LongeCity - Articles

SelfTesting Programme

Wed, 07 Aug 2019 17:23:00 +0000

"Biomarkers of Aging Self Experimentation (BASE)"

This is our current flagship programme in this field. BASE’s goal is to better comprehend aging interventions over time and present this data in a useful way.
We are inviting participants to contribute age biomarker data alongside information about their lifestyle and nutrition.
To participate, anyone may complete the BASE Questionnaire anonymously. Qualifying participants may claim a partial reimbursement.
Results will be shared internally among participants, with a view towards generating an open source database.
The initiative is at an early stage - parameters are likely to change and we are very open to feedback.
⇒ https://www.longecity.org/base/

"Aging Biomarkers"

We all know that biologically and medically, people age at different rates. Understanding why could be a key part in retarding or reversing aging. However, measuring biological age is far more complicated than counting chronological age. In recent years various new methods have been proposed.
In 2018 LongeCity started a programme supporting our Members in gaining experience with these tests by granting a subsidy for procuring these tests from selected service providers on the condition that the Members self-report the results and their experiences ⇒ on our internal forum. (link)
We remain very interested in evaluating new biomarkers of aging. We will follow the results of this initiative and support others like the ⇒ AGEMETER tool.

"N=1 Experiments"

Since our founding, this site has attracted individuals who are impatient for the state of medical consensus to advance and are experimenting with supplements, techniques and experimental compounds. This has many pitfalls: first and foremost the risk to the individual, the flavour of chasing ‘magic’ that has always tainted the life-extension field, along with the dreadful folly of ‘testimonials’; the risk of generating the flawed impression that taking life extending supplements must somehow be ‘felt’ quickly; a turning away from the principles of scientific equipoise and the hard truths of evidence-based medicine.
Nonetheless this self-experimentation goes on and has some aspects that are worth celebrating: the intensive and personalised engagement with scientific evidence; the assumption of individual responsibility for health and wellbeing; the ongoing adventure of discovery that would not be possible without plenty of risk-takers. To be clear: Faced with these perspectives, LongeCity as an organisiation maintains absolute neutrality. We do not in any way encourage or promote self-experimentation, nor do we condemn and suppress evidence of it. We do however, wish that some ‘self experiments’ were more responsibly planned, conducted, and reported with a view towards generating the most reliable dataset possible. We have therefore set aside some potential funding to complement those experiments that have the potential to yield insights that could be of generalisable interest to the LongeCity community.

Generally, the scheme works as follows:
- An individual (the Subject) develops a supplement or other regimen based on an informed review of the literature, community advice and the available sources.
- The Subject develops a testing plan that assesses meaningful metabolic parameters at meaningful intervals.
- The Subject commences the regimen. The Subject pays for all supplies and the baseline test which must be published on LongeCity in annonymised form.
- LongeCity can be approached to pay for a subsequent test. This does not entail an endorsement of the experiment but simply a desire to further asses some of the safety and efficacy parameters in question.
If you want to participate in this initiative, please ⇒ contact us.

Pioneers: Marquis de Condorcet (1743-1794)

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 12:47:47 +0000

The 18th-century Age of Enlightenment brought forth a paradigm shift in perceptions of the human condition and potential. The thinkers of the Enlightenment systematically articulated the case for rationality, science, and technology dramatically improving human well-being and overcoming what were previously considered to be immutable limitations. Those of us today who support the pursuit of indefinite life extension, rejuvenation biotechnology, and emerging research and its applications in a wide array of transformative fields are essentially continuing the project that the Enlightenment philosophers began. Although they had a much more rudimentary toolkit at their disposal, the most visionary minds among them were remarkably able to anticipate many aspects of our contemporary world and even to see beyond it.
One such individual was Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet (1743-1794), among the most talented polymaths, philosophers, economists, political scientists, mathematicians, administrators, and authors of the 19th century – a man who unfortunately lived far ahead of his time and whose life was claimed by the tumult of the French Revolution in 1794. Condorcet died in prison under mysterious circumstances, after running afoul of the murderous Jacobin faction that seized power in 1793-1794 and perpetrated a Reign of Terror that subverted the ideals of the Enlightenment. Shortly beforehand Condorcet completed a work that set forth the blueprint for human progress to come – the Esquisse d'un tableau historique des progrès de l'esprit humain (Outlines of a historical view of the progress of the human mind), published posthumously in 1795. At the end of this work, Condorcet briefly but insightfully articulated much of the terminology and conceptual framework that characterize many thoughts in the life-extension movement today.

Condorcet divides human history into ten epochs, the first nine of which bring the human species to the era of the French Revolution; the tenth epoch is Condorcet’s vision for humankind’s future. Much of what Condorcet articulated has already come to pass – including dramatic improvements in agricultural and industrial processes, broadening of education, major progress toward gender equality, and decreases in the average number of children per family as economic development, education, and living standards have improved. Condorcet even posited an early version of what is today known as the “law of accelerating returns” (a phrase popularized in our era by Ray Kurzweil):

All the causes which contribute to the improvement of the human species, all the means we have enumerated that insure its progress, must, from their very nature; exercise an influence always active, and acquire an extent for ever increasing. The proofs of this have been exhibited, and from their development in the work itself they will derive additional force: accordingly we may already conclude, that the perfectibility of man is indefinite. (Condorcet 289-290)

Regarding improvements in longevity, our era already features some of the developments that Condorcet anticipated. In Condorcet’s time, most people still did not die of biological “old age”; average life expectancy in France remained below age 30 for much of the 18th century (ref), and rich and poor alike often fell victim to infectious diseases, warfare, political turmoil, and poor lifestyle habits before reaching any advanced age – and high rates of reproduction accompanied (and were in part motivated by) devastatingly high rates of infant mortality. For Condorcet, bringing average life expectancies into the late seventies and early eighties, as is the case for virtually all “developed” countries today, would have constituted astonishing progress. Condorcet focused first on the major proximate causes of mortality in his time – malnutrition, lack of sanitation, poor living conditions, unhealthy work environments, and life-shortening vices – including lack of physical exercise and the indolence that he associated with the luxury of the aristocracy. Regarding the overcoming of these perils, Condorcet observed:

This law [of the perfectibility of organic life] extends itself to the human race; and it cannot be doubted that the progress of the sanative art, that the use of more wholesome food and more comfortable habitations, that a mode of life which shall develop the physical powers by exercise, without at the same time impairing them by excess; in fine, that the destruction of the two most active causes of deterioration, penury and wretchedness on the one hand, and enormous wealth on the other, must necessarily tend to prolong the common duration of man’s existence, and secure him a more constant health and a more robust constitution. (Condorcet 290)

The methods of human rationality, as directly accessible to the mind and capable of being implemented through societal reforms, could achieve the kinds of lifestyle-related improvements Condorcet described. But he ventured further to address the even more significant potential lifespan extension that medical progress could unlock:

It is manifest that the improvement of the practice of medicine, become more efficacious in consequence of the progress of reason and the social order, must in the end put a period to transmissible or contagious disorders, as well to those general maladies resulting from climate, aliments, and the nature of certain occupations. Nor would it be difficult to prove that this hope might be extended to almost every other malady, of which it is probable we shall hereafter discover the most remote causes. (Condorcet 290-291)

Condorcet’s prognostications directly address the question of what will remain once the most proximate 18th century causes of death and disease (infections, poor climate, bad working conditions) are greatly diminished. In our time, this has essentially happened, and heart disease, cancer, and degenerative illnesses of the brain have become the most common killers (and even the rates of death from some of these ailments are in decline). Condorcet’s contemporaries did not understand the causes of these then-rarer ailments (since most did not live long enough to get them), but we now know them all to be consequences of the degenerative processes of biological aging at the cellular and molecular levels. Condorcet recognized that the mindsets and methods of Enlightenment rationality could be applied to identify and defeat these maladies as well – and the outcome would be indefinite longevity:

Would it even be absurd to suppose this quality of melioration in the human species as susceptible of an indefinite advancement; to suppose that a period must one day arrive when death will be nothing more than the effect either of extraordinary accidents, or of the slow and gradual decay of the vital powers; and that the duration of the middle space, of the interval between the birth of man and this decay, will itself have no assignable limit? Certainly man will not become immortal; but may not the distance between the moment in which he draws his first breath, and the common term when, in the course of nature, without malady or accident, he finds it impossible any longer to exist, be necessarily protracted? As we are now speaking of a progress that is capable of being represented with precision, by numerical quantities or by lines, we shall embrace the opportunity of explaining the two meanings that may be affixed to the word indefinite. (Condorcet 291)

The distinction between “indefinite life extension” as the prolongation of lifespans without a fixed upper bound and “immortality” in the sense of indestructability or invulnerability is important for advocates of longevity today and have been repeatedly articulated to persuade the general public to recognize that the life-extension project is the logical continuation of the improvements in medicine, lifestyle, and environment which have already brought about major lifespan increases during the past two centuries. Condorcet was the first to articulate that distinction; when we speak of indefinite life extension, we are indeed building upon Condorcet’s vision and carrying it forward using the next generation of medical technologies.

Condorcet did not definitively posit whether or not there is some remoter upper bound to possible lifespans, but he did explore both possibilities:

In reality, this middle term of life, which in proportion as men advance upon the ocean of futurity, we have supposed incessantly to increase, may receive additions either in conformity to a law by which, though approaching continually an illimitable extent, it could never possibly arrive at it; or a law by which, in the immensity of ages, it may acquire a greater extent than any determinate quantity whatever that may be assigned as its limit. In the latter case, this duration of life is indefinite in the strictest sense of the word, since there exist no bounds on this side of which it must necessarily stop. And in the former, it is equally indefinite to us; if we cannot fix the term, it may for ever approach, but can never surpass; particularly if, knowing only that it can never stop, we are ignorant in which of the two senses the term indefinite is applicable to it: and this is precisely the state of the knowledge we have as yet acquired relative to the perfectibility of the species. (Condorcet 291-292)

Whatever other limits, if any, humans might come to face if they live centuries or longer, Condorcet convincingly demonstrates that we will never be certain that such limits have been reached – so the possibility of indefinite longevity and the striving toward it are always the appropriate working hypothesis and practical approach. Condorcet’s empirical prediction, which has held true thus far (with temporary aberrations in times of major warfare or societal turmoil), is that mean life expectancy will continue to increase without end:

we are bound to believe that the mean duration of human life will for ever increase, unless its increase be prevented by the physical revolutions of the system; but we cannot tell what is the bound which the duration of human life can never exceed; we cannot even tell, whether there be any circumstance in the laws of nature which has determined and laid down its limit” (Condorcet 292).

It is fitting for Condorcet to conclude his treatise – the last work of his life – by pointing to a gloriously open-ended future, where the same miseries and oppressions that shortened his own life need not befall future generations. A great mind born too soon, Condorcet could not prevent his own death but could bestow a vision for us to implement:

This sentiment is the asylum into which he retires, and to which the memory of his persecutors cannot follow him: he unites himself in imagination with man restored to his rights, delivered from oppression, and proceeding with rapid strides in the path of happiness; he forgets his own misfortunes while his thoughts are thus employed; he lives no longer to adversity, calumny and malice, but becomes the associate of these wiser and more fortunate beings whose enviable condition he so earnestly contributed to produce. (Condorcet 294)

Many in life extension may feel called by this heroically ambitious, boldly optimistic project for the transformation of humankind – whose epitome and, indeed, the central aim, is the extension and expansion of lifespans without bounds.

