In Silicon Valley, research on aging inspires projects, each crazier than the last, and billions of dollars are invested each year to overcome our biological limits. And this by all possible means: cryogenization, transfusion of young blood, cellular reprogramming… Overpriced treatments which are still far from having proven their effectiveness.
Our collective imagination is populated with tales and stories of immortality. Novelists have never stopped imagining how to “push back death”: the philosopher’s stone, the myth of the vampire thirsty for fresh blood, the fountain of youth… But this ambition is no longer limited to the world of fiction alone: some , particularly from the transhumanist movement, are today imagining radical solutions to make us eternal. Proponents of transhumanism are betting on our scientific and medical progress, in biotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics and even neuroscience to “surpass” the human race. Create a “post-human” with increased cognitive capacities and capable of better resisting illnesses and aging.
The business of immortality
These crazy projects are supported by many American companies in Silicon Valley and emblematic figures like Ray Kurzweil (engineer and inventor employed by Google to work on artificial intelligence), Nick Bostrom (philosopher, specialist in artificial intelligence), Zoltan Istvan (who ran for the American presidential elections in 2016 under the banner of the transhumanist party), John Craig Venter (entrepreneur and biotechnologist, specialist in genome sequencing) and Peter Diamandis (founder of the XPrize Foundation, co-founder of the Singularity University – which intends to reflect on the major issues facing humanity – and co-founder of Human Longevity, a company which seeks “cures” for aging). Everyone wants to push the limits of the human body. And this business of immortality attracts significant investors… The market for longevity and anti-senescence therapies is estimated at nearly 26.12 billion dollars in 2022, and it could reach 44.2 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 6.1%, according to a report from Allied Market Research. For comparison, the drug market amounts to 1,291 billion dollars in turnover. Many renowned scientists have already been convinced and seduced by the incredible budgets promised by these private companies.
The art of keeping your blood fresh
Back to our vampires. Capable of living forever thanks to the fresh blood of their victims, these creatures had perhaps already unraveled the mystery of parabiosis. This grafting process, invented in 1864 by…
This article comes from Cahiers de Futura – n°1 – “How will we age tomorrow? “. The new version of the 100% digital Mag Futura. Unlock full access to this fascinating investigation carried out by Romane Mugnier by purchasing this issue or by subscribing to Cahiers de Futura. For only 25 euros per year, receive 4 issues of Cahiers de Futura directly in your mailbox.
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