No more ‘playing God’: How the longevity field is trying to recast its work as serious science

#1

Does anyone have the full-text of this article they can share?

SAN FRANCISCO — “Why is it in popular culture, if you want to live forever, you are evil and you want to kill babies on the side?” says Martin Borch Jensen.

It’s fast approaching 10 p.m. on the first night of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, and among a couple stragglers at a dinner for longevity CEOs, scientists, and investors, the conversation has turned from the practical or merely social to the philosophical.

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#2

Work to cure cancer: awesome
Work to cure alzheimers: awesome
Work to cure heart disease: awesome

Work to slow down the process that is responsible for 95% of the cases of cancer, alzheimers, heart disease? You’re playing god and you have to stop.

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#3

Brain transplant. Where do you get the body to transplant your brain to?

#4

There are a lot of serious head injury patients out there that don’t make it. I suppose it could be like any other “organ” transplant, but just more all-encompassing.

#5

The fact that there are more millionaires than head injury patients may produce “induced” head injuries. That possibility may be what engenders the distrust.

#6

True, and lets not even get into the frequency of such “accidents” that might be encouraged in prison colonies in countries like China and Russia, Saudi Arabia, etc. …

#7

Young brain dead people who are car accident victims.

#8

Total aside, but when self driving cars are finally rolled out and basically reduce car accidents by 95%, there will be an even worse shortage of organs for transplanting. Car accidents account for a big chunk of that. Hopefully regenerative technologies have replaced transplants by then.

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#9

Probably… though there will probably still be motorcycle riders, and I get the feeling that they are the bulk of the donations… (when I was young and foolish, I too rode motorcycles).

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