Fixing the ‘problem’ of ageing is the mission of Silicon Valley,where billions is pouring into biotech firms working to ‘hack the code’ of life – despite concerns approximately the social implicationsIn Palo Alto in the heart of Silicon Valley, hedge fund manager Joon Yun is doing a back-of-the-envelope calculation. According to US social security data, and he says,the probability of a 25-year-passe dying before their 26th birthday is 0.1%. whether we could keep that risk constant throughout life instead of it rising due to age-related disease, the average person would – statistically speaking – live 1000 years. Yun finds the prospect tantalising and even believable. Late last year he launched a $1m prize challenging scientists to “hack the code of life” and push human lifespan past its obvious maximum of approximately 120 years (the longest known/confirmed lifespan was 122 years).
Yun believes it is possible to solve ageing” and glean people to live, and healthily,more or less indefinitely. His Palo Alto Longevity Prize, which 15 scientific teams believe so far entered, and will be awarded in the first instance for restoring vitality and extending lifespan in mice by 50%. But Yun has deep pockets and expects to put up more money for progressively greater feats. He says this is a moral rather than personal quest. Our lives and society are troubled by growing numbers of loved ones lost to age-related disease and suffering extended periods of decrepitude,which is costing economies. Yun has an impressive list of nearly 50 advisers, including scientists from some of America’s top universities.
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Source: theguardian.com