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An excellent interview. Fossel and Aubrey de Grey of the SENS Foundation are in disagreement about telomerase.


https://www.singularityweblog.com/michael-fossel/

Michael Fossel‘s dream is to reverse human aging and since 1996 he has been a strong and vocal advocate of experimenting with telomerase therapy as a potential way of intervention in a wide variety of medical conditions related to aging. In addition, Fossel is one of those unique people who are a real pleasure to not only see speaking from the stage but also to meet in person. And having done both of these, I can honestly say that Michael is as much an impassioned expert speaker as he is a compassionate human being. Not only that but he is also a generous host, who loves entertaining guests visiting his fabulous house near Rapid Falls, Michigan and I have to admit I had tons of fun socializing with him both in front and behind camera. So, all in all, it was a lot of fun meeting and interviewing Dr. Fossel for my Singularity 1 on 1 podcast.

During our 1 hour discussion with Michael we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: his dream to reverse aging and the desirability and feasibility thereof; the Hayflick limit of cell division and Aubrey de Grey’s concerns that telomerase therapy may cause cancer; the distinction between reversing aging and living forever; his “non-sexy” tips on healthy living; his take on cryonics and transhumanism…

My favorite quotes that I will take away from this interview with Michael Fossel are:

This can also be done with a brain in a jar hooked-up to A.I…


*** As featured on the Colbert Report — June 4, 2009 ***

http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/library/#clip180735

For the first time in the world, transplant surgeons, led by Dr. Shaf Keshavjee, used a new technique to repair an injured donor lung that was unsuitable for transplant, and then successfully transplanted it into Andy Dyksrta.

Dr. Keshavjee and his team have developed an ex vivo or outside the body technique capable of pumping a bloodless solution containing oxygen, proteins and nutrients into damaged donor lungs. This technique allows the surgeons the opportunity to assess and treat damaged donor lungs, while they are outside the body, to make them suitable for transplantation. To find out more about this research milestone, and others like it, visit www.tgwhf.ca!

Like many people, Barbara Greenberg wasn’t looking to unlock any deep, dark family secrets when she spit into a tube a few years ago and sent her DNA off to be analyzed. “I was just curious to see if I would find anything a bit interesting,” Greenberg says.

And at first, there were no real surprises; she was, as expected, 100 percent Eastern European Jewish. But she’d check back into her account now and then, looking for new matches to distant cousins, and eventually someone else popped up—an unknown female relative with a DNA match significant enough to indicate it was likely a half-sister.

As Greenberg and the other woman began communicating, their shared story took shape. Although the other woman had very little information about who her biological father might have been, Greenberg says the timing, location, and certain clues the woman’s mother had given over the years indicated that they did, indeed, share the same father.

Scientist or not, we’re all familiar with X-ray imaging and perhaps its 3D cousin, computed tomography (CT), as well. These platforms are great for looking at bone and dense tissue—to see if there’s a fracture, or maybe a mass in the lung where it shouldn’t be—whereas molecular resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography are the go-to modalities for interrogating softer tissue, like muscle. And for knowing what is happening in the body—as opposed to just where something is—nuclear tracer technologies like positron emission tomography (PET), and to a lesser extent its cousin single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), are the way to go.

These self-same modalities can be found in more diminutive instrumentation for pre-clinical imaging—often equipped with heated beds or chambers, anesthesia and oxygen supplies, and other modifications—specifically designed for small animals. If you also consider instruments capable of optical modalities of fluorescence, bioluminescence and their derivatives—which generally don’t easily translate to the clinic—you find yourself awash in possibilities for in vivo imaging.

Nanoprobes were microscopic robotic devices used by the Borg for the primary purpose of assimilation, as well as to help maintenance and even repair their mechanical and biological components on a microscopic level. Injected into a target’s bloodstream via assimilation tubules, the nanoprobes immediately began to take over the host cells’ functions. Nanoprobes could also be modified for a variety of medical and technical tasks.

Dangerous superbugs are clinging on to surgical gowns and instruments even after the items have been disinfected, scientists have revealed.

Hospitals have been warned to monitor their hygiene practices after tests showed the pathogen C. difficile is becoming resistant to standard decontamination agents.

The bug, which is thought to be responsible for around 1,600 deaths a year in the UK, can cause diarrhea, fever, rapid heartbeat, inflammation of the intestines, and kidney failure.