Aging Biomarker Testing Support Programme

Fri, 18 May 2018 20:57:57 +0000

Background

LongeCity.org has long been a hotbed of information exchange and discussion about various methods of slowing or reversing the process of aging. An incredible number of supplements have been tried, exercise routines employed, and eating patterns explored.
Is it any of it working? Have LongeCity members succeeded in slowing aging and remaining healthier than their contemporaries?
Precious few people maintain a regular schedule of objective testing for health and aging biomarkers. Even fewer make those results public. LongeCity aims to change this state of affairs.
In order to foster a ‘citizen scientist’ culture of objective self-monitoring and knowledge sharing LongeCity is supporting all Immortality Institute Members in procuring tests for next-generation biological age markers.

Which tests are supported?

Generally, tests that rely on epigenetic aging markers to give a ‘biological age’ profile and are easily obtainable through reputable third-party testingproviders.

    Currently the following commercially available tests are supported:
     • Epimorphy (https://www.mydnage.com/)
     • Osiris Green (https://www.osirisgreen.com/)
     • TeloYears (https://www.teloyears.com/)

While these tests fit the above description, they are quite different in what they measure. Make sure you use the resources on longecity and elsewhere to make an informed decision which test to choose. Further reading.
Currently our subsidy programme combined with a provider discount means that one of these tests is available to Immortality Institute Members for free or at a substantial discount.
Members can suggest other tests to be included in the list. Contact us with suggestions and references.

Steps for Participants

STEP 1. You need to be a Member of the Immortality Institute. (If you are not yet a member - it may well be worth joining since the discount for the test more than covers your membership donation.)

STEP 2. Register your interest here. (Do not just go and order your test! Wait until you get the ‘all clear’and discount code from the Membership Secretary via forum PM.)

STEP 3. Order the test from the provider using the discount code provided. (Please note that this will involve paying the provider upfront and making sure that you collect your biological samples as instructed and mail them back to the provider)

STEP 4. Post your results here. The minimum information required is your real (calendar) age and your biological age as determined by the test. However, we’d really like you to share as much information as you think may be pertinent regarding lifestyle, diet, supplementation etc. that might shine a light on your results for further analysis. You don’t have to disclose your name and address).

STEP 5. LongeCity will reimburse you the costs of the test up to a maximum of $150 via paypal to your registered email address.

Note The support programme is a voluntary community effort. Particants in the programme do so at their own risk and responsibility. Any arrangements with third party testing services are private contracts between the service providerand the individual participants. LongeCity makes no guarantees regarding thequality, safety and reliability and utility of any third party tests. Financial support is provided at LongeCity's sole discretion, is not guaranteed and subject to available funds.

CellAge fundraiser support

Sun, 29 Jan 2017 22:45:36 +0000

LongeCity Affiliate Labs

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 01:16:58 +0000

The Longecity “Affiliate Labs” are small, research-focused enterprises or independent academic research groups led by a scientists with strong ties to the Longecity community and a proven track record of commitment to scientific inquiry directly relevant to the Longecity mission.
These leaders and their colleagues are not just trailblazers in advancing important areas of regenerative and rejuvenation research, but also incredibly helpful when there is a community need for peer review, when providing advice and training to a young scientist, and in providing the expertise and tools to test the novel, controversial, or promising scientific leads sourced from the Longecity community and beyond.

Community Funding
There is a small support fund that the labs can draw on to flexibly support their research activities. While not a substitute for private investment and public sector grants, the ability to flexibly ‘just try’ out a new idea without needing to ‘pitch’ in lengthy proposals can be an invaluable accelerator to research progress. All Affiliates have an active link to the Longecity community, so there is a level of accountability and responsiveness beyond anything encountered in ‘traditional’ research donations.
By donating to the Affiliate Labs fund, Members can be assured that every penny goes directly to an expert personally and professionally committed to making a difference in the scientific conquest of death.
Donate HERE

Current Affiliate Labs
- Alexandra Stolzing, Loughborough University, UK & Leipzig University, Germany.
- James Clement - Betterhumans, USA
- João Pedro de Magalhães, University of Liverpool, UK
- John Schloendorn – Gene&Cell Technologies, USA
- Kelsey Moody, Ichor Therapeutics, USA.
- Kevin Perrott – Buck Institute, USA
- Matthew O’Connor – SENS Foundation, USA

8 Reasons to reach out to 'the public'

Sun, 08 Mar 2015 23:35:01 +0000

While the idea that drastic life extension may be an option for humankind in the future has been encountered by many through the media and fiction, the vast majority of the public do not grasp whether and how this could realistically apply to them or their loved ones.

Some argue that since life is an universally desirable good and age-related suffering and death universally feared and avoided, ‘public perception’ is something that will take care of itself. If anything, the inherent attractiveness of the concept will always guarantee media interest perhaps even to the point of generating unwarranted hype and the empty promises that have been the bane of the scientific life extension movement for centuries.

Others argue, with great conviction, that public perception and ‘marketing a life extension movement’ should be a prime objective. Here is a list of eight reasons why:

1. Broaden the pool of ideas. Generally, the more minds are altered to and focused towards a common objective, the greater the chance than innovative or groundbreaking ideas will be generated. If Life Extension is a more broadly known, accepted and prestigious topic of interest, more bright minds will be attracted to it.

2. Increase public sector funding and donations. As businesses tend to fund research only when profitability is close it often falls to the public sector and philanthropists to fund the "starter end" of research that will eventually lead to usable products which business will then want to take up.

3. Reduce opposition. There is an element of ‘shock’ associated with the concept that aging and death may not be inevitable which can lead to denial or impatient dismissal. Visceral or ideological opposition to life extension translates into less government funding, less scientific interest, less favorable laws and less industry support especially if there is no widely established counter-position.

4. Improve regulation. Whether we are thinking about laws allowing or prohibiting life extension treatments in general, or the speed and efficiency at which the FDA similar entities conduct their reviews, the support of government agencies is important at every stage of the process of getting treatments to the public. Responsive regulation can be generated through public pressure and media attention.

5. Focus corporate interests towards effective treatments. Only if there is a clear and well-informed demand for proven and validated treatments will effective products become more profitable to the industry than ineffective ‘snake oil’.

6. Build economies of scale. Given the urgent need for life extension treatments for many people there is an interest in helping to bring costs down as soon as possible. If pent-up public demand becomes more clearly visible, consideration of scale-up will become a part of more business plans and healthcare reforms.

7. Improve public health. A focus on life extension often comes with increased health consciousness. Prevention is better and cheaper than cures and if more people participate in a wider programme of health-conscious living, this is likely to bring overall healthcare costs down.

8. Reduce social unrest and disruption. Even once society accepts the concept of life extension and associated treatments there will still be people who are unwilling or unable to participate. Moreover, extended lifespans will affect society profoundly. Careful public engagement ensures that social unrest and discrimination can be minimised.

If at least one of these reasons makes sense to you, then you may want to think about how you could help ‘connect’ the LongeCity’s mission with others. Generally, the ‘self-multiplying’ effect of outreach should not be underestimated. People act as role models and influencers of their peers. Beyond all media spin, if a person acts and speaks with conviction, others will take note; and if people realize that their friends and family members could live longer they will be more willing to engage in the idea themselves.

--
This article is based on an original drafted by Sanhar in response to a LongeCity tender.

Cryonics Hardship Fund

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 23:26:34 +0000

Cryonics is a method of ‘medical time travel’ - placing the body in biostasis after legal death with the hope that future technology will be invented which can revive the body. To most people who share LongeCity’s mission cryonics is the ‘second worst thing’ that can happen to you, but nonetheless a viable alternative to burial or creation.

Cryonics prices vary (an overview can be found on this page maintained by Cryonics expert and LongeCity Advisor Ben Best) but it is affordable to nearly everyone via life insurance… nearly everyone. A few people who really want cryonics cannot get life insurance: After an accident, LongeCity Member James Swayze found himself quadriplegic and unable to get insurance. The life of LongeCity Member William O’Rights took a turn for the worst when he was diagnosed with aggressive throat cancer after having been suddenly deprived of all funds. Kim Suozzi was 23 and had not yet heard about cryonics when she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Aaron Winborn heard of her case - and cryonics- only when the debilitating effects of Lou Gehrig's Disease had already begun to paralyse him. All these people were eventually offered a cryonics provision through the generous donations of others in our community.
We want to continue this proud tradition, looking out for those who share our common dream in unlimited lifespans, in the shadow of imminent death and despair.

However, this needs to be done carefully. It cannot be stressed enough that cryonics is affordable to most people if they only have the foresight to act early and arrange affordable life insurance. This element of personal responsibility is at the heart not just of cryonics. If we establish a hardship scheme, it must not create a moral hazard, and incentive to put things off as too unpleasant and complicated to think about until it is too late. Of course, we must also ward against fraud and abuse. An element of careful analysis and due diligence is therefore required, looking into the circumstances of each individual case.

The LongeCity cryonics hardship fund has two purposes:
1) To support a (volunteer based) infrastructure for maintaining the scheme and exercising the due diligence mentioned above
2) When a hardship case has been endorsed by LongeCity, we will use the hardship fund to help to fundraise for that individual by matching further donations. All these donations will go to a dedicated account for that person’s cryopreservation, never to the individual directly.

Applicants to our cryonics hardship fund must
- co-operate fully with LongeCity appointed auditors and reviewers
- genuinely be unable to not fully fund their cryosuspension and not have a reasonable chance of doing so prior to their likely death
- help to fundraise for their cause and help raise public awareness for cryonics

In the past, we have partnered with our friend in the Venturist community on cryonic hardship cases. We hoping to do so again on future occasions.

Click HERE to make a contribution to the fund

To apply email the full details of your case: contact@longecity.org

Community Fundraisers

Fri, 18 Apr 2014 21:40:12 +0000

LongeCity has facilitated 'crowdfunding' well before many other platforms in use today.
Together, we have 'crowdfunded' a documentary, a book, cryonics hardship support, and half a dozen scientific research projects.
➧ LIST: research and other initiatives.

Meanwhile, some life extension projects have used the greater reach of these bigger crowdfunding websites with great success.

Considering that nowadays, everyone can promote their projects on a crowdfunding platform, what role can LongeCity play in enabling community-sourced initiatives?

Firstly, we can simply act as a 'crowdfunding directory' for life-extension projects. Members can post links to current initiatives here.

Moreover, we can bring something extra that advocates of 'effective altruism' may appreciate:
LongeCity can offer to review projects - internally, by the community and scientifically.
This cannot be an absolute safeguard, but it provides a greater measure of quality assurance to the community.
And this, our community, is the second important feature: In contrast to general fundraising sites, the fact that the project is linked to the community on an on-going basis and in a hands-on manner means more interactivity, communication, cross-fertilization of ideas and better scrutiny. If they were not before, the fundraising team can become part of that community and over time this will strengthen the network of protagonists in life extension research immeasurably.

Crowdfunding teams can also apply to get their external fundraiser 'accredited' by LongeCity:

There are 2 types of certification:

Accredited
LongeCity has reviewed the project and endorses it as a reputable initiative in line with its mission.

"Star rated"
LongeCity supports the fundraiser with up to $800. Application fee applies*.

To apply: Write to action@longecity.org with the following information:
a- Full personal and contact details of the lead applicant.
b- Relevant background details of the key beneficiaries.
c- All the information that you would supply on the fundraising website.
d- A breakdown of costs.
e- Would you like to raise funds via LongeCity and/or an external platform?
f- Would you like to try for a 'star rating'? A $40 application fee applies.

