I like living in the future.
I suspect this is the same or nearly the same technology I have referenced before.
Scientists are working on a drug that lets you live for 200 years
Adding another 100 years to your lifespan might be the stuff of science fiction but scientists are working on a miracle drug that would make it a reality.
The drug, taken in pill form, works by eliminating cells that contribute to the ageing process in the human body, thus potentially doubling our lifespan.
Human ageing is hurried along by cells called ‘zombie cells’, scientifically known as senescent cells. These cells stop dividing over our lifespan, accumulate inside our bodies, and eventually release compounds that speed up ageing.
The drug has been tested on mice in a 2020 trial and the result was improved physical function and extended health and lifespan. Scientists are now working on replicating the result in humans.
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The pills are reportedly already in the human trial stage and could very well hit the market within the next ten years.
Revolutionary technological development is frequently “ten years” away for several decades. I’m hoping I live long enough to hitch a ride but it may not be ready until my children ready to taken advantage of it.
* Deliberate reference to an obscure television show I used to watch
I remember that program, too.
I didn’t even have to look up Monte Markham, and the one line from the promo, “There’s a midget in that box!”
Only if society is vastly improved would I want to live out more than one “normal” lifetime.
Thanks Defens. My sentiments exactly. Long life is good. But long life as a communist slave isn’t going to be much of a life.
Could you imagine doing a 180 years in a Chinese Apple Iphone factory?
Being stuck in some place you had to eat, work, and sleep for that long?
Or a 120 year mortgage?
Not the way this world is being run. 70-80 years is good enough for me.
Sorry for my pessimism, Joe. But I can’t bring myself to believe this is going to be used for good. It’s far to powerful for the animals to resist, abusing.
Let’s what if.
If it pans out how much could the company charge for the product. I assume that it would have to be taken from birth or perhaps starting as a young adult since if you start it at age 70 the damage is already done. So, let’s say 180 years of daily pills.
Now what could you charge for a lifetime supply? What would the billionaires pay? Ten million? Hundred million? A billion? More?
Or how much could you charge for a 30-day supply for a millionaire? By way of comparison, the cancer drugs for my wife’s chemo are all over the place and mostly covered by Medicare, but are billed in the 10,000s to 50,000s per injection. And even a simple transfusion is $3000 for donated blood. Do you think that Medicare will cover these ageing pills?
There are a lot of other questions? What happens to your body if you cannot pay after being on the pills for several years? How do you really know it works until a lot of people have lived that long without side effects? Do you think that Medicare is prepared to provide 120 years of medical care? What about life insurance and annuities? Will companies allow you to remain on the job as you age?
And I am sure that there are a lot of other questions.
BTW: Fasting and calorie restriction trigger the same process, and while both are believed to extend life neither have been shown to extend life in a trial. And you can do either if you have the willpower today and its free. Another somewhat easier alterative is intermittent fasting (one meal per day with no snacks).
In essence these techniques switch your energy source from carbs to fat at the cellar level at least part of the time. It is called Ketosis.
Yet another solution is to eat Keto by restricting carb intake to 20g per day. That means that you cannot even eat one slice of bread per day. I’ve been eating Keto for the last 7 years and I often do intermittent fasting in addition. Will it extend my life? I don’t know for sure, but since I am a Type II, eating regular food would have done a lot more damage to my body. My brother who got Type II about the same time and ate regular meals died last year.
Maybe they will be able to extend lives to 200 years, maybe not. The real question is should we. There’s already enough problems on planet Earth with the current number of people/ current life span. And who would decide which of us was allowed access to this miracle….and who would be barred from it. It’s NOT going to be found on OTC on the corner drugstore shelf.