Every day on our planet 100,000 people die of old age. It would seem that this natural process inherent in human nature. Death from old age is inevitable, as is the change of seasons.

However, statements from various scientists about the possibility of eternal life appear in the media almost daily. Will humanity be able to find a recipe for longevity in the near future, or will eternal life remain a dream? Russian businessman calls for investing in immortality.

Russian multimillionaire asks big business fund his project the main objective which is the achievement of human immortality by 2045. 32-year-old Dmitry Itskov believes in the success of his business and hopes to get big money for research and development of technologies that would allow to live 300 years. In the future, this project provides for eternal life.

key element this idea - creation artificial body or a human robot into which they will transfer human consciousness or human brain. The non-profit organization "Initiative 2045", founded by Itskov, is creating research center to develop human immortality.

Last year, Itskov reached out to the Forbes billionaires, urging them to give people eternal life. To do this, it was only necessary to finance research in the field of an artificial body and cybernetic immortality. So far, Itskov has not been supported by anyone, but he was able to achieve fame: his project is covered by many world media. This summer, Itskov is going to address the entire global business community.
His organization will hold the second congress "Global Future 2045" where leading scientists, entrepreneurs and engineers will discuss new technologies to extend human life. During the convention, Itskov will try to convince businesses to invest in immortality, as this is a great business opportunity. Large investments are needed for the production of robot bodies, systems remote control, interfaces that will allow the human brain to control the robot, and life support systems for the brain of an artificial body. Itskov understands that his project causes skepticism and distrust among some people. However, according to him, for the human race to survive, long-term solutions and evolutionary changes are needed.

Immortal life in facts

So, from the book "Genesis" old testament we learn that Adam lived for 930 years, and his son Seth for 912 years. Adam had a son when he was 105 years old. Indian hermits, Chinese monks, thanks to secret methods, lived up to 400 years. At the beginning of the 20th century, in a Tomsk hospital, a man presented documents that confirmed that he was over 200 years old. With the Indian centenarian Tapasviji, who lived for more than 180 years, a story similar to a fairy tale happened. Once, at the foot of the Himalayan mountains, he met a hermit who spoke ancient Indian Sanskrit. The hermit was over 5,000 years old. The secret of his longevity was a strict diet, as well as the adoption of a special drug, the secret of which he carefully kept. These facts confirm the possibility of, if not eternal, then very long life on Earth.

The question of eternal life scientific point vision

The question of eternal life has been worrying humanity for a long time. Hoping to get an answer to it, people habitually direct their gaze towards science. According to American scientists, the reason for our so short existence is the instinct to reproduce. If a person did not have a system for self-reproduction, most likely, in his development he would switch to new level, which allows you to live for centuries, replacing old organs with new ones. This way of existence is typical for the species of jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula. In the body of a jellyfish, cells are converted from one type to another. This process can repeat indefinitely, allowing this species to be immortal.

Recent theoretical developments leading British gerontologist, Professor Aubrey de Gray, testify that humanity is on the verge of immortality. The professor is convinced that microbiological science in the next 30-40 years will be able to guarantee a thousand-year duration of human life. “Already now,” says the gerontologist, “we have the possibility of extending human life for hundreds of years, and similar experiments are already being carried out on animals. In 5 years, they will be carried out on humans, and by about 2030, the aging of the human body will be blocked.”

According to Professor de Grey, the first person who can live to be a thousand years old has already been born...

How to prolong life?

Modern biologists have developed more than 300 hypotheses about aging and death. To rejuvenate the body, scientists have come up with another more theories. We list only a small part.

More hormones. The British physiologist Ernest Starling isolated testosterone in 1905, which he called "the hormone eternal youth". No rejuvenation happened, but scientists are still looking for the secrets of eternal life in hormones.

Testicle (testicular) transplant. Dr. Sergei Voronov, the prototype of Professor Preobrazhensky, transplanted testicles and seminal glands of monkeys to patients who yearned to become younger.