Please allow for a review time of ca.30days. Complex reviews may take longer.

LongeCity Connect

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 18:42:27 +0000

Database of Experts, Advocates and Volunteers
LongeCity has been 'the' forum for information exchange on life extension for over a decade. Over the years, many of the 'who is who' in the scene have visited the site, newcomers have used the site to educate themselves or as a springboard for new projects, and many initiatives and rallying efforts have brought people together.
However, in all that time we did not have a well-coordinated approach to networking. From time to time different efforts to reach out and connect were made but there were few tools in place to support such initiatives, and they had to start from scratch each time. There was no database that can be searched for the right skills set, no 'register of interests' that can be used to connect volunteers around the globe... until we realized that the simplest and most effective way of creating and maintain such a register was lying right in from of us in our database of users.
To leverage that resource and turn it into a powerful tool for networking, we have added new data fields.
You can find these by here under 'volunteering'. As a privacy protection measure, the entries in these fields will be *viewable by members only* -at the very moment, you can only see your own entries.

Please update your profile here: if you have ever shared information this kind of information elsewhere on LongeCity, (i.e. in a forum thread or in a PM to the Members Secretary/Volunteer Coordinator) then please take a minute to enter the information in this register. We will look at doing some conversions manually, you yourself know best whether the info you supplied is still up-to date.

This initiative is still very much in its infancy and we are looking forward to suggestions how to make this into a powerfully effective networking tool.

taking action...

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:11:21 +0000
What can I do!?

This is a natural question that those sharing the mission to abolish the blight of involuntary death often ask.
At LongeCity, we are providing a lot of community-sourced suggestions and for a long while we have wrestled with a succinct answer. Such a ‘take action’ page as provided by other organisations is still something we are looking to polish… but maybe the question also deserves a slightly longer answer – especially for those young people (whether in life or at heart, we get a lot of them especially at LongeCity) who ask the question in the context of planning to (re)orient their entire life and career towards life extension.

Over the next few months, I’m hoping to develop a short ‘primer’ to help with this most weighty of decisions.
This task is certainly too big, too important to be monopolized. I would therefore welcome any suggestions and alternative perspectives during the drafting stages.

to be continued...

Write for LongeCity

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:39:43 +0000

There are different ways of writing for LongeCity, in two basic categories: Content and Articles
All contributions are subject to the general LongeCity User agreement. In short: authors keep full copyright of the article, but grant a free perpetual and worldwide license to LongeCity for non-commercial use.

Contributing Content
➥ Forum posts: Forum posting that is consistently of interest and of good quality will automatically be awarded '₮hankYou' points which can be redeemed for vouchers at online stores such as amazon. Immortality Institute Members have the option of moderating their own topics, thus ensuring high-quality discussions.
➥ Blogs: You can either start a blog at LongeCity or synchronise a blog that you maintain elsewhere. Group blogs are possible. We might also ask you to do a regular column.
-
Contributing Articles
➥ Commissioned topics: 800-1500 word (ca. 2-3 pages) articles on any of the open topics listed below. Send a finished manuscript to caliban@longecity.org. Responses can be expected within ca. 2 weeks.
➥ Submit an exposé for a new topic: You can send us a 200 word article outline. If accepted, you will be invited to submit a full article. Please use the contact form.
Reward per published article: $180 (a premium may be awarded)

-- current open commissions (2018)--
- Brain transplantation: a medical impossibility?
- Cancer Risks in everyday products
- Current clinical trials particularly relevant to life extension
- DIYbio projects directed at life extension
- Gene Therapy: An update
- Heart attacks and strokes – emergency measures.
- Is advanced artificial intelligence the key to life extension?
- Lay diagnosis: spotting warning signs that could save your life
- Leaving Earth: seeding human life elsewhere
- Life extension enthusiasts in history: lessons for today
- Long term planning: trends and projections until 2200
- Mapping the life extension scene
- Nanomedicine: recent advances
- Nootropics in human trials: the evidence
- Overpopulation and Life Extension
- Prepping: the 10 most useful tips
- Profile: ‘XXX’ – a life extension pioneer
- Religion and the life extension movement: at loggerheads?
- Religion, Pets, Relationships: Lifestyle and life expectancy.
- Sport & bodybuilding: will it extend or shorten your lifespan?
- Stress & Aging: what is the evidence?
- Supplements with a proven life extension benefit – any?

Advertisers sought

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:50:45 +0000

For over a decade LongeCity has presented a bustling platform for discussion and information exchange on advanced life extension. As a non-profit org we have consistently promoted grassroots science and advocacy projects by the international life extension community. Funding for these initiatives is raised in large part through donations, but also to some degree from advertisers.

Those choosing to advertise at LongeCity gain unique exposure to a dynamic, growing and committed community and the good-will of well-educated thought leaders in life extension science and advocacy.
It is also a great way of 'giving back' something to the bigger cause of healthy life extension that many of our advertisers support.

There are 3 different ways of placing an advertisement at LongeCity:

(1) Banners:
Anywhere on our page where you see an advert and text similar to "support LongeCity by booking this space for YOUR ad" - you can click on the text and it should take you to an order page for that slot. You can upload your ad straight from there. Payment via paypal.

➧ CLICK HERE to see a list of all 'bookable' slots.

(2) Sponsored thread:
Normally, promoting a product range is not allowed. Sponsored threads are the exemption.

➧ click here for more info about sponsored threads

(3) Other
If you want to go for one of the following, use the contact page supplying as much info as possible.

a- Rolling ad in the carousel (top on left) -- (~$280/month)
b- Featured article -- Should be more than a simple advert and also contain some useful information (~$300).
c- Associate link -- A 'featured' entry in our database of interesting links (~$50)
d- Discount for members -- A free form of advertising that generates significant exposure. Member discount codes can be shared at the restricted members forum or more sophisticated discount schemes can be devised (usually free)
e- Sponsored item in 'thank you 'store' -- LongeCity has a unique system of rewarding volunteers with 'Thank You' points. These points can be exchanged for small gifts: a book voucher, a DVD... or perhaps a product from a valued sponsor (usually free).
f- Mention in newsletter -- The LongeCity newsletter is sent monthly to over 12.000 users with a live email address. Some of the above options may entail a free mention in the newsletter (~$280/month).

NOTE!
There are a few things that advertising money cannot buy at LongeCity (please don't ask). Among these are 'privileged' status that exempts you from the forum user agreement (including the prohibition against 'viral' marketing); any right in how the site is run (you can become a Member and vote in referenda instead) and any content that appears as if it was coming from LongeCity without making it clear that such content was 'sponsored by'.
For the broader advertising philosophy at LongeCity please read this article.

Advertising Framework

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:30:56 +0000
Visitors to the forum will notice that a lot of discussion evolves around nutrition, supplements and lifestyle. We realize of course that these factors are just one element of the larger mission to conquer the blight of involuntary death, but that makes it all the more important to make sure that the strengths that LongeCity has in providing a great resource for nutritional information exchange are leveraged effectively.

Sometimes, it may seem like there are two 'factions' at LongeCity: on the one hand the committed 'activists' who realize the truth that nutritional supplements by themselves will have very limited efficacy in extending the human lifespan and who consequently have little patience for 'supplement pushers'. On the other hand there are the 'supplementers' who have little to no interest in 'living forever' and whose priority is a healthy lifespan and enhancing their fitness. For sure, examples of both 'camps' can be found if one looks for them, but on the whole the distinction has very little merit: firstly, nutrition, drugs, vitamins and lifestyle - even apparently peripheral topics like cognitive enhancement, are an important factor in the portfolio of life extension technologies. These are the factors that we can do for ourselves, today and for that reasons alone are worth discussing.

This fact- that supplements are at the 'applied' end of life extension discussion also means that the information and expertise joining at LongeCity around supplements can be much more effectively leveraged for fundraising. This makes LongeCity pretty unique: we are trying to siphon some of the financial overheads from the commercial end of life extension and re-allocate them to chronically underfunded scientific research and advocacy programmes. LongeCity has been really successful in this regard: with very little funding we have made a real difference in creating pioneering information material and funding important basic research as well as supporting community projects.

Thus 'activists' can appreciate a measure of advertising at the sitefor making an important contribution to the common cause. Ad exposure for Members is reduced but not fully eliminated not least because we think that some ads can actually be useful and interesting. There are at least four types of advertising available:

'Google ads' - are context-related ads. Google offers these individually based on your browser's settings and the content of the forum. Consequently please bear in mind that LongeCity has very limited control about what ads are displayed.

'Banner ads' - these paid for adverts usually leading to a sponsors website. More about LongeCity's relationship with other institutions can be found in this article. To quote: "LongeCity does not endorse any advertisers beyond the fact that they have made a donation to the community in exchange for exposure. Advertisers never influence our policy, ever. (...) Having said that, advertisers featured at LongeCity very often have a real commitment to the cause- they would not have found us otherwise". Members are invited to comment on the policy

'Links' - these are links in text and elsewhere that are monetized if the link is used to make a purchase at the external site. One well known example is Amazon.com: If you use the LongeCity 'referral' page to make a purchase, Amazon makes a small payment to LongeCity at no cost to you. We may be experimenting with other link concepts in the future. Note however, that the connections on our links page are not used in this manner. They are simply a project index interesting sources that all members can contribute to.

'Ads by discussion' - sometimes advertising momentum is generated simply by discussing a particular product. Over the years, marketers have become very sophisticated in pursuing such 'viral' strategies - and they are generally NOT WELCOME at LongeCity. There are only two sub-forums where product-and vendor related discussions are tolerated: for supplement companies/ for other companies. Any attempts to initiate product-related discussions elsewhere will be considered a breach of the LongeCity user agreement. The limited discussion that is allowed in this context is tolerated only because we feel that some information exchange about products and providers is potentially part of the LongeCity mission. Where this link cannot be made clearly, ads by discussion -whether inadvertent or not- will not be permitted.

We have experimented a little bit and are always keen to find other ways to generate funding for life extension research and advocacy from the LongeCity website in a way that is not overly intrusive and that does not compromise our mission and values.
Potential sponsors are invited to get in touch.
Members with new ideas about are invited to share them in the suggestions forum .

LongeCity 'STORE'

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 17:59:13 +0000

LongeCity is a non-profit organisation. We are not trying to sell you anything but ideas.
However, this page lists various fun ways to support the work of LongeCity while doing your normal shopping online.

click here for the LongeCity Amazon Store
You can make day-to-day purchases via amazon and support the mission to extend lifespans at no extra cost! If you use the LongeCity affiliate website, amazon gives are small percentage of its revenue back to us.
At no cost to you, why not make it a habit to conduct all your purchased through amazon that way?

A leading researcher sketches the real
"Fountain of Youth"

Essays on Infinite
Lifespans. A PDF version is available.

Ray Kurzweil's
examination of man transcending biology

click here for Our Cafe Press Store
Buy Life-Extension branded merchandise to share your passion with the world.
Have a great slogan you would like to see on a shirt?- Let us know in the forum or via email.

Jerseys and T-Shirts

Hoodies and Sweatshirts

Mugs, Totes, and More

click here for our Ebay 'Giving Works' Page

If you are selling things on ebay, you can now donate 10%+ of your profits to LongeCity with just an easy click using the 'just giving' feature.

