Podcast Summary
Exploring the Ethical, Scientific, and Societal Implications of Extending Human Life: The pursuit of longevity through decelerating aging or accelerating rejuvenation raises ethical, scientific, and societal implications. Potential benefits include disease elimination and economic growth, but regulatory hurdles and ethical considerations exist.
The frontier of longevity research is a rapidly evolving and controversial topic that has the potential to revolutionize society. At the recent Suzallu event, the DAO VidaDAO explored the ethical, scientific, and societal implications of extending human life. While some view the pursuit of longevity as unnatural or even immoral, others see it as a noble goal that could lead to breakthroughs in health and wellness. The conversation surrounding longevity is divided into two main areas: decelerating aging and accelerating rejuvenation. While the former focuses on lifestyle choices like exercise and good food, the latter involves cutting-edge research into epigenetic reprogramming and other interventions to reverse the aging process. The potential benefits of successful longevity research are immense, including the elimination of many diseases and the unlocking of trillions in economic potential. However, the pursuit of longevity is also constrained by regulatory hurdles and ethical considerations. Ultimately, the debate around longevity raises important questions about the meaning and value of human life, and the role of technology in shaping our future.
The Controversial Perspective of Seeking a Life Without Death: Patrick Linden argues for expanding human freedom through the pursuit of a life without aging and death, challenging societal norms and raising ethical questions.
According to Patrick Linden, the idea that life is good and death is bad is a controversial perspective that challenges societal norms. While some people believe that death and aging are inevitable and should be accepted, others argue that we should do everything in our power to avoid death and extend our lives. This perspective, which can be seen as synonymous with the pursuit of immortality, is met with resistance due to the belief that death and aging are natural parts of being human. However, Linden argues that the lack of aging and the ability to avoid biological processes that cause death would expand human freedom and is a desirable goal. It's important to note that this perspective goes beyond just wanting to live longer, but rather seeking a life without the inevitability of death. This idea challenges societal norms and raises ethical questions about the meaning and value of life.
Balancing longevity and quality of life: People desire to live long lives with good health, but struggle to imagine what that looks like beyond 90 years, as the number of centenarians and supercentenarians grows, the goal should be to extend life while maintaining or improving health and vitality.
While some people may desire indefinite life extension, it's important to consider the boundaries of this desire. On one hand, we want the option to live forever while maintaining good health and vitality. On the other hand, we don't want to be stuck in a decrepit state for an eternity. This balance between longevity and quality of life is a complex issue that people have a hard time wrapping their minds around, especially when they're young and far from the age of potential longevity. The speaker mentioned that when he asked his students in a class about their ideal lifespan, they often answered with an average of 90 years, but struggled to imagine living beyond that in good health. However, as the world's population ages, the number of centenarians and supercentenarians is growing rapidly, challenging our assumptions about what a long life looks like. Ultimately, the goal should be to extend life while maintaining or even improving health and vitality, rather than simply surviving.
The fallacy of accepting aging and death as inevitable: We need to challenge the mindset that aging and death are natural and inevitable, and invest in technologies and solutions to extend youth and life
Our mindset towards aging and death needs a radical shift. The speaker argues that the decay function we assume in our lives is a fallacy, and that with advancements in health and technology, we may not have to accept aging and death as inevitable. However, many people are stuck in this mindset, which can be compared to Stockholm syndrome – we've become so accustomed to aging and death that we've started glorifying them. But this passive acceptance is dangerous, as it prevents us from investing in technologies and solutions that could extend our youth and lives. It's a scandal that we accept aging as a natural part of life, when it's causing harm to everyone around us. We need to wake up to this reality and start taking action to eliminate the harm caused by inaction. The speaker's book, "The Case Against Death," aims to expose the fallacious reasoning around this topic and challenge our acceptance of aging and death.
Optimal time to address aging: Focus on healthy lifestyle now, wait for breakthroughs. Shift societal narrative, integrate preventative measures in healthcare for cost savings and improved quality of life.
