TransVision Tuesday Keynote Aubrey de Grey

I’m in Chicago for TransVision 2007. Here are some notes and thoughts from Aubrey de Grey’s keynote.

Aubrey de Gray spoke about his new book, Ending Aging. He then continued on to talk about how persons are considered lunatics for advocating slowing the aging process. Too little biomedical funding (perhaps less than one percent) is going into reversing aging. Euphemisms for aging like “healthy aging” and “aging is not a disease” are being promoted.

If it’s not a disease, why fund fixing it? Aging is not less bad when postponed. We should admit that our goal is elimination of aging. How do we give this credibility?

Arguments from incredulity or self-serving authorities are proposed against it. The Methuselah Foundation needs to renew its efforts to provide news and promote anti-aging. The web site will be redone and improved. The first 1000 year old will be less than 20 years younger than the first 150 year old.

Aging escape velocity would be reached. He’s been working on simulating aging and intervention. The simulation of aging has closely matched real world results. The intervention simulation shows that 10 percent of seventy year olds will survive once the first longevity therapy is introduced, whereas 50 percent of sixty year olds survive and almost no 80 year olds survive.

A small amount of time makes a big difference. Progress is being made in longevity science, both in lysosomal enhancement and in allotopic expression. Funding is increasing. The Mprize is at 4.5 million, which is starting to encourage some research for the purpose of the prize.

SENS credibility improving. Some of de Grey’s criticis have in turn been criticized by outside neutral parties, including acknowledged experts in technology and science. Various groups, including theologians, are making documentaries and otherwise marketing the ideas. With enough money, the experts needed to develop therapies are ready to work on the problem.

Funding is ramping up. Our action today can save many lives by accelerating the introduction of first therapies. Mealy-mouthed messaging has been tried, so now is time to be tougher. People were irrational about aging, but that is becoming decreasingly justifiable.

More Notes on TransVision 2007

If you enjoyed my notes on this session of TransVision 2007, you might also enjoy my notes on other sessions. Here's a list, in chronological order, of the TransVision 2007 sessions for which I've published notes:

• TransVision Tuesday Morning Session 1
• TransVision Tuesday Keynote Aubrey de Grey
• TransVision Tuesday Morning Session 2
• TransVision Tuesday Afternoon Session 2
• TransVision Wednesday Keynote Ed Begley, Jr.
• TransVision Wednesday Morning Session 2
• TransVision Thursday Morning Session 1
• TransVision Thursday Keynote Peter Diamandis
• TransVision Thursday Afternoon Session 1
• TransVision Thursday Afternoon Session 2
• TransVision Thursday Keynote William Shatner
• TransVision Thursday Keynote Ray Kurzweil