Did you know? eBay Giving Works listings:
- tend to attract more bids and higher final sale prices
- stand out with the charity ribbon icon in search results
- benefit from enhanced searchability
- automatically qualify for the eBay Giving Works Fee Credit Benefit
- can be promoted on LongeCity without breaking our forum rules

AUCTIONS
Sometimes there are auctions for special items that we are happy to promote.
Have a donation in mind you'd like to auction?- Let us know in the forum or via email.

There are currently no auctions.
Check back later.

click here for our "Thank You" Store
LongeCity uses a unique system for an 'internal currency' of 'thank you' points that are awarded - and users can donate to each other in recognition of special contributions and volunteer work.
Thank you points can be redeemed against fun 'items' but also against tangible rewards such as books or DVD's.

Membership

Fun Prizes

Gifts & Vouchers

LongeCity and others

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 01:44:43 +0000

A) Background

LongeCity's origins lie with a personal website: On his private page where he chronicled his engagement with life extension, Bruce Klein also maintained a private bulleting board 'home for immortals'. Soon, visitors reached a critical mass.

And then it happened: Rather than staying at that level, we transcended it together. Bruce agreed to give up his control for something greater: the 'Immortality Institute' was founded as a members-based organisation.

This 'big tent' approach stood the test of time: Protagonists came and went, the original founders passed on the torch. The organisation endured, because it was no longer any individuals private agenda, it became an idea, a mission, and a community. We have left the days of the founding behind. We even changed our name, but, as an acknowledgement to this first, bold step into a unique community, LongeCity still refers to its internal Members section as the 'Immortality Institute' and remains open to Members from across the globe.

Also, until this day, our history shapes how we look at working with others: we celebrate the fantastic potential that lies in each person's own initiative and seek to empower individuals to pursue exactly those projects they feel passionate about, but we also try to link, to integrate, to join together and to collaborate in a broader context for maximum effect.

B) Private Individuals and their efforts/websites

There are many of personal websites around of the type Bruce started with. Some are just one person's way of discovering a new field, others grow into great resources or global benefit.
The great thing about them is the freedom they give you as the author to manage them largely as you please. Downsides exist: personal websites often have limited circulation beyond a particular social sphere or topic, missing chances for cross-pollination. A lot of energy is spent on re-inventing the wheel many times over, while it could be more productively channelled into improving what is already there. Mainly, they are fickle things, and anyone with internet experience learns not to trust them remaining as they often grind to a halt or disappear as the sole author/owner gets engaged in other priorities.

So on balance, LongeCity aims to make it easy for people to contribute directly to a larger pool. Members can have their own webspace or blogs or fora or linklists etc. without needing to home brew. If they want control, they can have as much as possible as long as it doesn't clash with others. (1)

On the other hand, some people only tap their full potential if they feel a project is fully and entirely their own.
IF that aspect is important to you, then please, by all means, do your own thing! We would much rather let a thousand flowers bloom than no growth at all. For maximum benefit, maybe you could still cross-reference to LongeCity? (2)

C) Other initiatives and Organisations

Now, this is a slightly more complicated topic.(3)

LongeCity understands itself as part of a movement. As usual in any movement, there are different preferences, protagonists, perspectives, powers and priorities. On the one hand, there is a real opportunity cost associated with not combining forces. It is sometimes very difficult to wish people good luck in setting up their own initiatives when, very clearly, their creative and financial resources could be much more effectively leveraged by using existing links and mechanisms.

On the other hand, different approaches and competition are absolutely essential to ensure that as many paths for success as possible are being pursued. LongeCity does not exist for its own sake. If it was not clear that we can make a unique contribution to the greater cause, we would close down and direct everyone to other initiatives. We need to be clear about what contribution we are making, when others are doing a better job and also when we are duplicating or being duplicated and why.

To all similar initiatives out there: If it looks like we are doing something very similar, please lets discuss if there are ways to generate greater synergies. This may simply mean that we stay in touch, it could mean collaboration on specific projects or it might go as far that LongeCity stops doing something and leaves it to you. OR you might decide to do what you are doing as part of LongeCity.

Two things in particular, we would much prefer to collaborate on:
1) if you are doing anything that involves a forum, we would be thrilled if you could do that at LongeCity. Over the years we have seen so many forums come and go, that we really think it a great shame to reinvent the wheel time and again. We'd gladly give you all the support and 'moderation' powers to run your own forum section at LongeCity, and a suite of powerful IT tools together with a great deal of experience as well.

2) if you are blogging or writing regular articles on life extension. Again, it is a great shame to see so many fantastic contributions swept away in the winds of time, whereas they could have been archived at LongeCity. We can easily supply you with all the tools and support, in fact we might even be able to pay you a little bit of money for your efforts - and the copyright still stays with you!

In summary, we have a mission, but not a specific 'line'. Instead we want to be a 'city'- a place where people come together. A place where different 'homes' exist fruitfully together, an umbrella group and a forum for exchange.
We would like to be a 'one-stop' info point for life extension on the web, from which people can move on to pick exactly those aspects or initiatives -at LongeCity or elsewhere- that they like. Any fellow initiatives out there, please get in touch to help make that vision a reality from which everyone benefits.

D) Advertisers at LongeCity

This is a slightly different topic. Anyone who visits LongeCity will not fail to notice that it attracts the attention of people who do not care much about our mission. Some come to debate, many to learn about nutrition (but not with an ultimate interest in life extension), some try to make money. To be quite frank, part of LongeCity's particular approach is to try to extract funds from these dynamics in order to re-allocate them towards the common mission. In this context, we sometimes partner with advertisers. Now, we do in fact discuss each advertiser internally and have rejected quite a few as not something we would affiliate with. However, at the end of the day the imperative is to raise money for a cause that we consider of life-saving importance. In that context we do not necessarily choose advertisers based on their own, (or their products) life-extension credentials. LongeCity does not endorse any advertisers beyond the fact that they have made a donation to the community in exchange for exposure. Advertisers never influence our policy, ever. Advertisers get banners (please click on them) -- thats it.
Having said that, advertisers featured at LongeCity very often have a real commitment to the cause- they would not have found us otherwise. When we say something nice about an advertiser, then that is NOT something they paid for but a genuine observation regarding their conduct and contribution to the cause.

E) Members representing LongeCity?

Membership of LongeCity is a strange thing: On the one hand, its a strictly in-or-out affair. On the other, Membership is just one way (and perhaps not a good one) to differentiate the 'talkers' from the 'doers'. If you are clearly a 'doer' we would probably consider you a Member of the life extension community whether you have joined the Immortality Institute or not. One way of simulating that is to give people 'points' for activities in connection with LongeCity. If you get enough points, Membership is free. Anyone who wants to join LongeCity but can't afford the (very modest) Membership donation, please get in touch, we have never denied membership to a committed peer based on inability to pay.
LongeCity is an open place. Membership as such does not entail 'vetting'.(4)

We hope that our Members conduct themselves in an exemplary manner that reflects well on the broader community at all times. But clearly, this is not always on the cards, not least because we are deliberately opening our doors to a diverse range of backgrounds and perspectives. Thus, whether someone is a Member does not mean that this person is in any way representative of our Membership or can speak on behalf of the organisation.

What about leadership? The case is not too different. Really, the only requirement to move into a leadership position at LongeCity is some tangible commitment. We don't vet people apart from a very basic appointment review and a requirement to sign the leadership agreement. Directors and certain key officers are asked for ID, but that's about it. Now, leaders *are* expected to behave in certain ways when representing LongeCity. Clearly, they owe as much to the Membership and community. But when not wearing the LongeCity hat, leaders are free to express their views and pursue their activities as they please and without any review by LongeCity. Some leaders may have gone on to do some strange things in their lives – LongeCity does not pry into a persons private affairs, successes or failures, ventures or missteps as long as it does not affect or organisation, community and mission.
If there is uncertainty whether a LongeCity leader is doing something in an official capacity, the fault is with us for allowing this ambiguity to prevail- please let us know and we'll make sure to clarify the situation.

F) CONCLUSION

The above are observations that I make from the Chair... but with the proviso that this perspective and policy might well change as time moves on – as you have seen from our history LongeCity is certainly able to evolve!
I hope the above is useful as a reference point regarding how LongeCity relates to 'others'. I also hope it has become clear that we really don't see a lot of 'others'. Anyone who shares our mission is 'one of us'. People interested in life extension are often individualists -- and any talk of a 'community' will need to take this into account. But mindful of this fact, as gently and effectively as possible, LongeCity aspires to provide a hospitable 'home' for a community, for diverse communitIES and lone travellers alike.

Footnotes:

(1) A good example of such a compromise are forum threads: A new discussion is initiated by a 'threadstarter'. A certain amount of responsibility comes with selecting a good topic, framing it well, giving it a good exposition. It can be frustrating if people spoil 'your' thread with inappropriate remarks. On your own website, you could just remove comments at will. On LongeCity, Members can ask to become Moderators of their own threads. It should be made clear in the first post if that option is used, so that other contributors are aware of this.

(2) For example, did you know that you can maintain a blog externally, AND a 'mirror' blog at LongeCity? Every post you make in your own blog can be automatically imported into your LongeCity blog. Ask if you need help setting this up.

(3) A reference to the 'Life of Brian' may help to set the scheme in a humorous way:

(4) There are some conditions of membership --they are listed in our bylaws, and I shan't go into them here, but suffice it to say that it is not very difficult to join. Very few Members have ever been expelled and where that happened it was based on activities that were directly in connection with activities on the site. While Members might sometimes be rebuked or even banned from posting on our public forums, even that does not entail automatic removal of Membership.

Podcast Interviews

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 21:36:11 +0000
Since its founding, LongeCity has conducted interviews with notable personalities in the life extension field.
Originally in written and texchat form, the effort was later taken up by Justin 'Mind' Loew, current LongeCity Membership Secretary and himself an experienced broadcaster.

Check out the broadcast forum where new interviews are announced.
You can submit questions to the guest, suggest future guests and access archived interviews.

These interviews are always insightful and topical, but also make for informative listening years later, which is why we keep them freely available from our archives.

Archive

Starting in 2012, we are hosting the podcasts ourselves:
DOWNLOADS: http://www.longecity...ory/7-podcasts/

Pre-2012 interviews can be found on the 'ustream' public broadcasting channel
USTREAM: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/sunday-evening-update/videos

Many podcasts (with visuals) can also be found on our youtube channel
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.c.../immortalityorg

Guests

Do you have a suggestion regarding potential guests?
Please share here: http://www.longecity...st-suggestions/

Previous guests include:
Aaron Drake; Anne Corwin; Arthur De Vany; Aubrey de Grey; Ben Goertzel; Calvin Mercer; Christine Peterson; David Gobel; Didier Coeurnelle; Dr. Brian Wowk; Eliezer Yudkowsky; Eric Schulke; Felicia Nimue Ackerman; Gary Taubes; Geordie Rose; George Dvorsky; Hugo De Garis; Jacque Fresco; James Clement; Jan Gruber; John Schloendorn; Josh Mitteldorf; Kelsey Moody; Kevin Perrott; Kevin Warwick; Luigi Fontana; Mark Hamalainen; Max More; Michael Anissimov; Michael Rose; Paul Wakfer; Peter Passaro; Randal Koene; Robin Hanson; Ronald Klatz; Scott Miller; Shannon Vyff; SJ Olshansky; Susan Fonseca-Klein; Tanya Jones; Terry Grossman; Tobiloba Oni; Todd Huffman; Tom Mooney; Vijay Pande; William Davis

Elders Advice Video Prize

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:21:58 +0000

Submit a video interview with someone aged 78 or older and win a book, CD or video game of your choice from the LongeCity store.

