TEDwisdom
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This is Aubrey de Grey. He says aging is a disease, and he knows how to cure it.
He is the Chief Science Officer of the SENS Research Foundation. They are working to extend human life, to the point where dying from age-related illness is no longer inevitable.
Human life expectancy has been increasing at a rate of one or two years per decade. Their goal is to improve that rate of increase to one year per year.
In 2007, Aubrey de Grey gave a TED talk discussing this. He proposed a proof-of-concept experiment wherein he would extend the life of mice, adding healthy years to their lifespan.
The two mice pictured below are the same age
In 2013 he gave another TED talk and showed the preliminary results of the proof-of-concept. The mouse at the bottom is about a month away from the end of its lifespan. The mouse at the top is completely healthy and free of the intracellular junk accumulation associated with regular mice its age. These results are incredibly heartening and portend well for the science of life extension.
PhilosopherScholar
Damn it, this started a 3.5 hour TED binge for me.
Wolvesof0din
I hope its possible for those that want it, i however do not want an extended life.
cainoh
Pro tip: if you are "trying to get it seen by as many people as possible", perhaps refrain from insulting an entire nation in the title.
smithd7
Agree 100%. You should reply directly to his comment below though.
StretchTheGhost
The only reason he wants to prolong the human life span is so he can grow his beard forever.... Wake up!!!!
smithd7
You say it like it's a bad thing. Only thing that could make that beard more epic is...more beard.
TuckerTheGuy
I know Aubrey. He's also on the scientific advisory board of some companies I used to work with.
DomitiSardin
The planet's fine, last I checked. It really doesn't care what the temperature is or anything. Other planets will pretty much certainly>
aCoolBreezeOnAHotSummerDay
Hey @OP, I'm American and I wouldn't mind it if the FP entirely consisted of interesting posts about science. :)
TEDwisdom
I appreciate you. ^_^
hartmonica
Then just browse the imgur science filter instead of most viral, it's what I do for a refresher
Thesinlesssinner
Same here man, not all of us are ignorant science haters. I love shit like this.
IHaveTooManyPets
'Murca never sleeps, only pretends to sleep to lure in the samsquanch
Halfton81
CirclejerqueDuSoleil
As an American, can confirm. Also to browse dank memes.
MyBrainIsPlastiDipped
"Curing" the aging disease would destroy humans. Why would you do that?
HD226868
No it wouldn't. Ever hear of space? Or just 'not having kids'?
MyBrainIsPlastiDipped
We are way too many years away from colonizing another planet for us to consider that as an alternative to overpopulation right now.
HD226868
Not that far away when you consider the time it'll take to perfect a cure for aging. Plus, we could colonize whenever. We just need the $.
HD226868
Seriously, people saying aging is a necessary evil is just... it's like Stockholme Syndrome with a disease. We're better than that!
TEDwisdom
In the first TED talk linked above, Aubre de Grey calls it a "Global Trance." It's too horrible to think about so it's easier to dismiss it.
Carlox
I thought that was Alan Moore.
Nikolaj
"Oh come on humans, just die out already. Sick of your shit" -The Planet. Probably.
hideakikarate
Just wait until Sam Jackson makes us kill each other. That'll solve everything.
Nikolaj
I don't know what this means and I don't care enough to find out.
hideakikarate
Kingsman, the secret service. Pretty awesome movie.
notenoughmail
- Our great-great-great-grandchildren. Probably.
NubScrub1
If he's raising life expectancy by one year a year, does that mean I'm immortal? Because I keep getting an additional year?
HD226868
It's called the actuarial escape velocity. And not technically immortal, you could still die. You just won't decay.
NubScrub1
Assuming I don't die from a disease or an injury or something, natural causes wouldn't kill me, so I could be immortal
HD226868
That's the idea.
kzoutniwete
growing old is a pain in the ass!! ...and elsewhere
kylesavant
He was on the JRE podcast. Very interesting.
Carthes
The last thing this planet needs is an increase in the life span of humans. Just sayin'
hadhadhadhadhadhad
Well if we're both alive in 80 years I'll be sure to shake his hand.
Rasdwatrium
So..we can work even longer? Yay..
ScoopskiPotatoes
I watch a documentary about his research. It's cool but he is a very weird guy... like naked picnics weird.
raifsevrence
The Immortalists, yes. The guy goes well beyond weird imo. He's creepy, egotistical and legitimately nutty. The docu was quite disconcerting
SheTurnedMeIntoANewtButIGotBetter
You couldn't have said it better. That's exactly the vibe i get when looking at him.
CirclejerqueDuSoleil
As an American:
v
TEDwisdom
I must have missed that episode. Do you know which one this is from?