Grounding. Aircraft designer Alexander Mikulin believed that all human troubles were caused by static electricity, so during sleep he was necessarily grounded with special metal parts. - Winter swimming and vegetarianism. Porfiry Ivanov, author popular theory hardening, recommended everyone to swim in the hole, walk barefoot and eat only vegetables. Porfiry himself died at the age of 85.

Lengthen telomeres. Alexey Olovnikov, doctor biological sciences I am sure that the end sections of chromosomes - telomeres, shortening with each cell division, are responsible for life expectancy. You can live forever if you figure out how to prevent it.

Kill the radicals. Academician Skulachev believes that aging is responsible free radicals that cause DNA damage in cells. Now the scientist is creating an antioxidant drug that could neutralize radicals.

Cloning. Professor Stephen Minger from London is convinced that only cloning can give a person immortality, because with its help it will be possible to replace worn-out "originals" with cloned organs.

Is eternal life necessary?

Much is said about eternal life. Perhaps someday this will become a reality. But each person must ask himself, why should he live forever? Indeed, even King Solomon refused the elixir of longevity offered to him, saying that he did not want to live when all his loved ones died. And Solomon was wise man…

Altar of Initaxa

A year ago, during his speech in Oxford University, Stephen Hawking said that humanity has no more than 1000 years left to live. But what can happen in this millennium? Are we doomed or do we have a bright future ahead of us? Let's try to make predictions for the next thousand years.

1. People will be able to live 1000 years

Many wealthy people are already investing heavily in research to slow or even stop aging. It is possible that in a millennium, medical engineers will be able to develop remedies against every component that affects the aging of body tissues. We already have tools for editing genes. Potentially, they can help scientists control our genes and develop immunity to all diseases.

2. People will be able to move to other planets

It is quite possible that in 1000 years our only chance for survival will be the creation of new colonies on other planets. SpaceX, for example, is already making plans to turn humanity into a space civilization and create a self-sustaining settlement on Mars. Elon Musk hopes to launch the first spaceship by 2022 to get to Mars by 2024.

3. All people will look the same

Dr. Kwan conducted an experiment during which he made the assumption that in 100,000 years all people will be similar to each other. Distinctive features there will be large nostrils and eyes, a large forehead, as well as darker skin. This scenario seems quite realistic, given that even modern scientists are trying to find a way to edit genomes that would allow parents to choose the appearance of their children in the future.

4. There will be super-fast intelligent computer systems

In 2014, the most accurate simulation of the human brain to date was performed by a supercomputer. A thousand years from now, computers will be able to predict coincidences and exceed the computational speed of the human brain, as well as instantly solve problems that modern computers take decades to solve.

In the new century quantum computers will help us develop better medicines and diagnoses, explore space and drive cars. At the same time, quantum computing can become real threat privacy and information security.

5. People will turn into cyborgs

Machines are already helping people improve their eyesight and hearing. Modern scientists and engineers are trying to create bionic eyes that can restore sight to blind people. It is possible that in the XXXI century, merging with technology will be the only way to compete with artificial intelligence.

Combining the human mind with a computer will lead to the creation of a super brain that can perform complex equations and searching the Internet through thought processes.

6. There will be a mass extinction

The last mass extinction led to the extinction of dinosaurs from the face of the Earth. New research shows species extinction rates in the 20th century were 100 times higher than in normal conditions without human influence. Some scientists believe that our civilization can only survive if the planet's population is gradually reduced.

7. People in all countries will speak the same language

Cause universal language may become modernized modernization. Many linguists suggest that in 100 years 90% of modern languages, and the rest will be simplified. However, the scenario Tower of Babel seems unlikely.

8. Buildings can be collected if necessary

In the future, people will probably be able to create around themselves virtual world using the concept of useful fog. This idea was introduced by Dr. Hall. Beneficial Fog is a polymorphic material made up of trillions of interconnected microscopic "robots" that can take on any shape.

9. Nanotechnology will solve the problem of energy and pollution

It is hoped that in a thousand years, with the help of nanotechnology, we will be able to repair the damage caused by environment, for example, to purify water and air from pollution, and also to use the energy of the Sun. With the help of new materials, it will be possible to use new environmentally friendly and more efficient technologies energy storage.

