Cellular senescence, discovered in 1961 by Leonard Hayflick and Paul Moorhead, is a state in which cells no longer perform their functions, instead emitting harmful chemicals that turn other cells senescent. Senescence is primarily caused by telomere shortening and DNA damage, and senescent cells are known to contribute to multiple diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia.
One method of removing senescent cells is caloric restriction, which is a temporary reduction of food calories. This has been shown to be one of the most effective methods to decrease and slow the onset of aging phenotypes [1].
This is related to autophagy, which is the cell’s natural method of breaking down parts of itself when it doesn’t have immediate access to food [2]. Autophagy has been shown to both promote and prevent senescence. It removes damaged macromolecules or organelles, such as mitochondria, which would otherwise cause cellular senescence. However, some of the processes that cause autophagy cause cellular senescence as well [3].
Downloading your brain may seem like science fiction, but some neuroscientists think it’s not only possible, but that we’ve already started down a path to one day make it a reality. So, how close are we to downloading a human brain?
Crumb of Mouse Brain Reconstructed in Full Detail https://www.nature.com/news/crumb-of-mouse-brain-reconstruct…il-1.18105 “The resulting three-dimensional map is the first complete reconstruction of a piece of tissue in the mammalian neocortex, the most recently evolved region of the brain.”
The Immortalist: Uploading the Mind to a Computer https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35786771 “Within the next 30 years,” promises Dmitry Itskov, “I am going to make sure that we can all live forever.”
Prof. Steve Fuller is the author of 25 books including a trilogy relating to the idea of a ‘post-’ or ‘trans-‘human future, and most recently, Nietzschean Meditations: Untimely Thoughts at the Dawn of the Transhuman Age.
During this 2h 15 min interview with Steve Fuller we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: the social foundations of knowledge and our shared love of books; Transhumanism as a scientistic way of understanding who we are; the proactionary vs the precautionary principle; Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and the Omega Point; Julian and Aldous Huxley’s diverging takes on Transhumanism; David Pearce’s Hedonistic Imperative as a concept straight out of Brave New World; the concept and meaning of being human, transhuman and posthuman; humanity’s special place in the cosmos; my Socratic Test of (Artificial) Intelligence; Transhumanism as a materialist theology – i.e. religion for geeks; Elon Musk, cosmism and populating Mars; de-extinction, genetics and the sociological elements of a given species; the greatest issues that humanity is facing today; AI, the Singularity and armed conflict; morphological freedom and becoming human; longevity and the “Death is Wrong” argument; Zoltan Istvan and the Transhumanist Wager; Transhumanism as a way of entrenching rather than transcending one’s original views…
As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation or become a patron on Patreon.
Prof. S. Jay Olshansky is a Professor of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Research Associate at the Center on Aging at the University of Chicago and at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Chief Scientist at Lapetus Solutions, Inc. He has received multiple scientific awards, including the Irving S. Wright Award from the American Federation for Aging Research.
Prof. Olshansky is the co-author of multiple papers related to epidemiology and population, and the areas of his current research include estimates of the upper limits to human longevity, opportunities and challenges related to population aging, how morbidity changes over time, and forecasts of the size and age demographics of the population with and without medicines that address the underlying mechanisms of aging.
We had the opportunity to interview Prof. Olshansky at International Perspectives in Geroscience, a conference hosted at Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel) on September 4–5.
Age is not the definitive factor it’s made out to be when it comes to our health. We can use our age as a baseline for tracking our health and longevity, but it isn’t stagnant. For example, certain types of testing can help us compare our biological age to our calendar age in order to tinker with our wellness routine and achieve the milestones we’re after. With the right steps, we can slow down and even sometimes reverse the aging process.
When it comes to our biological age, or the measure of how well our body is actually functioning for whatever life stage we are in, there are many things that impact it. Diet, lifestyle patterns like exercise and sleep, and stress are all involved in forming our biological age, along with many other factors like blood sugar, inflammation, and genetics. This week on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I’m joined by Dr. David Sinclair to explore the topic of longevity and anti-aging and how he reduced his own internal age by more than 20 years. Dr. Sinclair is a professor in the Department of Genetics and co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging at Harvard Medical School, where he and his colleagues study longevity, aging, and how to slow its effects.
This episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy is brought to you by ButcherBox. Now through September 29, 2019, new subscribers to ButcherBox will receive ground beef for life. When you sign up today, ButcherBox will send you 2lbs of 100% pasture-raised grass-fed, grass finished beef free in every box for the life of your subscription. Plus listeners will get an additional $20 off their first box. All you have to do is head over to ButcherBox.com/farmacy _____________________________________
Dr. Hyman is an 11-time New York Times bestselling author, family physician and international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. His podcast, The Doctor’s Farmacy, is a place for deep conversations about the critical issues of our time in the space of health, wellness, food and politics. New episodes are released every Wednesday here on YouTube, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
Find him and more of his content all over social media:
Ira Pastor, ideaXme longevity and aging ambassador and Founder of Bioquark, interviews Robin Farmanfarmaian, medical futurist, bestselling author, professional speaker, and CEO and Co-Founder of ArO.
Ira Pastor Comments:
In 2019, we are spending over $7 trillion around the globe on healthcare. $1 trillion goes to pharmaceutical products, $350 billion to medical devices, $200 billion new life sciences R&D, and on and on.
We tend to forget how much consolidation has occurred in these different healthcare segments. The world’s 10 largest pharmaceutical companies control 60% of that trillion dollar market. The top 8 insurance companies in the U.S. control over 50% of all individual patient coverage. In 43 countries, which account for 3/4 the world’s population, patients only have appointment times between 5- 10 minutes with their primary care physicians. As patients, we know what it’s like to feel somewhat separated and insignificant in this system.
We usually talk on this show about the future, and the amazing technologies and products coming down the pipeline for more dramatic things, such as complex regeneration, disease reversion, radical life extension and so forth, but it’s equally important to speak on how we as individuals and patients can put ourselves back in the driver’s seat and not just be an afterthought in the equation.
Today’s guest, who knows a lot about this topic, is Ms. Robin Farmanfarmaian. Robin is a medical futurist, entrepreneur, bestselling author, and professional speaker. She focuses on the future of integrated medicine, the changing role of patients in healthcare decision-making, and how technology will change the way we experience and interact with medical facilities and physicians.
‘Healthy Life Extension / Physical Immortality – the mass possibility ‘is presented as ’a symphony of voices’.
INTRODUCTION
Throughout the ages, pioneers have been questioning the accepted belief systems of the populace, and producing major evolutionary leaps: “The Earth is the centre of the Universe” gave way to the understanding that the earth revolves around the sun. “The Earth is flat” fell away when Columbus did not fall over the edge. The Wright Brothers also flew us into another reality as have countless others. I will be suggesting in the words to follow that the belief system “physical death is inevitable” may have a similar fate.
Today, we’re offering another talk from Ending Age-Related Diseases 2019, our highly successful two-day conference that featured talks from leading researchers and investors, bringing them together to discuss the future of aging and rejuvenation biotechnology.
In her talk, Morgan Levine of the Yale School of Medicine discussed epigenetic biomarkers in detail, discussing the ways in which co-methylation networks provide insight into senescent cells and other facets of biological age.