Now is the optimal time to focus on addressing the human blind spot towards understanding and addressing aging. Although the pursuit of this goal could have started centuries ago, we currently have more promising opportunities than ever before. The field of aging research is vast and diverse, with various approaches and interventions being explored. While we wait for the breakthroughs, we can take simple actions today, such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, to extend our lives and keep us alive till the big discoveries come. The health industry as a whole is focused on preventing death, and a shift in societal narrative towards viewing health as a pursuit of longevity could lead to a rapid phase change in this field. Additionally, the integration of preventative measures in healthcare can lead to significant cost savings and improved quality of life. Overall, it's an exciting time to be involved in the pursuit of extending human life and improving overall health and well-being.
Preventing aging vs treating diseases: A cost-effective approach: Focusing on preventing aging could save $38 trillion globally and maintain a healthier workforce, making it a more cost-effective approach than treating diseases once they occur.
Focusing on preventing aging rather than just treating diseases could lead to significant savings in healthcare costs and a reduction in human suffering. The speaker argues that it's more cost-effective to prevent diseases associated with aging than to treat them once they occur. He also points out that most people who died from COVID-19 were elderly, and a healthier population would be more resistant to the virus. The speaker estimates that retarding aging by one year could save $38 trillion globally. Additionally, keeping people alive in their old age is the most expensive and precarious time in their lives, as they are likely to have multiple health issues. Therefore, investing in interventions to increase health span and longevity during middle age could have a much higher return on investment. The speaker also mentions the economic benefits of having a healthy workforce, as they can contribute taxes and continue working longer. Overall, the financial and economic argument for addressing aging as a whole rather than just treating individual diseases is a compelling one.
Embracing Aging vs. Maintaining Health: Viewing aging as a disease and focusing on health and longevity can lead to happier lives and societal contributions, despite the challenges of aging.
The acceptance of aging and the belief that it's a wonderful part of life can be seen as a form of "banal evil," as it ignores the suffering and deterioration that comes with it. Instead, aging should be viewed as a disease that we all experience, and maintaining good health allows individuals to contribute to the economy and live happier lives. The speaker, Patrick, emphasizes that his book, "The Case Against Death," explores the various arguments for accepting death and challenges readers to consider the value of health and longevity. He also highlights the interconnectedness of common diseases like cancer, metabolic diseases, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer's, which all contribute to aging and often overlap. Ultimately, the speaker encourages listeners to embrace the importance of health and longevity, recognizing that older individuals who maintain their health can lead fulfilling lives and contribute significantly to society.
Exploring the Philosophy and Technology of Aging and Longevity: Ancient philosophies emphasize accepting aging and death as natural, while modern technology like Arbitrum and Mantle offer faster Ethereum scaling. Combining these perspectives can lead to a future of extended life and improved quality.
The ancient philosophical and psychological perspectives on aging and death, as represented by figures like Socrates, Plato, the Stoics, and the Epicureans, emphasize the importance of accepting aging and death as natural parts of life rather than fearing them. This "wise view" is still relevant today, and those interested in exploring the scientific aspects of aging can refer to Sinclair's book. For practical applications, individuals can connect with Vita DAO to get involved in the issue. Meanwhile, in the realm of web 3 technology, Arbitrum and Mantle are leading the way in Ethereum scaling solutions, offering faster transaction speeds and lower gas fees. Arbitrum's suite of technologies includes Arbitrum One, Arbitrum Nova, and Arbitrum Orbit, catering to various needs for developers, enterprises, and users. Mantle, on the other hand, is the first DAO-led web 3 ecosystem, built on the Mantle network and offering grants to promising projects. These advancements in technology, coupled with the philosophical acceptance of aging and death, can contribute to a more meaningful and productive exploration of longevity. By embracing both the technical and philosophical aspects, we can work towards a future where we not only extend life but also improve its quality.
From extending lifespan to reversing age: Longevity research focuses on both extending health span and lifespan, and recent advancements aim to reverse age while retaining cell function using techniques like epigenetic reprogramming. Companies like Tern Biotechnologies are leading this field.
While common practices like eating well, exercising, and avoiding alcohol can help slow the aging process, the concept of longevity goes beyond just extending lifespan. Longevity, as defined by some researchers, is the combination of health span and lifespan. The focus in the field of longevity research is no longer just on delaying aging but on finding reversal techniques. However, reversing age comes with a challenge: the cell forgets its original function. A promising approach is epigenetic reprogramming, which aims to bring back an aged cell to a younger version of itself while retaining its original function. Companies like Tern Biotechnologies are leading the way in this field. Longevity research has come a long way since the early 2000s when it was considered taboo, and we are now seeing the maturation of research, technologies, and interventions, leading to the creation of companies in this space.