Old age is inevitable, as is the change of seasons. However, statements from various scientists about the possibility of eternal life appear in the media almost daily. Will humanity be able to find a recipe for longevity in the near future, or will eternal life remain a dream?

Russian businessman calls for investing in immortality

A Russian multimillionaire is asking big business to finance his project, the main goal of which is to achieve human immortality by 2045. 32-year-old Dmitry Itskov believes in the success of his business and hopes to get big money for research and development of technologies that would allow him to live 300 years. In the future, this project provides for eternal life. The key element of this idea is the creation of an artificial body or a human robot, into which the human consciousness or human brain will be transferred. The non-profit organization "Initiative 2045", founded by Itskov, is creating a research center for the development of human immortality.

Last year, Itskov reached out to the Forbes billionaires, urging them to give people eternal life. For this, it was only necessary to finance research in the field of an artificial body and cybernetic immortality. So far, Itskov has not been supported by anyone, but he was able to achieve fame: his project is covered by many world media. This summer, Itskov is going to address the entire global business community.

His organization will host the second Global Future 2045 Congress, where leading scientists, entrepreneurs and engineers will discuss new technologies to extend human life. During the convention, Itskov will try to convince businesses to invest in immortality, as this is a great business opportunity. Large investments are needed for the production of robot bodies, remote control systems, interfaces that allow the human brain to control the robot, and life support systems for the brain of an artificial body. Itskov understands that his project causes skepticism and distrust among some people. However, according to him, for the human race to survive, long-term solutions and evolutionary changes are needed.

Eternal life in facts

So, from the book "Genesis" of the Old Testament, we learn that Adam lived 930 years, and his son Seth - 912 years. Adam had a son when he was 105 years old. Indian hermits, Chinese monks, thanks to secret methods, lived up to 400 years. At the beginning of the 20th century, in a Tomsk hospital, a man presented documents that confirmed that he was over 200 years old. With the Indian centenarian Tapasviji, who lived for more than 180 years, a story similar to a fairy tale happened. Once, at the foot of the Himalayan mountains, he met a hermit who spoke ancient Indian Sanskrit. The hermit was over 5,000 years old. The secret of his longevity was a strict diet, as well as the adoption of a special drug, the secret of which he carefully kept. These facts confirm the possibility of, if not eternal, then very long life on Earth.

The question of eternal life from a scientific point of view

The question of eternal life has been worrying humanity for a long time. Hoping to get an answer to it, people habitually direct their gaze towards science. According to American scientists, the reason for our so short existence is the instinct to reproduce. If a person did not have a system for self-reproduction, most likely, in his development he would move to a new level, allowing him to live for centuries, replacing old organs with new ones. This way of existence is typical for the species of jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula. In the body of a jellyfish, cells are converted from one type to another. This process can be repeated indefinitely, which allows this species to be immortal.

Recent theoretical developments by the leading British gerontologist, Professor Aubrey de Grey, indicate that humanity is on the verge of immortality. The professor is convinced that microbiological science in the next 30-40 years will be able to guarantee a thousand-year duration of human life. “Already now,” the gerontologist says, “we have the ability to extend human life for hundreds of years, and similar experiments are already being carried out on animals. In 5 years, they will be carried out on humans, and by about 2030, the aging of the human body will be blocked.”

According to Professor de Gray, the first person who can live to be a thousand years old has already been born. Many scientists claim that human body there is no genetic program at all that provides for aging and death. They believe that the aging process is caused solely by cellular changes that accumulate and lead to death.

However, in the era of the microbiological revolution, it is possible to stop the process of cellular mutations with the help of the latest biotechnological developments that can renew the human body with some regularity, bringing youth. Thus, in the future, people will be able to regularly update their own physical state. How do scientists intend to defeat old age? Studies in mice have shown that this can be done by blocking cell division, as well as removing harmful inclusions from it. Lost cells will be replaced by new ones, which will prevent the mutation of chromosomes. Cell-stem therapy will be able to renew human organs, and experiments of this kind are already being carried out.