Entry conditions:

1- The person you are interviewing must be aged 78 or older. We are willing to trust you on this one, but we may ask for documentation if there is real doubt.

2- The interview should be between 8 and 10 minutes in length.

3- The interview *must* include an answer to all of the following questions:
-- Would you like to live forever and why or why not?
-- Why do you think you are still alive today?
-- Do you have any advice for people trying to live for a very long time?

4- Beyond these questions, you can decide to include anything of interest in the interview. You could ask the interviewee about their life history, memorable experiences, their nutrition, their philosophy, their life now, whatever you think is interesting.

5- Your equipment doesn't have to be professional. You can use a laptop, a webcam, a mobile phone camera -- as long as the quality is good enough that we can see and hear the persons you are interviewing.

6- Submissions will be displayed on the ImmInst website and the interviewee must have given consent to that.

7- Submissions may be rejected at the discretion of the ImmInst board for any reason.

8- ALL accepted submissions will win a prize as long as there is funding available!

IMPORTANT LINKS:
Email your submissions to support@imminst.org
Content Release Form
Questions? Ask in the forums

Book

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 14:18:11 +0000

The Scientific Conquest of Death
Essays on Infinite Lifespans (2004) Edited by Immortality Institute
ISBN: 9875611352

Spanish Version
credit: Javi Ruiz & Crionica.org

Buy Paperback Version - $24
PDF Downloadable Version - Free
HTML Online-Searchable Version - Free
Cover: Tyrone Pow - Publisher: Libros En Red
Contact: support@longecity.org

News & Reviews

When I heard this summer that the Immortality Institute was publishing its first book, “The Scientific Conquest of Death: Essays on Infinite Lifespans,” I asked for an advanced copy to review for the Speculist.

I was surprised and honored when Bruce Klein and Reason from FightAging emailed me a working draft. This was a valuable blog-lesson for me: ask and you shall (sometimes) receive... [by: Stephen Gordon] Speculist - Oct 15, 2004

The Immortality Institute (longecity.org), a 501c3 non-profit educational organization, has brought together nineteen scientists, doctors and philosophers to share their perspective on what may be the most significant scientific development that humanity has ever faced – the eradication of aging and mortality... PRWeb - Nov 6, 2004

The holiday season has arrived, and with it will come higher mortality rates. For a number of reasons, including stress and cold weather, more people die around this time of year. While many accept death as a natural certainty, there is a growing movement that aims to do away with it.
In The Scientific Conquest of Death, a group of well-respected scientists and theorists take on the biological and philosophical arguments against radically extending the human life span... [by: Sonia Arrison] TechNewsWorld -Dec 12, 2004

Less Than Positive Review: The Scientific Conquest of Death adequately articulates the immortalist vision, but a lack of self-criticism makes it more advertising than argument... [by: C. Ben Mitchell] Betterhumans -Mar 22, 2005

Thisis the first book published by Immortality institute, a collection of essays devoted to propagating the new gospel that death’s tyrannical rule over humankind is approaching the end of its reign. It appears that death’s days are numbered... [by: Todd Daly] CBC Network - May 17, 2005

Book Content & Excerpts

Introduction
Overview
Chapter I: SCIENCE: Biomedicine, Nanotechnology and other strategies
· Biological Immortality - Rose
· The War on Aging - Grey
· The Dream of Elixir Vitae - Magalhães
· Therapeutic Cloning - West
· Nanomedicine- Freitas
· Human Body Version 2.0 - Kurzweil
· Progress Toward Cyberimmortality - Bainbridge
· Will Robots Inherit the Earth? - Minsky
· Medical Time Travel: A Question of Science - Wowk
Chapter II: PERSPECTIVES: Ethics, Sociology and Philosophy
· Some Ethical and Theological Considerations - Mellon
· Superlongevity without Overpopulation - More
· Upsetting the Natural Order - Treder
· The Self-Defeating Fantasy - Rabkin
· Time Consciousness in Very Long Life - Clynes
· Confessions of a Proselytizing Immortalist - Vyff
· Some Problems with Immortalism - Best
· An Introduction to Immortalist Morality - Geddes
· Should We Fear Death? - Blackford
· Who Wants To Live Forever? - Bostrom
Chapter III: Resources
Bibliography
Publishers Note
Thanks

Introduction

The mission of the Immortality Institute is to conquer the blight of involuntary death.Some would consider this goal as scientifically impossible. Some would regard it as hubris. Others say: "Don't mention the 'D–word', it will just scare people, and turn them away from the very real possibility that modern science will help us to dramatically extend our healthy life span."What should we make of this? Is it possible that scientists – or at least humankind – will "conquer the blight of involuntary death?"

If so, to what extent will we succeed? What is in fact possible today, and what do the experts predict for the future? Is such a thing as 'immortality' feasible? Moreover, is it desirable? What would it mean from a political, social, ethical and religious perspective? This book will help to explore these questions.

When the Institute was approached regarding the possibility of distilling some of the lively and insightful debates that take place within its online forums into book form, questions arose over what such a book should contain. In the last few years, a couple of very good books on the scientific conquest of death have been published. (These are indexed in the bibliography at the end of this work.)

How would this book be special?After careful consideration, the answer seemed clear: This should be the first truly multidisciplinary approach to the topic. We would discuss not only biological theories of aging, but also biomedical strategies to counter it. Moreover, we would consider alternative approaches such as medical nanotechnology, digitalization of personhood, and cryobiological preservation. But this would only be part of the whole.

We also wanted to tackle some of the questions that are usually left unanswered in the last chapter of scientific books: If we accept that radical life extension is a real scientific possibility, then where does that leave us? Would it create overpopulation, stagnation and perpetual boredom? How would it change our society, our culture, our values and our spirituality? If science allows us to vastly extend our life span, should we do so?

It became clear that a single author, however knowledgeable, could not possibly address this kaleidoscope of topics adequately. Thus, we decided to publish a compilation of essays. Some stem from an open call for papers, some are invited contributions by established authorities in a particular field, and a few are specially selected reprints. From among the numerous contributions, we carefully choose those the best in our eyes. Considering the multitude of topics and the quality of the submissions, it was an exceptionally difficult task. The result can only ever be a compromise.

A compromise between conveying scientific information adequately, and accessibility to the lay reader; between philosophical depth, and the desire to stress relevancy; and, of course, between limitless curiosity, and the very limiting constraints of space. We hope that you like the result.

Overview

This book is divided into two sections: science, (including biology, biomedicine, nanotechnology, digitalization and cryonics) and perspectives (including literature, history, philosophy, sociology and ethics).

This is not a strict division, as scientific possibilities are the starting point for all philosophy, and, in turn, the scientists in this book are not blind to the philosophical implications of their work.All essays are followed by their relevant citations.

All web hyperlinks are valid as of April 2004. Please do not hesitate to call the Institute if a link is out of date, as we might be able to help chase it down. Please also note that the Institute provides additional graphics, charts, and other relevant material online and free of charge to all purchasers of this book.

This book concludes with remarks, an extensive bibliography for further reading, information on the contributing authors, and a few words of thanks. But – as we shall soon learn – there is no time to waste: Follow us into an exploration of the scientific conquest of death.The road to immortality is just the turn of a page away.

Chapter I:

SCIENCE: Biomedicine, Nanotechnology and other strategies

We start, as is proper, by defining the subject matter. What is immortality? How can we define it in a scientifically sensible manner? Is immortality even biologically possible? These and other questions will be addressed in "Biological Immortality" by Michael R. Rose, Professor of evolutionary biology at the University of California, Irvine and author of Evolutionary Biology of Aging, a book that created a complete departure from the views that had dominated the field of aging research since the 1960's. We will learn that far from being a scientific impossibility, there are now good reasons for thinking that biological immortality is fundamentally possible.If aging can, in theory, be conquered – how would, how should we go about it?

Aubrey de Grey, an authority in the field of anti-aging theory from CambridgeUniversity, outlines a general strategy for proceeding with "The War onAging." In his essay, Aubrey de Grey touches on numerous issues, bothscientific and societal, that will be taken up later in the book After these introductions, we move to consider individual aspects of this strategy.

Firstly, on the biomedical side, microbiologist João Pedro de Magalhães provides a summary overview of how "The Dream of Elixir Vitae" might be realized. One of the most topical and promising approaches to extending healthy life span is stem cell tissue engineering. Michael West, president of Advanced Cell Technology and one of the "founding fathers" of modern stem cell research has written "Therapeutic Cloning." It gives us an exciting insight not only into the scientific background, but also into his very personal experiences and hopes in relation to the conquest of death.

While stem cell research is still an immensely dynamic field, we have recently seen the emergence of another exciting area of potential anti-aging treatments: "Nanomedicine" – the science of creating medical devices through nanoscale and eventually molecular manufacturing – has received intense media scrutiny and generous public funding in the US and Europe. Robert A. Freitas, a true pioneer in this area, describes how tiny machines could be effective in the conquest of death.

As a special bonus, a second part of this chapter, including numerous illustrations, is published online.Once inspired to consider molecular-sized machines, we are not limited to healing and repairing our aging bodies: Ray Kurzweil, well known futurist and the recipient of the 1999 US National Medal of Technology introduces us to "Human Body Version 2.0," where advanced technology constructs and defines the very substance that we are made of.This introduces a second vision of immortality, one that ventures beyond biology.

Dr. William Sims Bainbridge, Deputy Director for the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems at the National Science Foundation, considers how digital information about personality, feelings, likes and dislikes can be recorded. By archiving the uniqueness of a person, we might achieve some "Progress toward Cyberimmortality." But can we be more ambitious? Will we one day be able to copy our 'selves' onto a computer?"Will Robots Inherit the Earth?" asks Professor Marvin Minsky, who in 1959 co-founded what became the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He proposes humankind will indeed leave behind the constraints of biological mortality – not only conquering death, but also expanding in consciousness.

"All very well," one might contend. But will these predictions come true within our own life spans? For those who seek to conquer death, dreams of a distant future might not suffice. However, Dr. Brian Wowk, physicist and cryobiologist introduces us to "Medical Time Travel" via cryopreservation – the science of maintaining the human brain until the scientific predictions that we were considering in this section have indeed come to pass.

Chapter I: Authors & Essay Excerpts

Michael Rose , Ph.D.
Creating a complete departure from the views that had dominated the field of aging since 1960, Dr Rose published Evolutionary Biology of Aging after fifteen years of research with the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster).

Biological Immortality "Some of the deepest prejudices of professional biologists concerning immortality are certainly false. Aging is not a universal. There are organisms that are biologicallyimmortal..."

Aubrey de Grey, Ph.D. Research associate in the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge, Dr de Grey’s main focus is to expedite the development of a true cure for human aging.

The War on Aging "Possibly the most absurd of the arguments opposing the search for a cure of human aging is that to extend our lifespans indefinitely would be unnatural: would render us in some sense no longer human. I regard this view as so uniquely absurd..."

João Pedro de Magalhães , Ph.D. Postdoctoralfellow in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, Dr. deMagalhães is a microbiologist studying the biology of aging as itrelates to cellular senescence, the telomeres, stress-responsemechanisms, and Werner’s syndrome.