Longevity Science: Targeted Approaches to Market: Longevity science companies are focusing on translating new technologies into real-world applications by targeting specific conditions and creating next-gen products for market, eventually leading to full-body rejuvenation.
The field of longevity science is experiencing significant growth and investment, with a focus on translating new technologies into real-world applications. Companies are integrating into existing regulatory and investment environments by addressing well-known conditions like cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart disease. The goal is to create next-generation products that can go to market and eventually lead to systemic rejuvenation. An example is Term Bio, which is targeting dermatology with a microneedling approach, injecting novel lipids containing rejuvenation cocktails, including mRNA factors, into the skin to promote thicker, more youthful skin and potentially reverse gray hair. This targeted approach allows for a more feasible path to market and eventual progress towards full-body rejuvenation.
Using synthetic biology to create safe and controllable mRNAs for cellular rejuvenation: Ternbio develops mRNAs as instructions for cells to optimize function and enhance health through epigenetic reprogramming, without altering DNA.
Ternbio, a programming company, uses synthetic biology to create safe and controllable mRNAs called ternas. These mRNAs act as instructions for cells, telling them to perform specific functions, leading to structural changes and cellular rejuvenation through epigenetic reprogramming. This process optimizes cellular function without altering DNA. Epigenetics refers to the layer above DNA that determines which parts to activate. By improving the cell's ability to read DNA, Ternbio aims to enhance overall health and wellbeing, focusing on internal improvements like energy levels and cognitive function. While not reversing aging entirely, the goal is to rejuvenate the body and brain, enhancing neuroplasticity and improving overall quality of life.
Learning new skills and improving health in old age: It's never too late to improve health and learn new skills, including targeting various systems and organs for rejuvenation. The longevity industry is advancing rapidly, and personalized optimization of vitamins and lifestyle will be available at reputable clinics, leading to next-generation therapies and potentially extending lifespan.
It's never too late to learn a new language or make lifestyle changes to improve your health, even in your older years. Our bodies have various systems and organs that can be targeted for rejuvenation, such as the liver, lungs, eyesight, and hearing. The goal is to reach a point of rejuvenation and maintain it as long as possible. The longevity industry is rapidly advancing, and in the next few years, we can expect to see the emergence of reputable longevity clinics that offer personalized optimization of vitamins and lifestyle to prepare individuals for next-generation therapies. These clinics will serve as distribution channels for these innovative treatments. Ultimately, the goal is to keep living longer and potentially reach a point where technology allows for de-aging. The possibility of living to 3,000 years is an exciting prospect, and the next 7 years are a critical stage for supporting and advancing the longevity and biotech industry.
Shifting towards individualized healthcare needs in longevity: Patients demand better care, facing obstacles like animal model testing and technology delivery, but addressing these challenges could lead to significant advancements in longevity and healthcare cost savings.
The current healthcare system is not optimally meeting the individualized needs of patients, leading to a shift towards a health expectancy paradigm. Patients are seeking better quality care and are willing to pay for it. However, the longevity industry faces obstacles such as the use of animal models for testing, which may not accurately predict human responses, and the delivery of new technologies into the body. Additionally, regulation regarding aging being recognized as a disease and fast-tracking life-saving technologies is necessary. These challenges, if addressed, could lead to significant advancements not only for longevity but for medicine as a whole. Furthermore, the cost savings from these advancements could have a positive impact on the healthcare system as a whole.
Investing in the aging population's needs: By 2030, a $47 trillion annual investment is needed to improve healthcare and economic growth for the aging population, leading to potential advancements in longevity science, organ transplants, and senolytic approaches.
The aging population will require an enormous economic investment by 2030, estimated at $47 trillion annually. This investment will not only improve healthcare and economic growth but also enable deeper philosophical questions about productivity and time management. Sergio, an economist and longevity advocate, is working with various companies in this field, including Tern Bio, Lucadia Therapeutics, and Ocean Biotechnologies, to disrupt healthcare and address issues like Alzheimer's, aging cells, and organ transplants. These innovations aim to improve the quality of life for the aging population and create a more productive society. Additionally, Sergio has been involved with the Methuselah Foundation and its investments in companies like Volumetric, which could revolutionize organ transplants, and Oncosenex, which focuses on senolytic approaches to remove aging cells. These advancements in longevity science could lead to significant economic, social, and philosophical changes in the future.
