How Close Are We To Immortality?

Has anyone reading this blog seen the Netflix show Altered Carbon? I was watching it today and I really enjoy it (can't lie and say I didn't binge the entire first season). This show takes place in the 2384 and paints a picture of humanity that isn't dreary or exciting. It's simply ... understandably human. We have cracked the code to immortality by uploading our consciousness into data chips called "stacks." when we die, and if the stack isn't damaged, you can be uploaded into a new "skin" and continue living your life. The skins are people that have already died.

It is extremely useful technology to have. Now humans can travel to different worlds without worry of how long the trip will last, deceased family members can be brought back to their families, witnesses killed can be re-skinned to point out their attackers, business moguls can remain at the head of their company to keep it thriving.

But, of course, life isn't all good. There are some that see these skins as abominations on what it truly means to be human. I won't go into details on that stuff because I'd prefer you watch the show on Netflix. Trust me, if you're a fan of sci-fi, this is a great show for you.

This show brings up a lot of questions about humanity, society as a whole, government, big business, family, religion, morals. It's full of the stuff. It made me wonder about how immortality would fair if it was discovered in our world. What would we do with that knowledge? Are we even close enough to ask? I did a little digging around and I found out that, surprisingly, we are a lot closer than I thought. I found some different places where people are making some serious leaps in the real-life sci-fi direction.

Aging - A Law Or A Suggestion?

The inevitability of aging may be no more than yet another biological theory that scientific advances will retire in the near future. Some scientists today say that longevity is a societal concept that we may no longer need to uphold as a static law of nature, but instead, as one that can be rewritten to our benefit.

Researchers from fields spanning genetics to artificial intelligence (AI) are working towards a future where we will have to stop using a “midlife crisis” to justify our ill-advised decisions (but is it really ever the wrong time to buy a Porsche?).

While there have been innumerable theoretical ideas and initiatives for dodging the Grim Reaper, many actual strategies that are being developed today fall into one of two camps: biomedical or technological.

Besetting Biology

To win the biological battle against death, we must start by understanding the enemy. Aging is a process that begins on a cellular level. As our cells divide, their DNA and functionality slowly break down, leading to greater susceptibility to damage and disease. For many years, scientists had hoped that telomeres might be the key to halting aging, but these “caps” that protect our DNA have proven to be more complex than initially thought.

When biologists discovered that our telomeres wear away as we age, they theorized that lengthening these strands of protective DNA could also elongate our lives — perhaps indefinitely. But researchers have since found that multiple processes in cells work to tightly regulate telomere lengths because telomeres that are too long can actually have negative consequences, like cancer. Many labs around the world are studying the molecular mechanisms that lengthen and trim telomeres in the cell in order to find out whether they can be modified to keep telomeres at the Goldilocks length — not too long or too short.

Concurrently, technology for genetic editing has advanced by leaps and bounds. The revolutionary process for editing DNA, “CRISPR/Cas9,” has allowed scientists to make targeted genetic changes in living mammalian cells and has even worked to save a little girl from cancer. The tool has so many applications, researchers have coined the phrase “CRISPR it!” (who says scientists are out of touch?).

Genetic engineering is only one of the many medical advances that are being used to prolong our lives. However, some see the human body as a vessel not to be fixed, but rather, replaced.

Virtual Immortality

Technology has become fully integrated with modern life, becoming, in effect, an extension of its users. And as virtual brain modeling and AI design have advanced, many have begged the question, at what point does virtual reality become… reality?

We can design servers — and even mechanical bodies — that will last far longer than our current bodies will. And consider that these robotic bodies could endure a much wider range of conditions than our fleshly ones can. Just in terms of space travel, designing a ship that would not need food, water, or atmosphere would be much more efficient. Also, it wouldn’t matter how long the trip to another world would take — we wouldn’t even need hibernation chambers!

While some reject the idea of preserving humanity outside of the actual human body, leaders like Elon Musk are taking steps towards the potential merger of man and machine. Musk has indicated that in the near future he will be unveiling a neural lace, a device that can enhance and grow with your brain. Once computers can seamlessly interact with our minds, it’s conceivable that they may be able to store our minds as well.

Visionaries like Musk, along with other companies chasing immortality, are forcing us to reconsider our own mortality: what would life look like divorced from death? What price are we willing to pay for another 100 years of life? Another 1,000? And if that’s the case, then what does it mean to be human?

If technology keeps advancing at its present rate, we may have to figure out our answers to these questions sooner rather than later.

I'll see you all tomorrow.

Buh-bye.