Lifeboat Foundation

Philosophers have been debating the meaning of life for millennia. Billions of people believe that the principal aim in life is to experience pleasure, and they try to enjoy life as much as possible before they die. A minority of others, make it their life’s aim to achieve something which is over and above simple pleasure: not merely to help others, not even to help humanity at large. They aim, whether knowingly or unknowingly, to improve the evolutionary process of nature as a whole.

So far, so good. But it appears that the view we hold about our life, our worldview, has a direct impact on our biology. We know that thinking positively may help improve the immune system. But research also shows that people who aim for pleasure (Hedonia) may have an impaired genetic profile, compared to those who aim for higher virtues (Eudaimonia). There is a distinction between these two terms and it is worth providing a definition here:

Hedonia is an exclusive search for pleasure and avoidance of discomfort. It may involve increased emphasis on eating well, drinking, dancing, playing, and generally enjoying simple pleasures in life. It is contentment, gratification, fun, merriment, satisfaction and, perhaps necessarily, a lack of motivation to search for a nobler aim in life. One may argue that hedonia involves a risk that leads to bad health due to a tendency to excesses (smoking, alcohol, coffee, sweets), a general inclination to avoid uncomfortable physical activity, and a lack of challenging cognitive effort. The risk of addiction may be increased. Erosion of social bonds become a possibility when a hedonist is more concerned about his/her own pleasure and is less sensitive to the needs of others.

Eudaimonia is a term reflecting the highest ‘intellectual good’. It is virtue plus excellence, superior ethical refinement, cognitive sophistication, as well as other qualities such as persistent motivation, wisdom, imagination, creativity, vision and a feeling of purpose. The term has been discussed by many ancient Greek philosophers particularly Aristotle and the Stoics. In modern times and in a wider sense, eudaimonia may be equated with meaningful technological hyperconnection, or ‘Intentional Evolution’, an attempt to constructively improve the human condition in all respects (including those relating to the wider universe). Hedonia is found both in animals and in humans, whereas eudaimonia is only found in humans.

Continue reading “Is physical pleasure bad for your health?” »

Here’s Liz Parrish talking about driving down costs, replacing viral vectors, and having all kinds of trouble with the lid of a bottle.

Liz Parrish, founder or Bioviva company, which developing genetic therapy against aging. He first in world tested such genetic therapy on himself and resulting effect make her cells be like 20 years younger.

Continue reading “3/3 Liz Parrish and Avi Roy: Genetic and other innovative therapy against aging” »

An article on transhumanism and food in Extra Crispy, Time Inc’s new food site about breakfast:

Zoltan Istvan, presidential candidate for the Transhumanist Party, believes in anti-doughnut legislation and immortality.

By the 2020s, he tells Playboy, he expects medical technology to be at a point where nanobots will help out our immune system.

This is from 2014 but is getting posted around the past couple of days.

““It’s estimated that we’re born with around 20,000 blood stem cells, and at any one time, around 1000 are simultaneously active to replenish blood,” says Holstege. During life, the number of active stem cells shrinks, she says, and their telomeres shorten to the point at which they die –”

She lived to 115, but a study of Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper’s blood hints at factors limiting lifespan.

Continue reading “Blood of world’s oldest woman hints at limits of life” »

Amazing!! More time to learn, evolve, love, & explore the world…

A sprawling facility called Timeship in Texas will host 50,000 frozen dead people with one goal — to become the human race’s first immortals.

Activist Saul Kent — one of the minds behind it — is such a passionate believer in ‘cryogenics’ that he froze his own mother’s head in 1988 after her death.

Continue reading “How To Become Immortal — By The People Who Think You Can” »

Are pomegranates really the superfood we’ve been led to believe will counteract the aging process? Up to now, scientific proof has been fairly weak. And some controversial marketing tactics have led to skepticism as well. A team of scientists from EPFL and the company Amazentis wanted to explore the issue by taking a closer look at the secrets of this plump pink fruit. They discovered that a molecule in pomegranates, transformed by microbes in the gut, enables muscle cells to protect themselves against one of the major causes of aging. In nematodes and rodents, the effect is nothing short of amazing. Human clinical trials are currently underway, but these initial findings have already been published in the journal Nature Medicine.

As we age, our cells increasingly struggle to recycle their powerhouses. Called mitochondria, these inner compartments are no longer able to carry out their vital function, thus accumulate in the cell. This degradation affects the health of many tissues, including muscles, which gradually weaken over the years. A buildup of dysfunctional mitochondria is also suspected of playing a role in other diseases of aging, such as Parkinson’s disease.

One molecule plays David against the Goliath of aging

Continue reading “Pomegranate finally reveals its powerful anti-aging secret” »

For all my Precision Medicine, Cancer researchers, and anti-aging friends researchers have id that the mitochondria pathway has been used by cancer cells to exploit for motility and metastasis.

Researchers have identified a new mitochondrial pathway that cancer cells exploit for motility and metastasis—providing a viable, “druggable” target for many different types of tumors. [NIEHS].

Are you an avid supporter of aging research and a keen longevity activist?
The Biogerontology Research Foundation is offering select summer internships for talented individuals. You’d join a passionate and supportive team in researching diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic strategies; advising a panel of investors in developing a roadmap to promote longevity science and related technologies across the globe.

The advertised positions are 3 month internships, with the possibility of continuing afterwards. Free accommodation will be provided for in London, alongside a negotiable salary.

The Biogerontology Research Foundation is a UK based think tank dedicated to aging research and accelerating its application worldwide.

Continue reading “Aging Research Internships Available 2” »