Polygon 2.0 introduces a value layer for unlimited scalability and unified liquidity using ZK technologies: Polygon 2.0 leverages ZK technologies to offer unlimited scalability and unified liquidity, revolutionizing the Polygon ecosystem and Web 3.
Polygon 2.0 aims to revolutionize the Polygon ecosystem and Web 3 as a whole by introducing a value layer for unlimited scalability and unified liquidity. This value layer will be achieved through innovative ZK technologies, including Polygon zk EVM, Plonky 2 proving system, and a zk-powered interoperability layer. Additionally, TOKU, the first employment and compensation platform for the crypto industry, simplifies the complexities of hiring and paying employees or contractors legally, compliantly, and with all taxes handled in over 100 jurisdictions. Michael Greer of Humanity shares his personal journey from health tech to the intersection of longevity, AI, public goods, and crypto, which led him to create a platform that allows individuals to monitor their rate of aging.
Helping Billion People Regain Healthy Years by 2030: Tech company analyzing user data to identify positive actions, aiming to give a billion healthy years back to humanity by 2030, focusing on movement patterns and using various devices to collect health data.
A tech company is working towards helping individuals improve their future health by analyzing user data and identifying positive actions based on individual attributes. The company aims to give a billion healthy years back to humanity by 2030, leveraging the widespread use of devices that can monitor health data. Currently, there is a gap between the current healthcare system and this potential, as many people are not measuring their health over time despite trying various health-related practices. The industry is now entering a phase where vast amounts of health data can be collected and applied, moving beyond clinical trials and small research studies. The company's mainstay for monitoring health is users' movement patterns, but other wearable and non-wearable devices also contribute data. The ultimate goal is to help individuals be healthier for longer by providing personalized recommendations based on their unique data.
The future of personalized health management: AI analyzes wearable data to provide personalized insights and recommendations, increasing wearability and engagement in health management.
The future of personalized health management lies in the intersection of data collection through wearables and AI analysis. The speaker shared his personal experience of using continuous glucose monitors and an Apple Watch, which led to a significant increase in wearability and engagement due to the personalized insights gained. However, with the vast amount of data being collected, the challenge lies in making sense of it all. This is where AI comes in, as it has the capability to find relationships and associations between multivariate systems and turn that deep knowledge into actionable guidance for individuals. Furthermore, privacy is a crucial aspect, and efforts are being made to ensure that users maintain control over their data. Overall, the combination of wearables, data, and AI has the potential to revolutionize health management by providing personalized insights and recommendations.
Transforming healthcare with AI and health data: AI processes and analyzes vast health data from wearables and apps, providing actionable insights for individuals and organizations, leading to personalized and effective interventions, ultimately improving overall health outcomes.
The availability of vast amounts of health data, combined with advancements in AI and machine learning, presents an opportunity to transform the way we approach healthcare and wellness. Companies and organizations, even those with smaller user bases, can create synthetic data and train models on it, allowing for research and analysis without compromising user privacy. Wearable technology and health apps collect an immense amount of data on individuals, measuring various health indicators and behaviors. AI can help process and analyze this data, converting it into actionable insights, such as assessing overall health trends and identifying potential health issues. This not only makes it easier for individuals to understand their own health but also allows for more personalized and effective interventions. Additionally, hardware companies are creating features and processes to extract valuable insights from raw data, creating an ecosystem that makes it easier for organizations to analyze and utilize health data. By applying AI to health data, we can unlock valuable insights and improve overall health outcomes.
Navigating the complex landscape of healthy behaviors: Analyzing granular data and considering the combination, order, and timing of healthy behaviors can help identify the most effective combination for individual health.
Understanding the impact of various healthy behaviors on individual health requires analyzing data on a granular level and considering the combination and order of those behaviors. Not all data is created equal, and some behaviors may have a greater impact than others depending on the individual. For instance, moderate intensity activity may have little effect on some people, while low intensity activities like walking or low-intensity yoga may be more beneficial. High intensity activities, on the other hand, are important for all strata but have varying impacts. The order and timing of these activities also matter, as demonstrated by the impact of walking after a meal on blood glucose levels. Ultimately, the goal is to navigate the complex landscape of healthy behaviors to find the most effective combination for each individual.
