Of the many topics that I'd like to talk about on this blog, rejuvenation technology is among those I'm most excited about. Rejuvenation technology is simply any technology that is geared towards reversing the effects of aging in human beings.
Lifespan.io uses the following definition:
Rejuvenation biotechnology describes any advanced medical technology that directly addresses any of the various aging processes in order to restore tissue and organ function to a more youthful state, thereby ameliorating, delaying, or preventing age-related diseases.
A lot has happened in this field over the past decade. This chart (linked to because it was way too large for a blog post - even when scaled down) is the current map of rejuvenation drugs of various sorts in the pipeline. A decade ago there were no drugs of this sort that had entered clinical trials. Five years ago only a handful. But in the next five years, there's going to be an explosion. And because the proof of concept is so strong for the rejuvenation approach to biomedicine, I'd be surprised if much progress wasn't made in that time.
But all of this creates a question: why bother to extend our life and healthspan? What about things such as overpopulation, limited resources and, well, just plain 'ole garden variety boredom?
Well actually, overpopulation isn't the issue the world will be facing in the next few decades. Underpopulation, it turns out, is far more likely and far more dangerous. The world is getting older, especially in first world countries, and because people are having less and less children per couple, we're heading towards a time when many the few young will have to support the many old. It's not going to be pretty.
As for limited resources, well, that's a more subtle argument. Even at with a declining population rate this would be a problem as things are now, so this will require us to innovate solutions to these environmental crises anyway.
And as far as boredom goes, I highly doubt that the future is going to be boring, whatever else it is.
So really, why wouldn't you want the option?
This technology is coming, whether you're ready for it or not. If you are under the age of 50, there is a very good chance that you'll live to see some of the benefits of this emerging field. So stop, look at your life, and really consider the assumptions you are making about the future. Tomorrow is not going to look like today - not by a long shot. If you're planning to save a nest egg, retire, and live your remaining 30 years or so in peace you've got another thing coming. Stop thinking about the next 50 years, and start thinking about the next 100.
Don't be afraid of getting your hopes up. If you make it, you'll be glad you did.