TEDwisdom
Never mind, googled it. "This is the least scientific thing I've ever seen!" "Seriously! This could not seem *less* scientific!" Ah, Hermes
CirclejerqueDuSoleil
I don't even watch Futurama :/
skwint
We don't just need to die to keep the population down, we need to die to free the next generation from our prejudices.
smithd7
I support the living forever thing but your argument over all others makes sense to me. Although, things do change over the course of a life
selectallfrompiewheretypeisapple
While I agree with your point (next generations have new perspectives), there's other ways to remove prejudices than death...
selectallfrompiewheretypeisapple
It would be like throwing away your perfectly good PC because one program no longer works due to an error and buying a new one.
sociallyawkwarddoggolovergirl
HI I'm awake, freedom and whatnot.
mischrys
Guns. Freedom and guns, lol
lifecycling
Funny, I don't feel free here in the good ol' US of A
boobcat
Well clearly you ARE NOT awake if you think Americans have Freedom. You're asleep sheeple, take your FREEDOM back wolf-pac.com
DetroMental1
Calm it down with the preaching buddy
boobcat
calm it down with murdering millions of people in the name of US interests. STOP recording my emails ph calls and metadata.
iuploadbearpics
Yep, down voted for the anti American title. Haters everywhere.
chuckinator119
They're all just so jelly
quicksilver540
Don't say "and what not." Just say freedom.
SmellOfMonkey
Both, freedom AND whatnot? What a time to be alive
TEDwisdom
Regardless of what others may say, I like your whatnot
sociallyawkwarddoggolovergirl
Atleast someone appreciates it!
sociallyawkwarddoggolovergirl
Atleast someone appreciates it!
VodkaReindeer
"all humanity", he said, forgetting that some people don't even get vaccines
twofishtails
He's a fruit loop. He's been dismissed to death by reputable scientists. Only on Imgur could this guy get any attention.
ArcaneM37
He's also abusive and refuses to commit to his longterm girlfriend. If you listen to him, he sounds a lot like a polygamist cult leader.
twofishtails
Def heard that and more. The foundation he's associated with is clearly unscientific.
smithd7
and Uh, TED
twofishtails
Check out some of the TED/TEDx parodies on YouTube for a great chuckle.
smithd7
Will do, thanks stranger on imgur
Itsaidthecharacterlimitforusernameswassixtythreesoithinkthisis
Why did it matter that the Americans are asleep?
cinsoniTe
Because they find a way to make everything unlikable. "I am proud to be an American. We are the best nation. Fuck the rest of the world." C?
Skawomplious
a) because we're all antiscience, or b) OP is a nationalist douchebucket looking to score fake internet points. Occams Razor says...
Itsaidthecharacterlimitforusernameswassixtythreesoithinkthisis
Using Occam's Razor, gonna go with A
imgurfacepalm
Probably the same ole thinking for many Europeans on this site that they are somehow better than Americans and "lol fat dumb Muricans".
IDontKnowHowYouGuysWalkAroundWithThoseThings
Imgur is based out of the US, right? HQ in San Francisco?
sassypurplecat
Why do people keep thinking living forever is a good thing?
dmalzahn
Agreed, I'm concerned I'll outlive my money as it is.
P0oPfAce
I don't get the title. Americans don't like science? The guy who started TED talk is American.
5il3ntN1ght
It's just easy for unoriginal people to make fun of Americans (to be read in the most snarky tone possible).
Treblaine
There's only one things Americans like more than science: complain about how Americans don't like science enough!
blurgh
Because republicans, anti-vaxxers and climate change deniers I reckon.
JeffDahmer
You are very wrong.
thekevinshow
That's exactly the kind of broad-brushing circle jerk I've come to expect from Imgur.
JeffDahmer
Most of my medical school class (including myself) is republican so if you think being republican makes us less science savvy I'm sorry but
TheMightyDio
Republicans are fine. You're thinking of conservatives, and they're not all bad. Don't generalize. The other two are definitely bad though.
azrailx
Except republicans generally want to cut gov scientific funding (nih) so the difference doesn't matter in this case
yak3ftw
Neocon Evangelical fuccbois are trash.
blurgh
I think most europeans see republicans as conservatives. Being right in the US makes you very far right in europe
circlebreaker
OP is talking about time zones, the wakedness of certain countries during certain times of day, etc... Just some friendly ribbing.
TEDwisdom
Thank you for being one of the few who understood correctly.
Kaze101
#triggered
ShitSteve0Says
Not to mention America is pretty fucking good at the whole science thing
Wolfe65
The joke is the fact American immediately defended with "pretty fucking good at the whole science thing*
YeahLinguisticsBitch
did you forget article?
maybeifthisusernameiswittyenoughsomeonewillfinallyloveme
Except when it comes to global warming, then it's all "made up" and "an invention of the Chinese."
maybeifthisusernameiswittyenoughsomeonewillfinallyloveme
Wait, do people think I'm serious or something? I'm just sarcastically quoting Trump. I thought Imgur hated Trump.
