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Ask Aubrey de Grey About Longevity Research
There may be such a thing as a conventional scientist -- but Aubrey de Grey is not one. Instead, biogerontologist de Grey has spent much of the last 20 years investigating the science of aging by considering the aging process as a multifaceted disease whose manifestations can be mitigated, rather than an inevitability to merely accept. That might not be unusual in itself, but de Grey believes that by addressing the causes and symptoms of aging, human life can be extended to at least 1000 years — a stance has earned him accolades and contempt in various degrees. (He might not especially mind being called names like "rogue" and "maverick," though.) De Grey is also chairman and chief science officer of The Methuselah Foundation, whose M-Prize for extending the lifespan of mice has been mentioned on Slashdot before. Ask de Grey about his research below; he'll answer the top-rated questions, and we'll publish them in this space. The usual Slashdot interview rules apply — so ask all the questions you'd like, but please confine yourself to one per post.
Okay, I'm sure you've gotten this joke a statistically significant number of times, but have you done any metrics on how many people ask you... "Longevity research? De Grey? Dorian Gray?" per month? Does this joke get weaker over time, or stronger? Can you give us some sort of picture of the phenomenon?
[
..."I've been working on this for about eighty years now, and we've only made a bit of headway. I expect that I've got a few more decades of research to do before we have something we can hang our hats on. I may even be retired by that time."
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
Is the beard a requirement for working with the Methuselah Foundation?
This post climbed Mt. Washington.
Given that the most promising research to-date on life-extension (resveratrol and caloric restriction) can produce about a 40% increase in maximum lifespan at best, how do you estimate that we can achieve a lifespan of 1,000 years (about a 10-fold increase in current maximum lifespans)?
It's a big round number.
To summarise the summary of the summary: people are a problem. ~ h2g2
Ask Aubrey de Grey About Longevity Research
So, um, Mr de Grey, what can you tell us about longevity research ?
(damn, I should have taken that job at the beach)
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.
On the individual scale, I have had 100% success, with 0 failures, at extending my own life each and every day.
How will we cope with all those centuries of memories?
Same way we deal with memories we don't want to deal with now - alcohol!
"Personally, I've been hearing all my life about the Serious Philosophical Issues posed by life extension, and my attitude has always been that I'm willing to grapple with those issues for as many centuries as it takes." - Patrick Nielsen Hayden
PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
Has any research been done on how extreme longevity affects a person psychologically?
Yes, but I can't recall the conclusion.
alias possession='chmod 666 satan && ls
1000 year old whisky.
alias possession='chmod 666 satan && ls
But I can prove that your methods break down at extremely high energies or densities.
http://www.mhall119.com
Your mom told you to ask that, didn't she?
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
Nah. But if you want to invade North Dakota and Montana, feel free.
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
Life expectancy has increased linearly from about 45 years in 1840 to about 85 years in 2000, (see Science 10 May 2002: Vol. 296. no. 5570, pp. 1029 - 1031 DOI: 10.1126/science.1069675.) This is a rate of increase of about 3 months for every year. Continuing at this rate we should reach a life expectancy of 1000 years in the year 5600. So, I would say society has had significant tangible success in extending human lifespan.
what's your cutoff?
"128 years ought to more years than anyone would ever need to live."
-Loether 2008
TODO create witty sig.
My question:
Can you hurry it up, please?
Thanks.