How to prolong life?

Modern biologists have developed more than 300 hypotheses about aging and death. To rejuvenate the body, scientists have come up with even more theories. We list only a small part.

More hormones. British physiologist Ernest Starling isolated testosterone in 1905, which he called "the hormone of eternal youth." No rejuvenation happened, but scientists are still looking for the secrets of eternal life in hormones.

Testicle (testicular) transplant. Dr. Sergei Voronov, the prototype of Professor Preobrazhensky, transplanted testicles and seminal glands of monkeys to patients who yearned to become younger.

Grounding. Aircraft designer Alexander Mikulin believed that all human troubles were caused by static electricity, so during sleep he was necessarily grounded with special metal parts. - Winter swimming and vegetarianism. Porfiry Ivanov, the author of the popular theory of hardening, recommended that everyone swim in the hole, walk barefoot and eat only vegetables. Porfiry himself died at the age of 85.

Lengthen telomeres. Alexey Olovnikov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, is sure that the end sections of chromosomes - telomeres, which shorten with each cell division, are responsible for life expectancy. You can live forever if you figure out how to prevent it.

Kill the radicals. Academician Skulachev believes that free radicals are responsible for aging, which cause damage to DNA in cells. Now the scientist is creating an antioxidant drug that could neutralize radicals.

Cloning. Professor Stephen Minger from London is convinced that only cloning can give a person immortality, because with its help it will be possible to replace worn-out "originals" with cloned organs.

Is eternal life necessary?

Much is said about eternal life. Perhaps someday this will become a reality. But each person must ask himself, why should he live forever? Indeed, even King Solomon refused the elixir of longevity offered to him, saying that he did not want to live when all his loved ones died. And Solomon was a wise man...

Average life expectancy in developed countries in the near future may increase to 112 years, scientists say. All conditions have already been created for this - modern medicine and latest achievements genetic engineering will allow to produce, as needed, the necessary "repair" of the human body.

And this is not the limit, according to the participants of the conference on life expectancy and gerontology, which was held at the University of Oxford. According to Reuters, one of the researchers who spoke at this symposium, Richard Miller from the University of Michigan, is confident that the average life expectancy of a person can be increased by at least 40%. He came to this conclusion after conducting a series of experiments on mice and rats. genetic code which are similar to human. By simply limiting the caloric intake of mice, Miller was able to achieve a significant increase in life expectancy. If the same biological patterns will act for a person, then on average he will be able to live up to 112 years.

People have already been born who can live 1000 years, but they need a "technical inspection"

Aubrey de Grey, a gerontologist at the University of Cambridge, is ready to go even further. He is sure that a generation of people has already been born on Earth, which will be able to live to the age of a thousand years. According to de Gray, all that is needed to achieve such an advanced age is a regular "technical inspection" of the body and the replacement of spent organs.

Gene therapy, stem cell therapy and other biotechnologies, according to the scientist, will push back inevitable death by 30-40 years each time. During this time, science will advance so much that it will be able to provide a person with another "respite". In the ideal case, playing such a "leapfrog with death", a person will be able to live indefinitely.

Previously common point From the point of view of medicine, there was an opinion that a certain limit, a limitation of life span, was laid in the human body from birth. However, this dogma is now being reexamined. Many serious scientists are sure that new medical technologies will be able, if this limitation is not removed, then, by at least, constantly move it away.

However, if de Grey's theories can be more likely classified as futuristic, then the gradual increase in life expectancy in developed countries is a fact quite real. And with it begins to appear whole line problems. The general aging of the population, the increase in health care costs, the emerging crisis of pension insurance - this is only the most noticeable part of the problems that threaten the global economy associated with increasing life expectancy.

The problem is commented by Paul Hodge, who is engaged in Harvard University age social policy: "Life expectancy will increase rapidly, and the strategy that we are following now will very soon prove unacceptable."

Do not forget that the real goal of scientists is not just to increase life expectancy, but to prolong life. healthy life. It is unlikely that people will want to live up to 120 years, most of their lives suffering from senile diseases. To some extent, this problem has already been solved. In prosperous countries, people over 70 lead a much more active lifestyle than before.