TEDwisdom
Yep, with inventions like the phone, the airplane, the television. I would have hoped that would've made it obvious I was joking. Guess not.
GingerOverlord
Sometimes its tough through text. +1
MartinD28
Hardy fuckin har
NovaScotia5924
But the telephone was made by Alexander Graham bell, who was Scottish, not American.
ImAFoxButNotReally
Not really, he stole it from italian inventor Meucci
Trexel
He is an American inventor. He was a US citizen at the time. Most Americans aren't from America, even if they're a few generations out
HoldMyWater
It's hard to tell when someone is joking when they're not funny.
ShitSteve0Says
Today's winner is......HoldMyWater!!!!
SluttyBreadsticks
savage
TEDwisdom
I'm also American and I was also awake when I posted this. Unless I dreamed it somehow...
hahahasrsly
You're stupid.
thepasswordisbutts
pretty harsh
TheDepressedCommunist
*harshly
TheNoblePizzaDragonWhoLivesInYourFridge
Have you met a republican recently?
LokiKingOfJotunheim
They're a small portion of the country. And there are democrats that are just as stupid. Same thing with independents...
TheNoblePizzaDragonWhoLivesInYourFridge
Heh, yeah, I consider myself a.. 'sort of' republican, cause if you consider the analogy of being on the fence between the right and the
TheNoblePizzaDragonWhoLivesInYourFridge
left, then I have about three pounds more on the red side
ForReasonsOfScience
Socially liberal, fiscally conservative?
LokiKingOfJotunheim
As a Libertarian (probably left leaning though), I get to see everyone's stupidity. Including our own party's... Just when we're (1/2)
LokiKingOfJotunheim
starting to be taken seriously, the Libertarian Party chairman strips naked on stage... Talk about a face palming moment. (2/2)
TheNoblePizzaDragonWhoLivesInYourFridge
Well, that sounds like a fun political party to be honest
Mustymuffins
The only way this works is if very very lowered sex drive is a side-effect. We'd need to fuck like pandas or else goodbye Earth.
[deleted]
[deleted]
Leithoa
....Or expand to other planets.
AustinAlex
Or we could just pull a Gundam. I've always wanted to pilot a Gundam.
Treblaine
I like it as a motivation for interplanetary colonisation. There's enough room in the universe... right?
Leithoa
Goodbye earth should be a long term goal anyways. We've already found earth-like planets. Just need to work out transportation.
[deleted]
[deleted]
Leithoa
Sauce? Even so, there's bound to be ones in the habitable zone.
spacetimejockey
What the actual effen. Prospects of life eternal and ppl go like : But planet die if I don die, so lets all die mkay... This race sometimes.
Callipygius
it would probably lead to better educated people, who have way lower birth rates
RevolutionOnHerLips
MUH JESUS!
TemporaryUzername
No, that's not "the only way". we will just have more people-power to devise a way to actually say "goodbye earth" and go to another planet.
ronnyhugo
I for one find it a lot more fun to be horny than dead.
SwedishElectricianandSchnitzelGuru
Or build ring worlds or whatnot! THINK SCIENCE FICTION
PotatoIsland
People can barely stand letting another country control an island, you think we will agree on who gets to control places in space? Nice 1/2
Leithoa
There're already treaties for the moon, and probably mars. So until the exo earth colonies rebel we're set.
PotatoIsland
True, but it's not like we can settle or do anything with them right now, if we could go set up military bases on them, countries might 1/2
PotatoIsland
not respect those treaties as much. 2/2
Leithoa
Setting up of world colonies isn't a small project, if we started China & Russia would notice & complain, while starting their own projects
PotatoIsland
idea but people will nuke each other to oblivion before we get something like this. 2/2
TEDwisdom
There's also birth control
Lastdarkninja
#malthusianbeltsforall
SqueakShow
Yeah but you'd have to remove the desire to have children from the population. They can choose to stop taking birth control.
nowitsshowtime
and education.Lack of education and not thinking of long term effects and sustainability - both financially and environmentally is the prob.
MerToo
Birth control doesn't work for imbeciles, ignorami or Catholics (note those 3 sets intersect significantly), and that's half the population.
Zaranthan
Ugh, but condoms are so EXPENSIVE.
arsone
no, babies are expensive. condoms are cheap, and frequently free.
TheBigGay
Where do you live that you don't get free birth control? Hell here we even get free lube...
Zaranthan
The United States of Capitalism.
tablecat
Not him, but in Denmark we don't get that stuff for free.
TheBigGay
woah. that sucks.
Cyranojoe
How are people not reading this as a joke?
Zaranthan
I have no idea. Thank you. I thought I had just phrased it wrong.