Predicting Future Health Outcomes using Past Data: Models analyze past data from biobanks to determine health predictors, helping individuals make informed lifestyle choices for future health outcomes
Data from the past can be used to predict future health outcomes by identifying correlations. Models, such as those used in the Humanity app, can determine what is good for health based on large datasets and the health records of individuals over long periods. The concept is based on the idea that anything measured on the human body years ago becomes a predictor of future health, although correlation does not equal causation. The Humanity app uses this approach to determine what behaviors and factors contribute to good health without inputting specific definitions or guidelines. This method relies on the availability of extensive data from biobanks, which follow the same individuals for decades and provide measurements and health records. By analyzing these correlations, models can predict future health outcomes and help individuals make informed decisions about their lifestyle choices.
Leveraging Data and AI for Personalized Healthcare: The future of healthcare is in utilizing personal data from wearables and advanced AI algorithms to make accurate predictions and provide personalized guidance, improving lives on a large scale.
The future of healthcare and wellness lies in the utilization of vast amounts of personal data collected through wearables and other technologies, combined with advanced AI algorithms to make accurate predictions and provide personalized guidance. The UK Biobank's use of accelerometers and heart rate monitors 18 years ago serves as a foundation for this approach, and the collection and precision of data and algorithms are continually improving. The goal is to create a "beacon" to show the potential of this data and to motivate the use of it to improve lives, with the eventual aim of reaching a user base of 100 million. The Humanity app, which focuses on movement, nutrition, mind, and recovery, is an example of this approach, awarding points for progress in each category and striving to be the best health navigator. With the increasing awareness and understanding of AI's potential in the healthcare industry, the time is ripe to unlock the data and start training models on it while maintaining privacy. The end goal is to improve health and wellness on a large scale.
Personalized health and wellness app assigns points for actions based on impactfulness: The Zuzaloo app uses a personalized system to assign points for various actions related to movement, nutrition, mind, and recovery based on their impactfulness for each individual user, providing clear, actionable steps for health and wellness improvement.
The Zuzaloo app uses a personalized system to assign points for various actions related to movement, nutrition, mind, and recovery based on their impactfulness for each individual user. The points are determined by the app's analysis of how effective each action is for the user's specific type and stratum. The app then provides guidance in the order of the most points, allowing users to make choices and adjust accordingly. The system also considers data from wearables and their increasing precision, which contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the user's health and wellbeing. The ultimate goal is to simplify health and wellness improvement by providing clear, actionable steps for users. As the app gathers more data and users, it becomes more personalized and effective.
Revolutionizing healthcare with personalized data and AI: The future of healthcare lies in using AI to analyze individualized health data for personalized diagnoses and treatments, leading to more effective and efficient healthcare.
The integration of personalized health data and advanced AI technology has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry. Currently, the healthcare system operates based on generalized best practices, treating patients as part of a large, varied population. However, with the availability of individualized health data, there is a hope that healthcare providers will be able to offer more precise and effective treatments. This was demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, where hospitals were desperately trying different treatments for patients based on their unique conditions. The future of healthcare lies in using AI to analyze this data and provide personalized diagnoses and treatments, rather than relying on standardized care. This approach will lead to more effective and efficient healthcare, as well as better outcomes for patients. It's important to note that this transformation doesn't require collecting vast amounts of new data, but rather utilizing the data we already have and continuously feeding it back into the system to improve and personalize treatments. This is similar to the advancements in large language models, where smaller models are performing well with less compute and data. The key is to keep refining and training the algorithms based on the results and feedback from individual cases.
Discussing the Humanity app, user feedback, and data collection: The Humanity app collects user feedback and data to improve the app, will expand to Android, and uses federated learning to preserve privacy during synthetic data research
Michael and David discussed the Humanity app, which is currently available on the iPhone App Store and will soon be coming to Android. They emphasized the importance of user feedback and data collection to improve the app for all users. Additionally, they touched on the topic of opening up health data for synthetic data research while preserving privacy through federated learning. If you're interested in trying out the Humanity app, you can find it on the App Store, and Michael is open to conversations about data research and federated learning.
