Dark matter of transhumanism

Transhumanism is:

Ethical choice

Call to action

Strict hierarchy of goals

Rational behavior

Future of humanity

Most important experiments in Biology of Aging

Life extension records

Robert Shmookler Reis extended nematode lifespan 10 fold by a

mutation in age-1 gene

Valter Longo extended yeast lifespan 10 fold by mutations in ras2 and sch9 genes and

reduced calorie intake

Andrzej Bartke made a mouse live two times longer by mutation in

growth hormone receptor gene and restricting calorie intake

Rogina Blanka was able to extend drosophila lifespan 2 fold by creating

a mutation in indy gene

Life extension records

Creating transgene animals

• Tissue-specific downregulation of IGF-1 or PI3K

• Overexpression of genes that control oxidative state of a cell (САТ, TXN, MSRA, SOD1, SOD2)

• DNA repair genes (GADD45 alpha, beta, gamma)

• Regulators of epigenetic state (DNMT2) and transcription of protective agents (FOXO3)

• Heat shock proteins (HSPA1A, HSPA1B)

• Overexpression of other gens (PCMT1, SIRT1, PCK1, PLAU)

>100 genes, associated with longevity, are identified

Longevity gene therapy

Maria Blasco from Spanish National Cancer Research Center created a viral vector carrying telomerase gene. Its integration in mice was able to extend lifespan in:

1-year-old mice by 24%2-year-old mice by 13%

Bernardes de Jesus B et al., Telomerase gene therapy in adult and old mice delays aging and increases longevity without increasing cancer. EMBO Mol Med. 2012 Aug;4(8):691-704.

Suppressing activity of mobile genetic elements

Bringing aging diagnostics into clinic

Michael Snyder, Stanford University

During 14 months 40 000 parameters were studies: genome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome

The onset of type 2 diabetes was detected

It is necessary to have similar diagnostic testing available in the clinic in order to analyze the processes of aging and development of age-related diseases

Chen et al., Personal omics profiling reveals dynamic molecular and medical phenotypes. Cell. 2012 Mar 16;148(6):1293-307.

Rapamycin extends lifespan of old mice by 14%

Rapamycin blocks mTOR pathway. This leads to suppressing growth and proliferation of a cell, autophagy activation and slowing down

Rapamycin fed late in life extends lifespan in genetically heterogeneous mice. Harrison et al. Nature. 2009 Jul 16;460(7253):392-5.

Geroprotectorcandidates exist

MetfornimMelatoninLipoic acid2-deoxy-D-glucoseCarnosineAmino-guanidineFisetinHydroxycitrateKempferol

4-phenilbyterateGimnemosideCycloastrogenolQuertsetinNordihydroguaiaretic acidAcarbose17-а-estradiolSpermidineThioflavin T

Studying closely related species with significant difference in lifespan

Naked mole rat32 years

Brandt’s bat41 years

Rougheye rockfish205 years

Main problem of Biogerontology –lack of funding

Why hasn’t transhumanism won?

Conservatism

Belief in afterlife

Complexity of science

Politicians focus on momentary interests

of the voters

Taboo on talking about death

Lack of wide public awareness

We have to find the solution to the problem of funding life

extension research

Social mandate – changing government position

+ –

Possibility to form large-scale government programs

Immediate results in the area of life extension

Involvement of large number of people

Necessity to persuade a huge number of people

No access to influential mass media

Difficult perception of the problem

Orientation of politicians to momentary needs of the voters

Rise to power of transhumanist parties

Union of active people supporting the ideas of life extension

Possibility of all government activities to be in favor of radical life extension of humans

Marginality, paucity and poverty of transhumanist unions

Conservatism of society

+ –

Scientists unite in the framework of a project like Aginome

Alliance of best minds for solving a common task

Using the existing experience of carrying out large-scale scientific projects

Focus of scientists on their own narrow area of research

Fear of scientists of not receiving a grant if the goals include life extension

Fear of negative opinion among colleagues

Transformation of a researcher from a naturalist into a manager of science

+ –

Billionaires strive to immortality

Massive funding

Lack of bureaucratic procedures, possibility of solving the task in a short time frame

Forming the general public approval of life extension idea

Lack of sufficient awareness about fighting aging among billionaires

Absence of communication channels

Demand of immediate commercial result

Fear to loose money in vain and activities of the frauds

Expectations that they will buy life extension

+ –

Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding

Union of active people supporting the ideas of life extension

Lack of bureaucratic procedures

Analysis of Big Data, rapid acquisition of accurate results

Lack of public awareness about the opportunities in the area of life extension research

Absence of a subject with high credibility ready to take care of fundraising

Emotional competition with other directions in charity

Priority of short-term goals over the long-term goals

+ –

Artificial Intelligence will solve the problem

Possibility of getting an instantaneous solution to the problem

Unfriendly Artificial Intelligence

We don’t know the exact creation date of the full-fledged AI

AI also requires budgets

+ –

Autocratic leaders will decide to become immortal

Large-scale funding of scientific projects in the area of life extension

All areas of life are focused on fighting aging

Absence of scientific potential in autocratic countries

Bureaucracy and corruption will bring to naught all the good intentions

+ –

International competition in transhumanist projects

VS.

Government support of scientific projects on fighting aging

Focus on getting the result as soon as possible

Tendency of governments to compete in ways of killing people, but not preserving lives

Public focus on sports, economics, historical sights

+ –

Abundance of transhumanist startups

Real life examples of how and why transhumanism is useful for people

Interest of business community will give rise to interest among government agencies

Opportunity of rapid cheapening of technology

Lack of basic research

Focus on making money, but not on solving the problem

Risk of empty promises without real results

+ –

Transhumanism is fashoinable

Life extension is the main desire among the public

Forming of social mandate

Interest of business community

Absence of available products that may drive public interest

Need of charismatic personality or an interesting art group with transhumanist orientation

+ –

Big Pharma is working on life extension

Geroprotectors are the next generation blockbusters

Market mechanisms are involved in the area of life extension

Necessity of official recognition of aging as a disease

Skyrocketing prices of drug development and willingness of pharma companies to buy a working drug, rather than funding basic research

+ –

Closed elite society

Secrecy and elitism attract

Focusing the attention on solving the task

Securing the necessary financial support for research

Secrecy and closed nature may compromise the quality of scientific work

Limited support from the scientific community

Billionaires require extra high motivation, eccentricity, independence and incredible confidence in own right

+ –

Necessary conditions

Wide expansion of transhumanist memes

Strong leader

What hasn’t worked already, or hasn’t worked so far

Less WrongGlobal Future 2045CryonicsSENSH+Longevity PartySingularity UniversityKurzweilX prize

Meme factory is needed

Transhumanism test, like IQ test

Art projects, for example 400 coffins float down the Hudson river

World’s record in preserving the viability of a mammal’s head

Personalized science

Longevity viruses

Girls advocating transhumanism, like FEMEN or Pussy Riot

Social activity history

1 transhumanist meeting in Moscow, September 2011

2 transhumanist meeting Moscow, September 2012

Longevity Party

Actions

Bioengineered trachea

2 International Genetics of Aging and Longevity Conference