People Should Plan for Very Long Lives Indeed, But Do Not
I had no idea that the the Milken Institute included a Center for the Future of Aging. In nature it is more AARP than Healthspan Campaign, which might explain the oversight. Here I'll point out an article published by the organization earlier this year, one of a number on the future of retirement that appeared around the same time. The bottom line is that change is upon us, and younger adults are largely planning for a future that won't happen: they will live far longer and in better health than the present common wisdom suggests, and most likely far longer than is predicted by the current actuarial models based on a continuing gentle upward trend in life expectancy. This is a time of great progress in biotechnology and medicine, a leap upwards and fundamental shift in the relationship between medicine and aging. In the past researchers were not trying to treat the causes of aging. Now they are.
Many see aging only in negative terms, with the talk about entitlement costs, dependency ratios, and the challenges of disease and financial insecurity. But increased longevity has contributed to unprecedented economic growth and opportunities for personal fulfillment that previous generations could only dream of. Innovations in genomics, personalized medicine, and digital health will mean more time to work, learn, contribute, and recreate. Respected leaders in science are focused on the possibilities of dramatic life extension. The odds are that millennials and the generations that follow will experience significantly longer lives. So conversation about the future of aging is not just about "boomers." It's about all of us. While there is no certainty that scientists will succeed in enabling radical life extension, that possibility alone should change the thinking of millennials about their futures. How should members of this generation prepare? Here are a few points to consider.Plan for lifelong learning. Whether on campus or on-line, millennials will return to school several times in their lives to learn new skills, develop fresh perspectives, and expand their general knowledge and relationship networks. They'll benefit by learning with and from older adults, and older adults will, in turn, benefit from lessons they learn from millennial teachers. The habit of establishing intergenerational relationships and shared learning experiences will bring lifetime benefits.
Plan for lifelong work. Traditional retirement is ready to be retired. Millennials will continue to work for financial security in longer life and because the stimulus of work can enhance both health and well-being. Many millennials already understand the challenges of changing workplaces and professions. Flexibility and comfort with new environments will serve this generation well. Millennials should join with older adults to fight workplace ageism and advocate for part-time, shared, and flexible work options, knowing they'll be the beneficiaries of progressive workplace policies as they age.
Save and invest for the long term. Many in the current generation of older adults have not saved enough to support themselves and their families, with devastating consequences. Millennials came of age during the Great Recession, and many carry the burden of student loan debt. But by planning responsibly and effectively, and investing early, millennials can be better prepared than their parents for longer lives. Big cars and bigger houses may be appealing to some, but there are far more important priorities in life for all of us.
I don't believe a word of it. We're absolutely nowhere close to extending lifespans to any significant degree. I'm only 31 and I just don't see it happening in the next 40-50 years. And I don't see it happening for those who are 10 to 20 years younger than me, either. Or those who are just infants right now. We still don't know the mechanisms for aging and we still can't fix the damage. None of this has been demonstrated in humans. We're so far away. Just accept that you were born a century too early.
MissKaioshin: I disagree to your statement for a number of reasons.
1. The genome was finished 15 years ago, so it translated our DNA into a digital version where we can exponential increase our knowledge of the body.
2. Gene therapy,particularly Crisper (not sure exactly how to spell it correctly), is providing us with tools to control genes within our bodies.
3. Nanotechnology: We are learning more about how things (including our DNA, genes, and so forth) in very small sizes. The killer app I am excited about is when nanobots will be feasible, possible in the 20's or 30's.
4. Audrey deGrey statement that there are 7 major areas that need to be controlled/repaired/replaced for us to be rejuvenated. As he stated, it has been decades since the 7th areas has been found, making us believe there are no more required.
5. Ray Kurzeill proving that information moves in a exponential manner (this includes the human body now that the genome has been realized).
6. Additional tools that has been created in the past decade or so to build upon what scientists have already learned, thus speeding the knowledge that much more.
7. Computer, to boost medical knowledge even more and speedier. I guess I could put AI in here, eventually.
I am sure I missed a few others that will aid in speeding us to getting rejuvenated treatments within a few decades with only funds really being the only deciding factor and, in this country, anyway, the FDA.
Unless we see a practical breakthrough (e.g. BioViva), I would be very skeptical. The main problem is that we have so much science but so little clinical practice. As Goethe once put it, knowing is not enough, we must apply, we must do!
If the FDA is the way, fine, then we have to do it abroad. As long as this doesn't happen, I can guarantee that no longevity drug will be approved within the next 12-15 years.
Ugh, this troll finally made its way here. Everything he posts on reddit is basically what he posted here. Nothing ever changes, everything will be the same in 50 years, accept that you were born too early, etc. probably the biggest naysayer on anything really. He speaks with such authority, yet only agrees with whatever opinions match his to support what he says, despite credible sources saying otherwise.
Waverunner,
In the next 12-15 years probably not. But I would expect a couple to be in trials maybe. If I had to venture a guess, I would think there would be something with those senolytics at least... Though I do wonder how much impact they would have on their own. Hell, even if there was progress on athlerosclerosis, life expectancy should go up a bit.
