Forever Young
Want to live forever? Immortality might be closer than you think. Forever Young explores the movement to not only expand life expectancy, but to craft a genetic reality that allows us to stay young for longer stretches of time. This growing field of research and experimentation approaches aging like a disease begging for a cure. The film introduces us to several figures who stand at the forefront of this mission.
After her young son was diagnosed with diabetes, Liz Parrish happened upon information related to genetics and its role in determining our propensity for illness. She felt that not enough was being done to cure the leading cause of death and disease: aging. She assumed a scientific and biological approach to the dilemma, and injected herself with a substance designed to elongate the tips of her chromosomes. These tips, called telomeres, shorten during a person's life span and slow the replication of cells. This acts as an engine for the degradation of health, function and appearance.
These experiments are still in their infancy, and much work must be done before they are suitable for widespread human testing, but they're emblematic of a larger search for a modern fountain of youth. These pursuits converge at RAADfest, an annual conference devoted to the lucrative anti-aging industry. Here, scientists and entrepreneurs meet with investors eager to support the next breakthroughs in age suppression technology.
At present, there is no definitive cure because there is no obvious smoking gun. The key to these breakthroughs is in the understanding of how and why we age, a process for which there is no overwhelming consensus. Potential cures run the gamut from cellular stimulants to drug therapies. As more and more experiments are successfully lengthening the life spans of laboratory mice and other mammals, corporations are jumping on the anti-aging bandwagon like never before. On the biotech side, the filmmakers gain unprecedented access to Calico Life Sciences, one of the world's most robustly funded labs devoted to the science of aging.
Average life spans have doubled over the past century. Forever Young profiles the efforts to keep that momentum going for the next century.
Rich people that cannot understand why nature can be so mean when they are so important. How can they be killed by nature like those poor people?
Snake oil sellers, deluded and very much selling the nightmare to other unsuspecting and unthinking individuals. I have a $1,000 for anyone who wants to beat their chances of longevity based on my prediction. This needs a more serious approach.
The secret of longevity belongs to the those who pursue the 'Creator' the author of the life force we experience here on earth and beyond. "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." -John 17:3
I believe we can and will extend our lifespan, but we will always age. It's evolution Everything ends.
I'll wait for science on this one. There will be many flim flam shysters looking to cash in.
You have to be stupid to think that any of this is going to be accessible to the non-ritch.
The root cause of aging: Evolution is done with us. We've served our purpose by contributing to the human population.
Agreed!
Why would you want to live longer and be poor? I do not think the poor will want to live longer anyway. It is only worth to extend your life if you enjoy it - often that means that you dont have financial problems.
Perhaps in countries like Cuba, Canada, Venezuela and any other country where healthcare is available to all, can this be available to the working class, unless of course some empire cock blocks through sanctions and embargos and those countries cant get the medicine.
We'll be lucky if any of us get out of this life alive! That said, I recall a couple of conversations with geneticists working at the same hospital as me, which has a huge genome laboratory doing sampling 24/7 towards targeting treatments for patients based on their genetic makeup, their comments were "It's all in the genes." Healthier throughout one's life sounds like a good goal. Perhaps the 1% will be able to afford this and to live to be 113 years of age.
Now, can we address the World Health Organization's projections that by 2050, the human population will be 9 million people, representing a 50% increase from the year 2000? Though that's still 32 years off, at present, the planet seems to be having difficultly supporting our current population, and feeding the poor has no money in it.
Currently, 1.2 billion people on the planet live in extreme poverty (less than $1 per day); that's roughly 1 in 7 human beings on the planet, without access to clean water and proper nutrition.
Fresh drinking water will become the new gold, I suspect. Well, that and gold for the 1% ;-)
The problem with over population is that it is the poor that multiply and not the rich. I do not understand why I should support a poor family with 10 kids in India. It took me 35 years to get financially ready to have and support 1 child. Why are the poor having 10?!
Right. This won't happen.