Randall Parker has commented on the new WTN X Prize initiative to generate more effective research prizes:

The WTN X Prize team is accepting suggestions from the public for prize ideas. Go click on the WTN X Prize link and you will be presented with a form for submitting suggestions.

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The X Prize success demonstrates that prize money can be a very effective tool for accelerating the advance of science and technology. I favor aging research prizes aimed at the development of effective rejuvenation treatments most of all. But another class of prizes that deserves support are prizes for achievements in developing new energy technologies. What would be useful milestones in the development of better energy technologies? Keep in mind that ideal milestones should be achievable by fairly small teams of engineers and scientists.

Dave Gobel of the Methuselah Foundation alerts me to the existence of a poorly publicized prize for a cheap DNA sequencer which is being offered by Craig Venter of Celera DNA sequencing fame. Venter is offering a half million dollars to the first team to produce a sequencer that can sequence an entire human genome for $1000 or less.

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Dave also says that it has always been the plan for the Methuselah Foundation to offer more prizes for more goals related to rejuvenation and anti-aging therapies. Their obstacle is the need to raise the funds. They accept contributions on a web page.

The WTN X Prize initiate is a wonderful idea and I see it greatly helping the Methuselah Mouse Prize and other future prizes for longevity research. The more people who speak seriously about rejuvenation and serious anti-aging research the better - the largest obstacle in the path to the future of healthy life extension is the current lack of public support and understanding for the worthy goals of postponing age-related degeneration and extending the healthy human life span.

Posted by Reason at October 14, 2004 11:52 AM | TrackBack (0)