Probably the first poster is just trolling but...
Even without SENS, life expectancy at birth in my country (Spain) increased at a constant rate of 3 years per decade in the last 2 decades. And it doubled from 1910 to 2009, from aprox. 40 years to 80 years (38.8->78.4 in men and 42.6->84.5 in women).
SENS is advancing slowly due to its small budget, but anyway it's making progress. The last step was the synthesis of glucosepane, that will advance glucosepane removal research.
Pretty much Antonio. Their posting history on reddit and elsewhere confirms this.
@MissKaioshin
I think that you are too pessimistic about the future - a typical human response in the face of rapid progress. Amazing breakthroughs are upon us, but many human beings have yet to realise that. When major medical breakthroughs were made in the previous centuries, people were slow to believe at first but did make eager use of all the new inventions once they felt they needed them. It is no wonder that humans are still with their minds in the pre-modern era, because their brains have been virtually unaltered (although it may have changed a bit) since the last Ice Age. They are practically still in the paleolithic mode, which is not always bad, but that is also why they have a hard time comprehending progress - that is what I see at least. I have confidence in the future because the rapid progress that we are making indeed looks promising. I may be terribly wrong, but I may also be terribly right.
I may be different from other views here, but I think there will always be blowback if this is discussed as radical life extension. To a lot of people that term sounds ambiguous and strange. A lot of people will react negatively when they don't understand what you are talking about.
Everything on this topic should be referred to as Healthspan. When Aubrey De Grey asks people "how many of you want to get cancer or Alzheimer's", no hands go up. I just hope that I have the longest Healthspan possible. So when I am in what is considered old age now, I am still alert, healthy and physically active. I do hope to live to 110 or so (in my early forties now). Maybe that is too optimistic, but if I could be healthy until 110 that would be good. Who knows what medical science might be like 70 years from now. Of course I don't just wish for a good Healthspan for myself, but everyone else too.
oh God not MissKaioshin from Reddit! I saw their pessimistic posts on the Bioviva reddit. They have no idea what is going on in the labs and behind closed doors to make such a prediction.
I am calling bullshit on this!
Senlyotics are available which is one form of aging damage to deal with Senescent cells. It would be easy enough to test this soon.
Tissue regeneration is coming along fast with work by the Conboys for example likely to translate to humans. This is only a matter of time before they go to Clinical testing and I know this because I speak to Irina and Michael about it!
Stem cell replacement and stem cell based rejuvenation eg, MSC therapy has already started being used in humans and animal data is very promising indeed. This also includes regeneration via MSC culture media. Tested on mice, rats and also rabbits as recently as the last 3 months.
I would elaborate further but frankly this is a waste of my time which is better spent on actual longevity work. MissKaioshin is a troll just look at the nonsense they spew out on reddit and you will see.
Hit the nail on the head Steve. It takes a special kind of genius to go out of their way to come and post how nothing is going to change or happen in the next 40-60 years. The usual argument is "they have no real scientists working there" or "real scientists will tell you just how far we are away from x, y, or z"... despite "real" scientists saying otherwise.
On a side note Steve, has there been anything on the Senolytics lately? I could of sworn I read something that someone was having an issue replicating the results (I might be making this up, or confusing it with something else, because I can't find information on that either now). They seem promising.
@ham Senolytics I am unsure of progress since reading about some work about six months ago. Perhaps Michael from SENS can update us? Its an area of interest to me but I admit not an area I hear much about.
I saw today on here progress has been made in regenerating the Thymus too! How do the naysayers like them apples? 40+ years my eye!
"real scientists will tell you how far we are away from x,y, or z" funny isn't it? Considering how people like the Conboys are talking about being around 5 years max from something practical for people to regenerate tissues with sufficient funding.
Yeah, there's always that caveat of sufficient funding... Hopefully they have it lined up already, or they will soon.
@Deleo
The more I think about what you said, the more I agree. While many people here got interested in this because of life extension, the average person is terrified by the term. By talking about health, and preventing or curing disease, I think it's likely more people would be on board, because as you said... No one wants cancer or Alzheimer's.
That being said, I'm still unsure. Look at many comments on this site (and every other article on aging) regarding overpopulation for example. People look at us saying overpopulation isn't an issue kind of like most people look at climate change deniers. I'd still like to think more people are becoming in favor of longevity though, but I just don't know... It's hard to tell, because reading comments would say no, but looking at all the companies getting involved in aging tells me yes.
I think we could certainly use a celebrity to flaunt as the face of this thing though, similar to the healthspan campaign. That being said, in my estimation someone like Zoltan Istvan (who was just in a debate, sorry for the reference, but he has his immortality bus, etc) probably does more harm than good here. I have my doubts as to whether something to specifically treat aging would be released worldwide, if people screaming about overpopulation and "straining the planet" are loud enough. Or people who think that we have an obligation to give up their jobs, homes, and ultimately life to make way for new families. Maybe if it was packaged as rejuvenation for the heart or brain or cells, or something like that it wouldn't cause such an uprising. It's two ways to the same end, but people seem to be way more comfortable with wording it one way over the other.