We'll all be a fair deal older in 2030, that's for sure. But just how far will we have advanced medical science? The breadth and thrust of modern day medical research is increasing our remaining life expectancy at one fifth of the rate at which we live - but that pace is picking up. What is plausible for 2030? Some thoughts from Advanced Nano:

Achieving three times or more progress in longevity from 2007 to 2030 versus 1984 to 2007 seems very achievable. This will be from public health improvements, disease cures or treatments, lifestyle improvements (from behavior or with medical assistance) and success from direct progress against the processes of aging. This would mean going from a life extension increase of 0.1 to 0.2 years each year to 0.5 years.

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I believe that the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) is a good plan. SENS could help contibute to a far greater increase in life expectancy. However, SENS success is dependent on both successful science and development and on the funding that it receives.

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The future can arrive earlier for you if make the lifestyle adjustments now. You can give yourself a very good chance to live to 90 and the possibility of 100+ with lifestyle and pro-active medical tests and treatments. For the really big gains, help by donating to the SENS project.

Some folk in the systems biology field project a 10 to 20 year increase in life expectancy over the next 20 years. The Longevity Dividend folk are aiming for 7 years over a similar timeframe, and the actuaries are debating models that fall within these ranges. Aubrey de Grey, of course, makes the case that indefinite healthy life span in mice, maintained through repair technologies, has a good chance of success 20 years after large-scale funding is initiated for such a project.

Those in the know agree that more healthy life is possible and plausible, but disagree on how much and how exactly it will be attained. Certainly it will require support and understanding, regardless of the methodology that wins out in the end; science develops to the degree that people desire technology to achieve their ends, and are therefore willing to fund research.

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Posted by Reason at August 8, 2007 9:14 PM | TrackBack (0)