The Dream of Elixir Vitae "The ultimate aim of research on aging is to create what David Zindell called “Godseed”: a molecular entity capable of reversing the molecular and cellular changes that occur as we age and changing the genome of our cells to prevent aging from happening again..."

Essay Linked - Including Graphics

Michael D. West , Ph.D. President of Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Massachusetts, Dr. West has business experience in age-related degenerative disease, telomerase molecular biology, and human embryonic stem cells.

Therapeutic Cloning "Still resident in the human body are potential heirs of our immortal legacy, cells that have the potential to leave no dead ancestors,; cells from a lineage called the germ-line. These cells have the ability for immortal renewal as demonstrated by the fact that babies are born young, and those babies have the potential to someday make their own babies, and so on, forever..."

Robert A. Freitas Jr., J.D. Senior Research Fellow atthe Institute for Molecular Manufacturing, a molecular nanotechnology thinktank in Palo Alto, California, Freitas was the first to publish a detailed technical design study of a medical nanorobot in a peer-reviewed mainstream biomedical journal. Freitas and is the author of Nanomedicine, the first book-length technical discussion of the medical applications of nanotechnology and medical nanorobotics.

Nanomedicine "Each year, medically preventable natural deaths impose terrible costs on humanity, including the destruction of vast quantities of human knowledge and human capital. Future medical technologies, especially nanomedicine, may permit us first to arrest, and later to reverse, the biological effects of aging and most of the current causes of natural death, severing forever the link between calendar time and biological health..."

Essay Linked - Including Graphics

Raymond Kurzweil , Ph.D. Recipient of the 1999 National Medal of Technology, Kurzweil is the principal developer of the first omni-font optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first CCD flat-bed scanner, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first music synthesizer capable of recreating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, and the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition.

Human Body Version 2.0 "We are rapidly growing more intimate with our technology. Computers started out as large remote machines in air-conditioned rooms tended by white-coated technicians. Subsequently they moved onto our desks, then under our arms, and now in our pockets. Soon, we'll routinely put them inside our bodies and brains. Ultimately we will become more nonbiological than biological..."

William Sims Bainbridge , Ph.D. Deputy Director for the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems at the National Science Foundation, Dr. Bainbridge has written fourteen books and numerous book chapters and articles concerning science, sociology and advancing technology.

Progress Toward Cyberimmortality "Advances in information technology are essential for most of the imaginable means for achieving immortality, and fundamental to many. Before nanoscale robots are sent into a person's body to repair the damage from aging, computers will have to analyze what is needed and design the nanobots..."

Marvin Minsky, Ph.D.
Toshiba Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor Minsky has made many contributions to AI, cognitive psychology, mathematics, computational linguistics, robotics, and optics over his career. In 1959, Minsky co-founded what became the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

Will Robots Inherit the Earth? "Everyone wants wisdom and wealth. Nevertheless, our health often gives out before we achieve them. To lengthen our lives, and improve our minds, in the future we will need to change our bodies and brains. To that end, we first must consider how normal Darwinian evolution brought us to where we are. Then we must imagine ways in which future replacements for worn body parts might solve most problems of failing health. We must then invent strategies to augment our brains and gain greater wisdom. Eventually we will entirely replace our brains – using nanotechnology. Once delivered from the limitations of biology, we will be able to decide the length of our lives – with the option of immortality – and choose among other, unimagined capabilities as well..."

Brian Wowk , Ph.D. Physicist, cryobiologist, and Senior Scientist at 21st Century Medicine in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Dr. Wowk focuses on low temperature preservation of tissue and organs for medical applications.

Medical Time Travel: A Question of Science "Clinical medicine is now able to 'turn off' people for more than an hour with no heartbeat or brain activity for certain surgical procedures. Scientists are also on the verge of being able to preserve individual organs indefinitely by using a new ice-free preservation method called vitrification. Animal brains have resumed function after as long as seven years of frozen storage. Could human life be preserved in an arrested state for years or decades instead of hours...?"

Chapter II:

PERSPECTIVES: Ethics, Sociology and Philosophy

We could end it here. The scientific story has been told, the experts have made their predictions, and the options have been presented. But the Institute's mission has always been more encompassing. Many questions have been brought up: About what it means to be human, about what it means to be mortal; about the society of the future and the dreams that shape it today. In this section, we will encounter those who are enthusiastically supportive and those who are deeply skeptical of the quest for immortality.

But this section is not just about moral wrongs and (human) rights. We are also asked to consider deeper philosophical questions about time, identity, and our outlook on death and life. We begin with "Some Ethical and Theological Considerations" by Brad F. Mellon. The editors must confess that in light of the recent statements made by the US President's Council on Bioethics, we were pleasantly surprised to encounter such a measured and thoughtful analysis of the relationship between Christianity and the scientific conquest of death. In concluding, Mellon leaves us with at least two questions: Why should we fear death and should we spend resources more wisely?

The latter question is often paraphrased as a Malthusian concern about limited resources. Surely there are too many people already? Yet, immortalist philosopher and founder of the extropian transhumanist movement, Max More, argues that "Superlongevity without Overpopulation" is entirely feasible.Another instinctive objection to the scientific conquest of death is to claim that dying is, after all, natural. Businessman and activist Mike Treder takes issue with the contention that this is "Upsetting the Natural Order." He sees death as an evil to be eradicated, and the desire for immortality to be far from unnatural – as do many of our scientific contributers.

Eric S. Rabkin, Professor of English Language, examines the way in which the human struggle for immortality has been represented in literature. In a thorough and insightful investigation he comes to conclude that desire for immortality is "The Self-defeating Fantasy". Opposing the preceding author, who advocates the expansion of consciousness by merging digital selves into 'super-beings,' Rabkin warns, "Who would choose such a neutered eternity?"We can see that there is another dimension in the discussion of life span: identity and its conception.

Dr. Manfred Clynes leads us in a challenging discussion on "Timeconciousness in Very Long Life." If the time we experience is more important than the length of time we live, how would it alter our identity if we were conscious of time in a different way? After such abstract excursions, some readers will no doubt be pleased to come upon an essay by a true 'identity' who is by no means "neutered": Shannon Vyff, mother of three, is a real life immortality advocate who practices caloric restriction, is signed up for cryonic suspension and lobbies for life extension research in her spare time. In her "Confessions of a Proselytizing Immortalist" she shares her own story, thoughts and experiences.

But should someone like Shannon really call herself an 'Immortalist?' Ben Best, President of the Cryonics Institute, himself a firm advocate for conquering death, feels there are "Some Problems with Immortalism." Immortality is an inconceivably long time, after all. Should those wishing to conquer death not just focus on extending the human life span? "On the contrary," replies Marc Geddes. In his "Introduction to Immortalist Morality" he develops an argument from moral philosophy, grounding moral theory on the human perception of death and the desire for immortality. Geddes also debunks the commonly held notion that our mortality is what makes life worth living.

This leads us to the last essay in this section, which returns to the first question raised by Chaplain Mellon: All this talk of scientific immortality notwithstanding, why "Should We Fear Death?" Australian writer Russell Blackford examines Epicurean and modern arguments concerning this issue. His statement "We should not console ourselves with false reassurances about the supposed virtues of being mortal” brings a conclusion to this second section.

Brad F. Mellon, Ph.D. With a Master of Divinity degree from Biblical Theological Seminary and a Master of Sacred Theology degree, Dr. Mellon became involved in postgraduate work at Dropsie University, and satisfied the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Hermeneutics at Westminster Seminary. Mellon has served as a pastor, educator, chaplain and has presented papers and workshops in bioethics and biblical studies.

Some Ethical and Theological Considerations "The Immortality Institute is dedicated to the goal of achieving physical immortality through its stated mission to overcome involuntary death.This paper will explore some of the ethical and theological considerations that in our view need to be clearly understood in undertaking such an ambitious project..."

Max More , Ph.D. Founder of the extropian transhumanist movement, Dr. More is Chairman of the Extropy Institute and Director of Content Solutions at ManyWorlds, Inc.

Superlongevity Without Overpopulation "The prospect of living longer appeals to many people. Extending lifespan more drastically beyond the current genetic limit of 120 years appeals especially to persons of independent mind. These are people used to going their own way, questioning traditional beliefs, and asserting their values independently of those around them. Yet even we independent thinkers are social beings..."

Mike Treder Business professional with a background in technology and communications company management, Treder serves on the Board of the World Transhumanist Association and is President of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology.

Upsetting the Natural Order "In the time that it takes you to read this sentence, at least 10 real people will die, some of them helpless children, and some in horrible pain. Every single day 24,000 people die of starvation; 6,000 children are killed by diarrhea; 2,700 children are killed by measles; and 1,400 women die in childbirth..."

Eric S. Rabkin , Ph.D.
Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Dr Rabkin is a teacher known for his lecture courses on science fiction and fantasy, and for his teaching innovations, including the development of the Practical English writing program.

The Self-Defeating Fantasy  "On the day jazz great Duke Ellington died, John Chancellor began his nightly television newscast by saying that 'Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington died this morning of cancer of the lungs and pneumonia. Later in the program we'll hear him play for us'. Idealized in stone or vinyl, the great achieve immortality not in themselves but only in their leavings, an immortality that supplants, and hence defeats, the self..."

Manfred Clynes , Ph.D. During a presentation at NASA conference in 1960, Professor Clynes coined the term “cyborg”, combing the two terms cybernetic and organism, as a concept for humans to survive space travel.

Time Consciousness and very Long Life "In these talking points to follow, I will leave immortality to the Good Lord, and will try to be absolved of some hubris by dealing with individual life of only a few million years long. I hope not to disappoint readers through this, at least not for their first million years. What is time...?"

Shannon Vyff A student residing in Eugene OR and mother of three children, Vyff is a member of the Caloric Restriction Society and the Immortality Institute. She, her husband and three children are signed up for cryonics with Alcor Life Extension Society.

Confessions of a Proselytizing Immortalist "Why Immortality? Isn’t that selfish? Doesn’t God/fate/evolution tell us when to die? -- I hear this all the time shortly after I meet people-- at church, on vacation, in buses, in line at the grocery store, at parties, at family gatherings--It all begins like a perfectly normal conversation with questions of the weather, or what the person has been doing for the day..."

Ben Best President of the Cryonics Institute based in Clinton Township, MI, Best has published numerous articles concerning science, life extension and cryonics.

Some Problems with Immortalism "Although I place no limits upon how long I want to live, I believe that there are good reasons for believing that immortalism is an unrealistic goal -- and even a self-defeating goal. "Forever" is not just a long time, it is eternity and therefore beyond realistic conception. Yet there are mathematical models which can be used for calculating valuations in infinite time..."

Marc Geddes Free lance writer from Auckland, New Zealand. Mark is a member of the World Transhumanist Association and the Immortality Institute.

An Introduction to Immortalist Morality "The desire for immortality is one of the deepest, most enduring dreams of humanity. But is it a noble dream? Advanced technologies such as Bio-tech, Nano-tech and Info-tech appear to hold great promise for extending human life spans and restoring youth at some point in the not-too-distant future. But even assuming that radical life extension is possible, some people find the idea disturbing..."

Russell Blackford, Ph.D. Australian writer based in Melbourne Australia, Blackford’s non-fiction work frequently deals with issues involving science and society, particularly bioethics, cyberculture, and the history and current state of the science fiction genre.

Should We Fear Death? Epicurean and Modern Arguments "Most of us fear death, to a greater or lesser extent, though some philosophers believe that we would do well to accept it and to fear any prospect of immortality...I argue that it is rational to be attached to life and live as long as we can, though not to fear death with the intensity, or nagging anxiety, that human beings often do..."

