Immortality: closer than we think
The first human to live for a thousand years may already be alive
British scientist Aubrey de Grey has sent shock waves through the scientific community by claiming that the first human to live for 1,000 years may already be alive. Many scientists have scoffed at what they believe to be ridiculous claims, but Aubrey de Grey is a well-respected scientist and his predictions may not seem as inconceivable as one would think. He speculates that within the next 20 years, there is a 50% chance of science being able to return a 50-year-old person's body to the wear and tear expected in a 30-year-old person's body. He then predicts that by the time this person reaches 70, science will be able to knock another 20 years off his body, returning him to the bright and burly age of 30 again. This cycle will repeat itself indefinitely, resulting in immortality. The scientific basis for his prediction is the recent isolation of seven mechanisms, at the cellular and genetic level, that control the ageing process. These, along with scientific development in the next 20 years, may well be enough for indefinite life.
Someone who would agree wholeheartedly with Aubrey de Grey's theory is American inventor and futurologist Ray Kurzweil. He is the inventor of many everyday items, including the flatbed scanner, and also correctly predicted the exponential progression of Arpanet, the predecessor to the Internet. Like Grey, the American has set his sights on immortality and believes that a triple revolution in GNR (Genetics, Nanotechnology and Robotics) is the key. However, 57 year-old Kurzweil is already a step ahead. In a recent biological age test of his body, the results indicated that his body was that of a 40 year-old! Kurzweil credits this to the 250 dietary supplements he takes every day.
With science progressing at such a high rate, immortality is becoming more and more likely. Whether anyone would want to live forever is another matter, and the implications of having an immortal population are unthinkable. The only worry on everyone's mind is whether it will all come a little bit too late.