COLONELSARGE
I give you an up vote in the hopes of getting you out of the negative.
keyserv
"This is, without a doubt, the most important problem facing humanity" What about world hunger, poverty, political strife....
FriendlyGuyInWindowlessVan
But you forget the common factor behind all those problems: the filthy Jewish disease.
JustALullabi
I mean, since when is dying of old ago "an important problem facing humanity"?
anitabieror6
Environmental disasters and climate change
Halfton81
Save the world, kill yourself?
einlion
All of those share a common root: money
capflavex
...over population.
BeardKhan
There's resources to comfortably provide for 25 billion
BeardKhan
And thats with a very poor infrastructure. Imagine a world wide cooperation to efficiently grow population and resource generation.
capflavex
I'd love to see your sources as I'm not finding anything that says we can "comfortably provide for 25 billion".
capflavex
depends on your definition of comfort, the average 1st world country citizens way of life is not sustainable for the population as a whole.
capflavex
http://www.worldpopulationbalance.org/3_times_sustainable
RobOttman
Surely if we all live longer we can solve those other pesky problems.
antiparticle
Those are the same problem that humanity faced during every period of history. 1/2
antiparticle
We live more than our ancestors, but those problem are still here 2/2
RobOttman
Well obviously we're not living long enough, then. If we just keep going then we'll have enough food and resources for all!
SometimesISayHistoryStuff
Eh, longer life expectancy of the economic and political elite are likely to make a lot of those problems far worse.
BeardKhan
Oh look at you Mr. Guevara
SometimesISayHistoryStuff
Eh, I'm not really a revolutionary. But it doesn't take much to recognize that those in power try to stay in power, and have more resources1
SometimesISayHistoryStuff
2: to do so, it's not even just a political and economic thing, but a scientific and scholarly as well. The old guard dies out and the new
SometimesISayHistoryStuff
5: own mortality.
SometimesISayHistoryStuff
4: would just bring about eternal stagnation. I personally find the idea of stifling mankind's ability to develop more horrifying than my
SometimesISayHistoryStuff
3: young ones with fresh perspectives get their chance to advance knowledge, or rule countries, or spread money around. Eternal life really
plainoldfool
Yes, because humans living longer surely won't have an impact on world hunger. /s unless a method of increasing, stretching of, or (1)
plainoldfool
more efficient utilization of scarce resources such as food is developed along side of longevity advances, this could be a disaster.
RobOttman
Clearly living longer is THE solution to all the world's problems! The longer we live, the more people there are to solve the problems!
keyserv
Good point. We sure have been doing a great job of that so far!
DroppinBombsOnYourMoms
This American is awake, go fuck yourself ya cunt
Zokathra
Calm down. Evolution is not real and scientific research is just as valid as any opinion.
Postoolio711
USA! USA!
LavaAxe
https://cdn.meme.am/instances/57887190.jpg
Treblaine
I'm beginning to think it's an informal American tradition to badmouth their country and people in the most hyperbolic extremes.
KilgoreTrout99
I like you
boobcat
you are dreaming you are awake, check your Totem, NOW!
Heterosapian
Europeans without American guidance? IGNORANCE MAN! Awaaaay
CatTownBandit
Impressive use of the word cunt for an American.... Guessing you have a coupla Aussie mates...
chuckychurch
Why would anyone down vote this comment?!
sirmixanaverageamount
Cunt is really catching on over here
merekson
Cunt is a fantastic word.
Leithoa
Missed opportunity: cuntastic
merekson
Damn. I sure did. I'll start using that word to describe traffic.
CatTownBandit
I was merely making an observation.... Rare to hear yanks use it in that manner.... Bunch a stuck up cunts.... Go eat a bag of dicks....
CatTownBandit
And to those that made the same observations have a +1
kickliquid
MURICAH FUCK YEAH!!!! something something something WE'RE GOING KICK ASS YEAH!!!
Spenny1994
"Ya cunt" sounds very British
Ropo101
Especially if you throw in the word cheeky
saiviantha
We have cunts here too, ya cunt
smitmp02
Sorry. "You fucking cunt."
VikingInOz
And Australian
LokiKingOfJotunheim
You realize we speak English right? It's the superior form of course thanks to Freedom* (*restrictions may apply)
MerToo
You may refuse to check anything with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II these days, but I can tell you for free that US English is not the RP.
MerToo
*nice asterisk'd caveat, by the way =)
ticktockbent
We're well known for stealing other people's words.
HowlingDysphoria
*oil
MiamiDaButtza
*liberating
cheikhsidyba
Would have said dickhead or douchenozzle for more credibility ;-)
LyssaP
Dick hole works too..
Spenny1994
Even "dickhead" is very British
idkwhattowriteherehelpme
Spanish inquisition.
GaryTheCuttlefish
Well, I didn't expect that.
KNDBS
I'd say kinda more australian.