Nick Bostrom , Ph.D. British Academy Research Fellow at Oxford University, Dr. Bostrom is co-founder of the World Transhumanist Association and has a background in physics, computational neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and philosophy.

Who wants to live forever? "For those rooting for a breakthrough in life extension research, to question why it would be desirable to lead a longer and healthier life might seem banal.

But a number of people cannot seem to conceive of any reason why anybody would want to live beyond the currently fashionable limit of about four score. Some possible answers include:

Article Linked - Including List

Chapter III:

RESOURCES

We conclude this introduction to the ongoing scientific conquest of death, with a challenge. We invite you to:

•investigate any of the topics raised, starting with the selected references in the bibliography. learn a bit more about the numerous authors and their work.
•visit us, to learn more and to share your views on the exciting project that is the scientific conquest of death.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Why do we age?

•Austad, S; Why We Age: What Science Is Discovering about the Body's Journey Through Life; (1997) ISBN:0471148032
• Carey, J. R; Longevity : the biology and demography of life span. Princeton, (2002); Princeton University Press.
Finch, C.E; Longevity, Senescence, and the Genome (1990, second printing 1994); University of Chicago Press
• Gavrilov, Leonid A; "Pieces of the Puzzle: Aging Research Today and Tomorrow" in: Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine (2002, Vol. 5); pg. 255–263
• Hayflick, Leonard; How and Why We Age (1996 reprint edition); Ballantine; ASIN:0345401557
• Kirkwood, Tom; The Time of Our Lives: The Science of Human Aging (1999); Oxford University Press ISBN:0195128249
• West, Michael D.; The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging (2003) Doubleday ISBN:0385509286

Anti-aging Biomedicine: basic

•Arnold, Nick & Benton, Tim; How to live forever (2000); Franklin Watts Inc. ISBN: 0531148181
• Bova, Ben; Immortality: How Science Is Extending Your Life Span and Changing the World (2000); Quill; ISBN:0380793180
• Benecke, M; The dream of eternal life: biomedicine, aging, and immortality. (2000) ;Columbia University Press.Bowie, Herb; Why Die?: A Beginner's Guide to Living Forever (1998); Power Surge Publishing; ISBN:1890457078
• Gems, D & Pletcher, S & Partridge L; "Interpreting interactions between treatments that slow aging" in: Aging Cell (2002, Vol.1); pg. 1–9Mc Gee, Glen; The new Immortality: Science and Speculation about Extending Life Forever (1995); Publishers Group West; ISBN:189316327X
• Medina, John J; "The Clock of Ages: Why We Age, How We Age, Winding Back the Clock" (1997); Cambridge University Press ISBN:0521594561
• Olshansky, Jay S & Carnes, Bruce A; The Quest for Immortality: Science at the Frontiers of Aging (2003) ; W.W. Norton ; ISBN:0393048365
• Rubenstein, R & Benecke, M; The dream of eternal life: biomedicine, aging, and immortality (2002); Columbia University Press ISBN: 0231116721
• Shostak, S; Becoming Immortal: Combining Cloning and Stem-Cell Therapy (2002); State University of New York Press ; ISBN:0791454029
• Tandy, Charles; Doctor Tandy's First Guide To Life Extension and Transhumanity (2001); Universal Publishers ; ISBN:1581126506
Tennant, Rich & Bortz, Walter M; Living longer for dummies (2001); Hungry Minds ISBN:0764553356
• Various, (Sage Crossroads) ; The Fight Over the Future: A Collection of SAGE Crossroads Debates That Examine the Implications of Aging-Related Research (2004); iUniverse Inc. ISBN:059531631X
• West, Michael D; The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging (2003); Doubleday ; ISBN:0385509286
• Wyke, Alexandra; 21St-Century Miracle Medicine: Robosurgery, Wonder Cures, and the Quest for Immortality (1997); Harper-Collins Publishers; ISBN:030645565X

Anti-aging biomedicine: advanced

•Butler, RN & Fossel, M & Harman, SM & Heward, CB & Olshansky, SJ & Perls, T & Rothman, J & Rothman, SM & Warner, HR & West, MD & Wright, WE; "Is There an Antiaging Medicine?" in Journals of Gerontology (2002, Vol. 57); pg. B333-B338
• Carnes, BA & Olshansky, SJ & Grahn, D; "Biological Evidence for Limits to the Duration of Life" in: Biogerontology (2003, Vol. 4); pg. 31–45
• Freitas Robert A; Nanomedicine, Vol. IIA: Biocompatibility (2003); Landes Bioscience; ISBN:1570597006
• International Association of Biomedical Gerontology. Interna-tional Congress (9th : 2002 : Vancouver B.C.) & D. Harman (2002). Increasing healthy life span : conventional measures and slowing the innate aging process; New York Academy of Sciences.
International Association of Biomedical Gerontology. (2001) & Park,S. C. ; Healthy aging for functional longevity : molecular and cellularinteractions in senescence. ; New York Academy of SciencesKomender, J;"Stem cell research as a base for reconstructive medicine" in: Annalsof Transplantation (2003, Vol. 8); pg. 5–8Lo, KC & Chuang, WW &Lamb, DJ; "Stem cell research: the facts, the myths and the promises"in: Journal of Urology (2003, Vol. 170); pg. 2453–8Toussaint, O.;Molecular and cellular gerontology; New York Academy of Sciences.

Digitalisation

•Kurzweil, R; The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence (2000); Penguin Putnam ; ISBN:0140282025
• Strout, Joe; "Mind Uploading: an alternative path to immortality" in: Cryonics (1998, Vol. 19); pg. 26–30

Cryonics

•Ettinger, R; The prospect of immortality (1965); http://www.cryonics.org/book1.html
•Smith, George P; Medical-Legal Aspects Of Cryonics : prospects for immortality (1983); Port Washington Associated Faculty Press ; ISBN:0867330503
• Wowk, Brian; Cryonics: Reaching for Tomorrow (1991); Alcor Life Extension Foundation; ASIN:1880209004

Caloric Restriction

•Heilbronn, LK & Ravussin, E; "Calorie restriction and aging: review of the literature and implications for studies in humans" in: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003, Vol. 78); pg. 361–9
• Lane, MA & Mattison, J & Ingram, DK & Roth, GS; "Caloric restriction and aging in primates: Relevance to humans and possible CR mimetics" in: Microscopy Research and Technique (2002, Vol. 59); pg. 335–8
• Masoro, Edward J; Caloric Restriction: A Key to Understanding and Modulating Aging (2002); Elsevier Health Sciences ISBN: 0444511628
• Weindruch, Richard, and Walford, Roy. "The Retardation of Aging and Disease by Dietary Restriction" (1988). Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, IL

Ethics & Philosophy: Basic

•Brennan, H; Death: the great mystery of life (2002); Carroll & Graf Publishers ISBN: 0786712171
• Broderick, Damien; The Last Mortal Generation: How Science Will Alter Our Lives in the 21st Century (2000); New Holland Publishers, Ltd.; ASIN:1864364408
• Callahan D; Setting Limits: Medical Goals in an Aging Society With "aResponse to My Critics" (1995); Georgetown University Press;ISBN:0878405720
• Fukuyama, Francis; Our posthuman future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution (2003); Picador USA ; ISBN:0312421710
• Hardwig, John; "Is there a duty to die?" in: Hastings Centre Report (2000)
• Kass LR; Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics (2002); Encounter Books; ISBN:1893554554
• Kass Leon R; "L’Chaim and Its Limits: Why Not Immortality?" in: Journal of Religion and Public Life (2001, Vol. 113); pg.17
•Kaufman, Wallace; No Turning Back: Dismantling the Fantasies of Environmental Thinking (1995) Perseus Book Group; ASIN:0465051197
• Lawson, Chris; The Tithonus Option is Not an Option (1999) presented at the SF Worldcon held in Melbourne, AustraliaPerry, John; A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality (1978); Hackett Publishing Company; ISBN:0915144530
• Perry, Michael; Forever For All: Moral Philosophy, Cryonics, and the Scientific Prospects for Immortality (2000); Universal Publishers; ISBN:1581127243

Novels

•Broderick, Damien; Transcension (2003); Tor Books; ISBN:0765303701
• Dewdney, Christopher; Last Flesh: Life in a Transhuman Era (1998); HarperCollins Canada; ISBN:0006384722
• Egan, Greg; Permutation City (1998); Gollancz; ISBN:0752816497
• Halperin, James; The First Immortal (1998); Ballantine Books; ISBN:0345420926
• Harrington, Alan; The Immortalist (1977) Ten Speed Pr.; ASIN:0890871353
• Heinlein, Robert; The Door Into Summer (1986); Del Rey Books; ISBN:0345330129
• Minsky, Marvin; Harrison, Harry; The Turing Option (1992); Warner Books; ISBN:0446364967
• Nagata, Linda; Tech Heaven (1995); Bantam; ISBN:0553569260
• Stephenson, Neil; Snow Crash (2003); Bantam; ISBN:0553380958
• Vinge, Vernor; A Deepness in the Sky (2000); Tor Books; ISBN: 0812536355
• Wilson, Robert; Prometheus Rising (1992); New Falcon Publications; ISBN: 1561840564
• Halperin, James L; The First Immortal (1998); Del Rey Books; ISBN:0345421825

Further Resources

•Tipler, Frank J; The Physics of Immortality (1995); Anchor; ISBN:0385467990
• United States Congress, Senate. Special Committee on Aging: Allhearings; For sale by the Supt. of Docs. U.S. G.P.O. Congres-sionalSales Office.

PUBLISHERS NOTES

The Immortality Institute

The Institute represents the tip of the sword in the life extension movement by advancing its mission to "conquer the blight of involuntary death." With a number of projects and a growing worldwide membership base, the Institute has blossomed in scope and scale since its inception in 2002.

As a non-profit educational organization, the Institutes' success rests fully on the backs of a highly motivated and totally volunteer support team.

http://longecity.org

Libros En Red

Online since May 2000 and (according to traffic-ranker Alexa) in the top position among e-book publishers and sellers in Spanish.

350,000 registered members receive LibrosEnRed's monthly newsletter. Books are published both in electronic formats (as e-books) and in paper (using a print-on-demand system). They are sold in our virtual bookstore, in 300 affiliate sites, and through Amazon.com and BN.com.

http://LibrosEnRed.com

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the online community of the Immortality Institute for encouragement, critique and many valuable suggestions. Special thanks to Michael Anissimov, Justin Corwin, Kevin Perrott, Kenneth X. Sills and Don Spanton for their help and advice.

Warm thanks to the authors who have agreed to forego all potential revenue from this publication for the benefit of the Institute.

Film

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:08:52 +0000

- Film Mission
- Participating Interviewees
- Funding
- Forum Discussion
- Video on YouTube

—
Transcripts (thanks to Matthias, Live Forever, Mixter and Veneto)

English Ξ German Ξ Hebrew Ξ Russian Ξ Veneto (Italian dialect)

• transcript discussion / correction thread
• translation / subtitles / dubbing discussion thread

The LongeCity science documentary, Exploring Life Extension, aims to create a realistic impression of the modern scientific pursuit of Life Extension.

