Innovative Thinking and Imagineering is pervasive throughout the World of Research. Below is a list which are generally the currently recognized technologies potentially leading to radical life extension, with number 5 highlighted as one of the newest concepts that might well be possible in the near future:
1. Biotechnology - e.g. stem cell therapies, enhanced autophagy, pharmaceuticals, immunotherapies, etc.
2. Nanotechnology - Methods of repairing the body at a cellular and molecular level such as nanobots.
3. Robotics - This could lead to the replacement of increasing numbers of body parts and tends to go hand in hand with AI and whole brain emulation. It can be argued that this is not life extension and that it is a path toward becoming a Cyborg, but I don’t share that view because even today we don’t view a quadriplegic as less human if he has four bionic limbs, and this will hold true as our technology progresses.
4. Gene Therapies - These could be classified under the first category, but I prefer to look at it separately as it could impact the function of the body in very dramatic ways which would suppress genes that negatively impact us and enhance genes which increase our tendency toward longer and healthier lives.
5. Whole Brain Emulation and mind-scaping - This is in effect mind transfer to a non-biological host, although it could equally apply to uploading the brain to a new biological brain created via tissue engineering. It is one of the newest concepts being researched, and it means the consciousness could never die provided it is appropriately backed up.
Conservative projections about Lifespan increases are all over the map. They currently range from 2-50 years without including any consideration for number 5, Whole Brain Emulation. Gradual increases in human longevity have taken place steadily over the past 100 years, but scientific discover during that time-frame was only a small fraction of what it has achieved over the last 10 years. If you look at the magnitude of the Lifespan revisions over the past 5 years it is easy to believe that Science will achieve these amazing new concepts and probably many more in a time-period that is much shorter than we could ever imagine. What ever happened to the good old days, when the World was flat?
There seems to be no end to New Discoveries in Technology and Medical Science. You can find stories on the News every week that will amaze you. And truthfully, what you hear about is only the Tip of the Iceberg because of scientific caution about disclosure of new concepts without a minimum level of scientific proof. The learning curve over time is graphing close to vertical and the rapidly increasing level of Innovative Thinking and Imagineering is pervasive throughout the World of Research. Below is a list which are generally the currently recognized technologies potentially leading to radical life extension, with number 5 highlighted as one of the newest concepts that might well be possible in the near future:
1. Biotechnology - e.g. stem cell therapies, enhanced autophagy, pharmaceuticals, immunotherapies, etc.
2. Nanotechnology - Methods of repairing the body at a cellular and molecular level such as nanobots.
3. Robotics - This could lead to the replacement of increasing numbers of body parts and tends to go hand in hand with AI and whole brain emulation. It can be argued that this is not life extension and that it is a path toward becoming a Cyborg, but I don’t share that view because even today we don’t view a quadriplegic as less human if he has four bionic limbs, and this will hold true as our technology progresses.
4. Gene Therapies - These could be classified under the first category, but I prefer to look at it separately as it could impact the function of the body in very dramatic ways which would suppress genes that negatively impact us and enhance genes which increase our tendency toward longer and healthier lives.
5. Whole Brain Emulation and mind-scaping - This is in effect mind transfer to a non-biological host, although it could equally apply to uploading the brain to a new biological brain created via tissue engineering. It is one of the newest concepts being researched, and it means the consciousness could never die provided it is appropriately backed up.
Conservative projections about Lifespan increases are all over the map. They currently range from 2-50 years without including any consideration for number 5, Whole Brain Emulation. Gradual increases in human longevity have taken place steadily over the past 100 years, but scientific discover during that time-frame was only a small fraction of what it has achieved over the last 10 years. If you look at the magnitude of the Lifespan revisions over the past 5 years it is easy to believe that Science will achieve these amazing new concepts and probably many more in a time-period that is much shorter than we could ever imagine. What ever happened to the good old days, when the World was flat?