h+ Magazine

A series of activist events for radical life extension recently took place in Israel.

Slowing and even reversing the aging process has been a human preoccupation throughout history. Efforts to increase the human lifespan largely involved wishful thinking and no attempts to increase the human lifespan prior to the twentieth century are known to have been successful.

With over 150,000 people dying every day, I hope governments would respond to the animal experiments by accelerating our journey to escape velocity through massively increasing funding for longevity medical research, because the cost of dying this year goes way up if it causes you to just miss out on the chance to live long enough to live forever.

An overview of science news from the last week, and some older news items of interest. Includes news on nanotechnology, regenerative medicine, stem cells, and metamaterials.

Very small embryonic like stem cells (VSELs) are purified from adult tissues and are potential sources of stem cells for application in regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies. In contrast to embryonic stem cells (ESCs) their derivation does not require destruction of embryos and thus are non-controversial from an ethical point of view.

Thousands of scientific studies have examined the possible genetic causes underlying brain/mind disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, violence and criminality, and psychopathy. The more positive side of human behavior, with aspects such as altruism and empathy, has been studied much less – even though these are obviously much more valued from both transhumanist and typical humanist perspectives.

A transcript of a YouTube interview with biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey. Subjects covered include LysoSENS, WILT, and more.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. If current trends continue, about one in three of readers will die from cancer. Are there ways to apply today’s powerful computers and mathematics to defeat this disease?

Creatine is quickly becoming one of my favorite supplements, and not just because of the way it helps me in the gym. It’s been shown that creatine can also be used as a nootropic and as a way to stave off potential neurodegeneration.

Over the past twenty years several hundred DNA and RNA-based molecular diagnostic tests have been introduced that help physicians provide better care for their patients. Many tests predict individual risk for specific diseases, such as BRCA1 and -2 gene mutations for breast and ovarian cancer risk and CFTR gene mutation analysis for cystic fibrosis.

Ben Goertzel converses with Hugo de Garis on his transhumanist argument for the reality of a Creator.