"Do You Want To Live Forever?" Documentary, Channel 4, UK

"We are on the verge of a revolution in medicine: understanding, treating, and ultimately preventing the causes of degenerative aging. But medical revolutions only happen if we all stand up in support of funding and research. We did it for cancer. We're doing it for Alzheimer's. We can do it for aging - and create an era of longer, healthier lives!"

Required Reading

Activism and Advocacy
Calorie Restriction
The Community, Visualized
Cryonics
Healthy Life Extension Explained
Introductory Articles
Longevity Meme Newsletter
Methuselah Foundation
Mprize for Anti-Aging Research
Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine
SENS, Negligible Senescence
What is Anti-Aging?

High Quality Supplements, Vitamins

On the Causes of Aging

Accumulating AGEs
Aging Immune System
Junk in the Lysosome
Mitochondrial Free Radicals
Other Causes of Aging

Objections Answered

Boredom
Inequality and Economics
Overpopulation
Stagnation
The Tithonus Error
What About Retirement?

Recent Entries

On the Erosion of Telomeres

Things We Don't Need To Know In Order To Cure Aging

The Value of a Longevity Therapy

On Expanding the Audience

Timelines For Agelessness Through Medical Technology

Understanding Aging Conference, Los Angeles, June 27th

Upgrading Mitochondrial DNA to Cause Less Damage

Our Bioartificial Future

What is Cryonics?

Electric Pulse Interview With Aubrey de Grey

"Should" is a Dangerous Word

Small Steps Towards Engineered, Hyperefficient, Artificial Immune Systems

An Interview With Peter Thiel

The Latest Rejuvenation Research, April 2008

Comments on the Sirtris Acquisition

Body Temperature and Longevity

A Look at the Longevity Dividend View

Thrashing Out Your Regenerative Medicine Thesis Online

But Enough About You

Aging Doesn't Just Kill People, It Kills Them Horribly

Weblogs of Interest

Accelerating Future
Ageing Research
Alcor News
April's CR Diary
Andart
Anti-Aging Medicine & Science
Biosingularity
CRON Diary
Cryonics Society
Depressed Metabolism
Digital Crusader
Distributed Republic
Ethical Technology Blog
Existence is Wonderful
Frontier Channel
Future Current
FuturePundit
grailsearch.org
Longevity Science
Marginal Revolution
Metamagician and the Hellfire Club
Methuselah Foundation Blog
Mises Economics Blog
Nanodot
Ouroboros
Overcoming Bias
Pimm - Partial immortalization
Responsible Nanotechnology
ScienceBlogs
Sentient Developments
Singularity Institute Blog
The Loom
The Speculist
Tangled Bank
Transumanar

Archives (Monthly)

May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004

Attribution, noncommercial, no derivative works. Play nice.

« Doing the Rounds Again | Main | Reminders of the Importance of Hammering on the Basics »

Saturday, January 27, 2007

"Do You Want To Live Forever?" Documentary, Channel 4, UK

Scheduled for the evening of February 3rd, Channel 4 in the UK will be airing Christopher Sykes' documentary on biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey, the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) and the scientific goal of radical life extension. Aging is damage, damage can be repaired, and SENS is a first, coherent stab at outlining exactly - to the best of our knowledge today - how the biotechnology and research communities could accomplish this goal. From the Channel 4 website:

Computer scientist turned biologist Dr Aubrey de Grey is on a mission to end 'the scandal of death. Award-winning filmmaker Christopher Sykes goes on the road with de Grey to find out whether old age and death could soon be a thing of the past.

I believe it should be possible to watch this online on the 3rd via the simulcast section of the website, though I haven't given this functionality a road test myself.

From Christopher Sykes' website:

Investigating the revolutionary life-extension ideas of AUBREY de GREY, immortalist and biogerontologist extraordinary, architect of the SENS programme to defeat old age and conquer death within his own lifetime.

Here are the Radio Times details:

Award-winning director Christopher Sykes follows computer scientist turned renowned biologist Dr Aubrey de Grey on the road as he investigates the possibilites of immortality. Hailed as a genius by some experts and publicly denounced by other scientists, de Grey expands on his theory of immortal life by identifying the 'Seven Deadly Things' that cause ageing and proposes solutions for them all. Will this lead to indefinite life extension in the future and is it something we really want?

As I've said a number of times in the past, the word "immortality" seems to be acquiring a common meaning of "greatly extending healthy life span," at least in the media. The shorthand of journalism, to convey much in title and snippet by the use of few words - or less charitably, to make every word pull its weight in the act of attracting fleeting attention, any attention, in a Darwinian struggle for survival - but it would have been nice had the community settled on a word less loaded with pre-existing meaning.

Technorati tags: documentary, media, SENS

Posted by Reason at January 27, 2007 1:44 PM | TrackBack (1)

Posted by: Julian Morrison at February 2, 2007 1:35 PM

"it would have been nice had the community settled on a word less loaded with pre-existing meaning" - no, I don't think so. It's the only word that captures the scope of the vision, in a single conceptual snap that can break through even the cynicism of the ordinary public.

[Posted by: Julian Morrison at February 2, 2007 1:35 PM]

Posted by: Shannon at February 2, 2007 10:59 PM

Is there a way to view this documentary if I am in the United States? It says on the broadcast website that one needs to be a UK resident to watch Channel 4 online.
Thanks

[Posted by: Shannon at February 2, 2007 10:59 PM]

Posted by: brian at February 3, 2007 5:28 PM

I saw the documentary and I heard a church choir singing as background music, can anybody tell me the title and which choir was singing. the music touched me and it was so beautiful. please if anybody knows the title, please post here or write to lianx@web.de, thanks

[Posted by: brian at February 3, 2007 5:28 PM]

Posted by: Val Stansfield at February 5, 2007 10:51 AM

I am in Los Angeles. I was interviewed last year in Tucson by Chris Sykes who planned to put my interview on the show. He was supposed to contact me, and send me a copy but never did. I would like to see the video especially if I am still in it. I just found out today, Feb 5, that it viewed 2 days ago, Feb 3.
How can I download or see the show?
Thanks,
Val Stansfield

[Posted by: Val Stansfield at February 5, 2007 10:51 AM]

Post a comment; thoughtful, considered opinions are valued. Please note that comments incorporating ad hominem attacks, advertising and other forms of inappropriate behavior are likely to be deleted.