However, the current options for solving the problem are only half measures, scientists say. To really provide long life a qualitative breakthrough is needed, that is, doctors must understand the very essence of the mechanism of aging. And for this, as always, there is not enough money. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois led a group of scientists who proposed the US government to allocate $ 3 billion a year for research in the field of gerontology and biology. According to him, even if average duration increase life by 7 years, it will give an effect comparable to solving the problem of a cure for cancer.

While scientists are looking for a means of eternal life, philosophers and religious leaders are already thinking about the ethical side of this issue. After all, death is an inevitability laid down by God, it is a matter that, like life, must be completely under the control of higher powers.

Of course, not everyone agrees with this point of view. John Harris, professor of bioethics at the University of Manchester, says the issue should be seen not as a fight against death, but as a fight for life: "Saving a life is just a postponed death. If it is right and good to postpone death for a short time, then it is not clear why it is less right to put it off for a long time." In any case, no matter what philosophers and clerics say, it is unlikely that any of the people will refuse the opportunity to at least try to slightly delay the inevitable.

A DISEASE NAMED OLD AGE

Mister de Grey, what is old age you're struggling with?

I proceed from the fact that aging is the accumulation of damage throughout life, which ultimately leads to pathology, that is, to illness and death. The old hypothesis that aging and death are a special biological program that makes room for younger generations is unfounded for the simple reason that in wild nature living beings do not live to the time of aging. They will either be eaten by predators or fall victim to an accident or infectious disease or simply die of hunger. Evolution could not create a program to eliminate a phenomenon that does not exist in the wild. If such genes existed, they would disappear as useless.

What is the essence of the innovative approach with which you are going to defeat aging?

Until now, scientists have worked in two directions: they tried to slow down the transition of damage to pathology (this is the science of geriatrics) and slow down the process of accumulation of damage by manipulating the metabolism (this is the patrimony of gerontologists). special success in neither case could it be achieved. The problem with geriatrics is that it has been aging for already late stage when the damage has accumulated so much that the process of destruction of the body has begun. As far as gerontology is concerned, I agree that the real breakthrough will come when we learn how to slow down our metabolism. The problem is that this will not happen very soon - we know too little about how our metabolism works. Fortunately, there is a third way - engineering. Its essence is simple: even without understanding all the intricacies of the aging process, it is possible to eliminate damage as soon as they occur. If they do not accumulate, the body will have no reason to age.

Why this approach still not adopted by gerontologists?

The reason is simple. Many technologies that make it possible to effectively deal with damage are created in other areas of science. One of the goals of SENS (Strategy for Negligible Aging engineering methods”, authored by Aubrey de Grey) is precisely to unite scientists working in different areas, for the sake of one common cause - the fight against aging. I must say that we have already managed to achieve significant success: a free exchange of information on aging problems has been established, hundreds of scientists work under the auspices of SENS in various countries peace.

WHY ARE WE DEMANDING?

Are you saying that scientists are already well aware of the causes of aging?

To date, there are seven categories of damage accumulated in the body: cell loss, chromosomal mutations, mutations in mitochondria, unwanted cells, extracellular cross links, extracellular debris, intracellular debris. Now on the agenda is the question of how to act on each of these seven “weak links” in order to eliminate these damages and reverse the aging process.

Isn't it too bold to say that there are only seven reasons for aging, because the same cell damage can manifest itself both as skin cancer and as brain cancer, the therapy in all these cases is different?

Yes, but all these types of cancer have something in common - malignant cells need to grow the tips of chromosomes - telomeres, in order to multiply uncontrollably and kill us. Therapy of the future will focus on just that. weak link. Similarly, with other causes of aging, with the help of appropriate therapy, we can eliminate common problem underlying this group of damages.

How far have you come along the path of creating such a therapy?