The documentary was conceived, filmed and edited by Immortality Institute founder Bruce J. Klein Travelling more than 25,000 miles by car to 15 states, Bruce interviewed more than 80 individuals: from world renowned scientists, to key protagonists in the life extension movement to critics and lay persons Main Questions from Bruce while filming:
• What prompted you to explore life extension?
• How long do you want to live and why?
• What is the biggest hurdle to life extension?
• What technologies are most promising for life extension and why? The film first screened in the US at the Immortality Institute’s Nov 5, 2005 Atlanta, GA LifeExtension Conference and in Europe at the Amsterdam Science Museum NEMO during its Life Extension Night, November 2005. It is free to view and download.

Participating Interviewees included

Ames, Michael Roy - Pres. Singularity Inst. - Canada Arrison, Sonia - Director of Technology Studies at the California-based Pacific Research Institute (PRI).

Bradbury, Robert - Founder Aeiveos Corporation Cooper, Michael - ImmInst Lifetime Member

Corwin, Justin - ImmInst Editor Csoka, Antonei B., Ph.D. - Assistant Professor Pittsburgh Development Center

Dale, James - ImmInst Member de Grey, Aubrey, Ph.D. - ImmInst Honorary Member

de Magalhães, João Pedro, Ph.D. - Postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School Best, Ben - Pres. Cryonics Institute

Ettinger, Robert - Author The Prospect of Immortality and Man Into Superman Faigenbaum, Gustavo - ImmInst Editor

Faloon, William - Vice Pres. Life Extension Foundation Fonseca-Klein, Susan - ImmInst Director

Glenn, Jerome ClaytonAmerican Council/United Nations University /Millennium Project Gobel, David - CEO Methuselah Mouse Prize

Goertzel, Ben, Ph.D. - CEO of Biomind LLC Gold, Louse Evelyn - Adaptive AI Inc.

Grigg, John - Manager of the Creekside Preserve Lodge and Advisor and Secretary for The Society for Venturism Halperin, James - Author The First Immortal

Hanson, Robin, Ph.D. - Assistant professor of Economics at George Mason University Hartl, Michael D., Ph.D. - Pres. Quark Sports LLC, Visitor in Physics, California Institute of Technology

Heward, Chris, Ph.D. - Pres. Kronos Science Laboratories Inc. Hewitt, Duane - ImmInst Editor

Hoffman, Rudi - Certified Financial Planner, Cryonics Hughes, James J., Ph.D. - Author of Citizen Cyborg and Sec. of the World Transhumanist Association

Hurlbut, William B., M.D. - Program in Human Biology
Stanford University; President's Council on Bioethics Jones, Tanya - COO Alcor Life Extension Foundation

Kekich, David - CEO Maximum Life Foundation LaTorra, Michael - Director World Transhumanist Association

More, Max, Ph.D. - Chairman Extropy Institute Passaro, Peter - Laboratory for Neuroengineering; Georgia Institute of Technology

Perry, Michael R., Ph.D. - Patient Care Assistant, Alcor Life Extension Foundation Peterson, Christine - Vice Pres Foresight Institute

Pizer, David - Former Alcor Vice President, current owner of the Creekside Preserve/Ventureville Platt, Charles - Author of many popular science fiction novels, co-founder of CryoCare and former director of suspension services for Alcor Foundation

Reason - ImmInst Director; Founder Longevity Meme Rose, Michael, Ph.D. - Professor, University of California, Irvine; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Sills, Kenneth X. - ImmInst Director Smart, John - Founder Acceleration Watch

Smigrodzki, Rafal M., M.D.,Ph.D. - Instructor of Clinical Neurology, University of Virginia Smithers, Lorrie Hull, Ph.D. - Cryonics Member, Alcor

Van Nedervelde, Philip - Executive Director, Foresight Institute Europe; CEO Founder E-spaces Vita-More, Natasha - Pres Extropy Institute

Voss, Peter - Pres Adaptive AI Inc. Vyff, Shannon - ImmInst Full Member

James Swayze - Cryonics member Cryonics Institute, volunteer administrator of Rejuvenation Engineering News at Mprize.org - ImmInst Chat Watson, Kennita - ImmInst Full Member

Waynick, Joe - CEO Alcor Life Extension Foundation Wicker, Randy - ImmInst Advisor

Wowk, Brian, Ph.D. - Senior Physicist, 21st Century Medicine, Yudkowsky, Eliezer - Director Singularity Institute

Film Funding
Limited kickstart funding for equipment was provided by LongeCity and Bruce Klein donated countless hours to the project.
Independently, or on behalf of their respective organizations, seven individuals have thus far contributed $31,450 toward the film project.

GOLD donors — $5,000 each:

Brian Cartmell - CEO & President Cartmell Holdings LLC James Halperin - Author The First Immortal

David Kekich - CEO Maximum Life Foundation Saul Kent - Pres. The Life Extension Foundation

Martine Rothblatt - Founder Terasem Movement Foundation Joe Waynick - CEO & Pres. Alcor Life Extension Foundation

Other donors:

$500
Thor Christensen - ImmInst Full Member $500
Kevin Perrott - ImmInst Lifetime Member

$300
Catarina Lamm -ImmInst Full Member $150
Sasy_Kumar - ImmInst Full Member

LongeCity Small Grants

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 14:14:53 +0000

With the support of our Members and advertisers LongeCity is able to offer a limited number of small grants and financial prizes.

The following types of projects can be supported:

• Matching fundraiser: If you manage to raise funds on a mission-relevant topic, LongeCity may match the funds raised. (Click here for more information)

• Science support: contribution to a scientific experiment that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. The experiment should be distinguishable from the research that is already funded by other sources. This could be a side-experiment in an existing programme, a pilot experiment to establish feasibility, or resources for an undergrad or high-school student.

• Chapters support: organising a local meetings. LongeCity could contribute to the room hire, the expenses of inviting a guest speaker or even the bar tab.

• Travel support: attendance at conferences, science fairs etc where you are presenting on a topic relevant to LongeCity. Generally this will involve some promotion of the mission and/or a report on the then conference to be shared with our Members

• Grant writing: Bring together a team of scientists and help them write a successful grant application to a public or private funding body. Depending on the project, the award will be a success premium or sometimes can cover the costs of grant preparation itself.

• Outreach: Support for a specific initiative raising public awareness of the mission or of a topic relevant to our mission. This could be a local event, a specific, organised direct marketing initiative or a media feature.

• Articles: Write a featured article for the LongeCity website on a topic of interest to our members or visitors. We are mainly looking for articles on scientific topics, but well-researched contributions on a relevant topic in policy, law, or philosophy are also welcome. For more info see here.

The small grants scheme includes 'micro grants' - up to $180 and 'small grants' - up to $500.
(Grant applications exceeding $500 would usually be expected to be 'matching fundraisers' discussed above.)

Decisions as part of the small grants programme are usually pretty quick and straightforward. However please contact us with a proposal ahead of time - we will not consider applications where the expenditure has already been incurred!
Proposals can be as short or elaborate as necessary, but normally should be about half a page long.

Only LongeCity Members can apply, but any Member is free to apply on behalf of someone else - thus, non-Members are welcome to find a Member to 'sponsor' their application.

Apply using the contact form

You can use the ideas forum to discuss and prepare the proposal.

	Ames, Michael Roy - Pres. Singularity Inst. - Canada		Arrison, Sonia - Director of Technology Studies at the California-based Pacific Research Institute (PRI).
	Bradbury, Robert - Founder Aeiveos Corporation		Cooper, Michael - ImmInst Lifetime Member
	Corwin, Justin - ImmInst Editor		Csoka, Antonei B., Ph.D. - Assistant Professor Pittsburgh Development Center
	Dale, James - ImmInst Member		de Grey, Aubrey, Ph.D. - ImmInst Honorary Member
	de Magalhães, João Pedro, Ph.D. - Postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School		Best, Ben - Pres. Cryonics Institute
	Ettinger, Robert - Author The Prospect of Immortality and Man Into Superman		Faigenbaum, Gustavo - ImmInst Editor
	Faloon, William - Vice Pres. Life Extension Foundation		Fonseca-Klein, Susan - ImmInst Director
	Glenn, Jerome ClaytonAmerican Council/United Nations University /Millennium Project		Gobel, David - CEO Methuselah Mouse Prize
	Goertzel, Ben, Ph.D. - CEO of Biomind LLC		Gold, Louse Evelyn - Adaptive AI Inc.
	Grigg, John - Manager of the Creekside Preserve Lodge and Advisor and Secretary for The Society for Venturism		Halperin, James - Author The First Immortal
	Hanson, Robin, Ph.D. - Assistant professor of Economics at George Mason University		Hartl, Michael D., Ph.D. - Pres. Quark Sports LLC, Visitor in Physics, California Institute of Technology
	Heward, Chris, Ph.D. - Pres. Kronos Science Laboratories Inc.		Hewitt, Duane - ImmInst Editor
	Hoffman, Rudi - Certified Financial Planner, Cryonics		Hughes, James J., Ph.D. - Author of Citizen Cyborg and Sec. of the World Transhumanist Association
	Hurlbut, William B., M.D. - Program in Human Biology Stanford University; President's Council on Bioethics		Jones, Tanya - COO Alcor Life Extension Foundation
	Kekich, David - CEO Maximum Life Foundation		LaTorra, Michael - Director World Transhumanist Association
	More, Max, Ph.D. - Chairman Extropy Institute		Passaro, Peter - Laboratory for Neuroengineering; Georgia Institute of Technology
	Perry, Michael R., Ph.D. - Patient Care Assistant, Alcor Life Extension Foundation		Peterson, Christine - Vice Pres Foresight Institute
	Pizer, David - Former Alcor Vice President, current owner of the Creekside Preserve/Ventureville		Platt, Charles - Author of many popular science fiction novels, co-founder of CryoCare and former director of suspension services for Alcor Foundation
	Reason - ImmInst Director; Founder Longevity Meme		Rose, Michael, Ph.D. - Professor, University of California, Irvine; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
	Sills, Kenneth X. - ImmInst Director		Smart, John - Founder Acceleration Watch
	Smigrodzki, Rafal M., M.D.,Ph.D. - Instructor of Clinical Neurology, University of Virginia		Smithers, Lorrie Hull, Ph.D. - Cryonics Member, Alcor
	Van Nedervelde, Philip - Executive Director, Foresight Institute Europe; CEO Founder E-spaces		Vita-More, Natasha - Pres Extropy Institute
	Voss, Peter - Pres Adaptive AI Inc.		Vyff, Shannon - ImmInst Full Member
	James Swayze - Cryonics member Cryonics Institute, volunteer administrator of Rejuvenation Engineering News at Mprize.org - ImmInst Chat		Watson, Kennita - ImmInst Full Member
	Waynick, Joe - CEO Alcor Life Extension Foundation		Wicker, Randy - ImmInst Advisor
	Wowk, Brian, Ph.D. - Senior Physicist, 21st Century Medicine,		Yudkowsky, Eliezer - Director Singularity Institute

	Brian Cartmell - CEO & President Cartmell Holdings LLC		James Halperin - Author The First Immortal
	David Kekich - CEO Maximum Life Foundation		Saul Kent - Pres. The Life Extension Foundation
	Martine Rothblatt - Founder Terasem Movement Foundation		Joe Waynick - CEO & Pres. Alcor Life Extension Foundation

	$500 Thor Christensen - ImmInst Full Member		$500 Kevin Perrott - ImmInst Lifetime Member
	$300 Catarina Lamm -ImmInst Full Member		$150 Sasy_Kumar - ImmInst Full Member