How long can genetherapy and cellular renewal extend life?
Ward, a British journalist, takes a lively tour through longevity science and pseudoscience. He discovers that scientists are not so interested in immortality as such, but rather in helping us to live active, fulfilling lives up until the end of our days. Ward leaves this question open, even though some immortalists believe that the culmination will lead to us never finding the day.
He starts at the Church of Perpetual life, a group of people who would rather not die than seek paradise after death. Ward is introduced to Neal VanDeRee who fasts intermittently and sees a world where biotechnology will advance faster than the body’s ability to break down.
VanDeRee and other immortalists are working to achieve what they call \”escape speed\” by extending the lives of their subjects until biotechnology advances fast enough to keep these people alive forever. Aubrey de Grey believes that this moment is surprisingly near — perhaps within the next 20-30 years. This is a bold claim, but can it be true? Ward never reveals which future he’s betting on.
Source:
‘The Price of Immortality’: How long can gene therapy and cellular regeneration extend life?