There are successes, and very significant ones. So, american biologists discovered bacteria that decompose chemical compounds accumulated in cells. I hope that soon it will be possible to find the genes responsible for this and integrate them into our own genome. Bacteria have also been found that break down cholesterol and chemical compounds leading to molecular degeneration and blindness. Works very well in France interesting group, which tries to neutralize mitochondrial mutations by transferring copies of mitochondrial genes to the cell nucleus. With three of the 13 genes, this has already been done. Today it is safe to say that all types of damage that aging causes to the body can be corrected, and in some cases prevented.

“ESCAPE FROM AGING”

What will the fight against damage give to everyone specific person?

Will add at least 30 years to a healthy, full life. When the technology is developed, we will be able to deal with the accumulated damage in people who are already 60-70 years old, in literally this word turning back time. In theory, by constantly eliminating the damage that occurs in the body, we can stay at the same level for as long as we wish.

I even came up with for this process special term“running away from aging” by analogy with “running away from gravity”, when in order to launch an object into space, it must gain a certain acceleration so as not to fall back to Earth.

By how much will life expectancy increase?

I am not working specifically to increase life expectancy, my task is to make the life we ​​already have at our disposal complete from beginning to end. However, you are right that an increase in life expectancy may be an additional consequence of my work, although this is extremely difficult to achieve.

Biologically, our species Homo sapiens can live up to 120 years, the maximum human age ever recorded. As soon as we achieve that people live at least 150 years, most of work to increase life expectancy will be done. 20-30 years later significant event people will be able to live 1000 years or more, as they wish.

When will this fantastic technology be created?

In fact, there is nothing fantastic in it. We already know enough to bring it to life. After 10 years this technology will be tested on mice, then the turn will reach people. I would venture to say that the first person who has a chance to live to 150 years old is already living among us, and now he is about 60 years old. Of course it must be very healthy man, which even without our intervention has every chance to live up to 110 years. In 25 years, when we are ready to test the technology on humans, he will be 85 years old. After the accumulated damage in his body is eliminated, he will feel and look 60 years old, and maybe even younger. Of course, there is a chance that we will encounter unexpected difficulties and not achieve such successes, but even a 50 percent chance that we will be able to defeat aging in the next half century is enough to invest in the development of this industry.

Would you dare to try out the technology of “running away from aging” on yourself?

I don't think by that time I'll be old and decrepit enough to be a good model to demonstrate the full effectiveness of the new therapy. The first testers will be very old people suffering from a whole range of diseases associated with aging, who have their lives on the line, and therefore they are ready to take risks. If all goes well, the clinical trials. The therapy will then be offered as a free addition to existing age-related disease therapies. In general, the usual procedure for bringing a new drug or treatment to the market.

In any case, this will happen quite quickly, within the next 100 years.

What therapy will look like: millions of sensors throughout the body that detect damage; nanorobots rushing to fix them?

Initially, this, of course, will be a very complicated procedure that will have to be carried out in hospitals. But as it will be introduced to the masses, the procedure will be simplified and cheaper. 50 years after its inception, it will be a simple pill or injection.

Will this technology be effective against other pathologies associated with genome breakdowns - early cancers, neurodegenerative diseases?

These diseases are of a different nature. Since they occur early, they are in no way related to the accumulation of damage, rather, we are talking about wrong work genes. However, I expect something like this to happen. space race when the desire to get into orbit, and then to the moon, gave rise to a lot of new technologies that have found application in areas far from space. To implement many aspects of SENS, an effective gene therapy technique is needed, which, in turn, can help with early diseases.

PROBLEMS OF THE IMMORTALS

You must understand that creation effective methodology to prolong life and prevent aging can turn into not only a blessing, but also a colossal evil. Just imagine that dictators like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin could live indefinitely. What about the huge social stratification when the oligarchs will be able to extend their lives indefinitely, and mere mortals will die before reaching 60?

I think this issue is greatly exaggerated. Yes, the development of our technology is worth big money, I can’t even say for sure how much it will cost in the end. But for the end user this procedure will be absolutely free, since all costs will be covered by the state. Already now we have a huge army of pensioners with various health problems. It is much more economically expedient to let them all go through the rejuvenation procedure than to spend huge money on the system of medical and social assistance, pay them pensions, etc.

Will quite happy pensioners want to Western countries, accustomed to enjoy life, again get up to the machine? Or will we get a huge army of quite strong idlers who will have to be fed by a few young people?

Old age is not happy time. She's terrible! Just think, a person is constantly in pain, he feels that he is no longer the same as before, he lacks the strength to do one thing or another. The worst thing is that in his soul he is still young, handsome and full of energy. But the decrepit body in which this young soul is enclosed does not allow you to work or truly enjoy life. Of course, a mechanism must be created to allow the elderly to fit into today's world, to gain knowledge and other opportunities available to young people. But I think that this problem will be easily solved by modernizing the education system. We will not come to a long life overnight. Life expectancy will continue to increase gradually, people will have time to adapt to it.

It seems to me that many other completely unexpected problems will arise, including psychological plan. Already now, for example, during our life we ​​lose several pets and we experience it very hard. And how many cats and dogs will we bury if we live for 1000 years or more? Do you think about extending the life of our smaller brothers?

This is indeed a problem and a very serious one. I think that no matter how sad it sounds, but we will have to learn to take parting easily. The fact is that all pets belong to short-lived species with a fast metabolism. No matter how hard we try to prolong their life, their speed of “running away from aging” still cannot be compared with a human one.

Let's move from private problems to global ones. Don't you think that with your work you are creating a new atomic bomb. Just imagine what a monstrous confrontation will begin between the “immortal billion” of the prosperous West and the population dying of hunger developing countries?

Of course, I cannot know what will happen, but I am quite sure that the developed countries will share with developing technologies of “running away from aging”. There are already similar precedents. It took a long time for AIDS drugs to be provided through affordable price countries Central Africa but it happened. I think that anti-aging technology will be provided much faster, since the economic benefits from it are indescribably greater.

This is where the world will finally face the problem of overpopulation. Just imagine: a large and friendly family from a third world country with 15 children, each of whose members has every chance to live 1000 years...

What do you suggest - do not save them? This is actually our medical debt- alleviate human suffering and save lives! Of course, mostly elderly people die of old age, but this does not stop them from being people and they have all human rights, including the right to life. As for overpopulation... You know, to be honest, I don't believe in the urgency of this problem. In the past, when doctors learned that if they washed their hands before the operation and followed other hygiene standards, there were also smart people who said: “If out of 10 children in the family all survive, what a terrible overpopulation awaits us!” And what? European women gained access to education, began to give birth to fewer children, the population declined without any intervention from the state. The human society has great opportunities for self-regulation, so I do not believe in the possibility of overpopulation of the planet.

Many people think that the artificial extension of human life is contrary to the will of God?

I strongly disagree! Slowing down the rate of aging is not a sin. It's just technology, like taming fire, inventing the wheel, vaccination, and so on. It is a sin not to try to overcome old age, which, like any disease, causes suffering and leads to death. Holy Scriptures of all religions say that it is our duty to alleviate the suffering of others. Everything else is from the evil one. And that is to say, in all my life I have never met a person who would like to get Alzheimer's disease. In the same way, there are no people who would like to get sick with old age. I have no intention of replacing divine providence, I just want to find a cure for terrible disease that haunts humanity.

skeptical opinion

Dmitry Zimin, founder of the Dynasty Foundation, honorary president and founder of VimpelCom:

I an old man. My childhood fell on the 30s of the twentieth century, when the symbol technical progress was kerogaz. Now, few people even know what it is, but then it seemed - oh, kerogas! Well, you must! And I know firsthand what it's like to be old. For example, even spending a lot of time in London, I never learned English language. Brains are probably not the same. Scientists would have created a flash drive that they stuck in their heads and rebooted their brains: I learned English, learned to understand computers perfectly ... Why am I talking about all this? Living up to 1000 years is, of course, wonderful for one single individual. But are you sure that people with the experience of my hungry childhood, who remember the repressions and idolize Stalin, will be useful for our bright future if they are taken and transferred to the end of the 21st century just the way they are?