The science of aging and the quest for immortality

Throughout history, the idea of lasting life has been an extensively prevalent theme in humanity's culture with numerous ancient myths and religions along with philosophical manuscripts focusing on gods or even immortals. But in our day, the search for immortality is no longer a myth of religious dogma but that which scientific research must culminate. Researchers are trying to understand the biology of aging, in search for ways to efficiently delay or even abolish age-associated deterioration. So, while folks still have yet to figure out immortality, contemporary moves suggest people are not too far off from living forever. Taking cues from 2001: A Space Odyssey, it moves like a monolithic lead character through the ape-men dawning to space babies of a future erased—asking viewers if immortality means freedom from history or cosmos perpetuated without end?

In fact, in the long history of ancient human, people's pursuit for eternal life has never stopped. Alchemy, or the just-fledge science of aging research can be traced back 2500 years ago to Warring States Period (476 BCE — 221 BCE). In broad terms, this research consisted of three main activities: one is the investigation of “elixirs for immortality” resulting from chemical treatment with different inorganic materials such as metals and minerals; then is metallurgical studies concerned with preparing artificial gold or silver — a sort of 'drug'; and lastly searches for highly active medicinal plants to find out plant-based medicines. In the historical context, alchemy was considered as adjunct to imperial power; emperors practiced alchemical steps and consumed elixirs in order to improve their own cultivation at a physical level for long-life extension, and thus reinforce its authority. Therefore, alchemy and the nobility's search for influence became inseparably enmeshed as a means of social status showmanship.

It was not until the late 19th and early 20th century that researchers started to systematically investigate aging. The term "gerontology" was first used in connection with the newly made science of ageing by biologist Elie Metchnikoff, who won a Nobel Prize. After the discovery of cells (and later on microorganisms), it was realized by scientists that aging, even though a metaphysical event to some, is in fact a biological process. At present, the investigation of aging has quickly turned into one of just about the most interesting fields in biomedical research. In the last few years however, everything changed and our perspectives on aging took a 180 turn but it started with advancements from gene therapy to stem cell trials all up until the recent CRISPR revolution. While many companies and labs are investigating the science of aging, and one of the most famous areas where this intensification is at entertainment field, which continues reminding everyone with scenes that simulate our death. For instance, the movie “Blade Runner” reflects an important theme - the limited life gives existence meaning. The fate of the replicants makes audiences to consider: if immortality becomes possible, will human emotions and moral values change? The movie explores the complexity of immortality through a fictional futuristic world, especially for those who are deprived of choice. In another area, vampires are a classic symbol of the immortality fantasy. The novel "Dracula" published in 1897 and the movie series "Twilight" show vampires as a symbol of immortality, revealing the cost of immortality. In these works, immortality is not only a symbol of freedom and power, but also a deep loneliness and a moral challenge. The immortality in vampire works is usually tragic, showing the impact of immortality on emotions, spirit, and humanity.
Despite the fantastical nature of immortality in literature and film, the pursuit of eternal life has transitioned from myth and fiction into a serious subject of scientific inquiry. This theme has long since left the realm of art and become a frontier issue in science and technology. With the deepening of aging science, researchers and innovators are no longer limited to exploring traditional methods like drugs or therapies designed to extend life spans; instead, they are venturing into more radical technologies such as cryonics and mind uploading, both of which aim to redefine human existence and challenge the very concept of death.

Cryonics involves freezing the human body at very low temperatures after death, with the hope that one day these people can be revived and cured of their lethal diseases. Organizations such as the Alcor Life Extension Foundation and Cryonics Institute also provide cryopreservation services, freezing patients in states of clinical death with plans to thaw them out once they have harnessed advanced rejuvenation technologies. The quite much exciting example in this respect can be related to the baseball player Ted Williams, who is cryogenically derived after his death. Yet, not a single corpse has been revived from cryogenic suspension; faced with serious difficulties. Additionally, modern technology cannot minimize any cell damage from developing ice during the freezing process. Cryonics, even with these obstacles in place, seems to be a last-ditch effort at prolonging life just long enough for technology to catch up. Mind Uploading — Another tech-pie-in-the-sky idea that has been getting some attention recently, though is still in the very early stages. A technology referred to as Mind Uploading would entail transferring a person's consciousness, memories and personality onto the digital world where it could possibly remain preserved indefinitely. The thought being that if we could create a scan of every connection in the human brain (the connectome) and run it on a computer then theoretically you can transplant your conscious into something digital, thus preserving us beyond our body. That includes brain-machine interfaces which have been developed so researches like the people at Neuralink (Elon Musk's mind-brush start-up) are already looking into these as a potential core technology for uploading.

The pursuit of these technologies reflects the ancient human desire to transcend death. However, it also brings many ethical, philosophical, and social dilemmas. As these technologies continue to evolve, cryonics and mind uploading bring forth a number of complex ethical dilemmas that challenge our understanding of identity, societal values, and even what it means to be human. Both technologies, in their pursuit of extending or preserving life, force us to confront difficult questions about the nature of existence and the consequences of achieving immortality.

Identity and continuity represent one of the most significant ethical issues in contemporary discourse. Although people whose bodies are frozen for cryonics hope that they can be revived in the future, it is not really certain whether such a person who actually wakes up will have exactly the same consciousness, memories or personality. So, if the person was frozen and then only re-warmed after a long while (during which their brain might suffer damage), would that “resurrect” being truly the same? A digital consciousness is fundamentally a copy of the original, which begs further examination— can it really be called “them”? Same to mind uploading. This would be a good argument too, but the thing is if all neural pathways has been copied just correct way he did, does the digital person still have its self-conscious or it's not one at all. This raises the broader, metaphysical issue of what defines us as individuals: our brain itself; or its memories; or something immeasurable and unobservable that we might call a consciousness but other names have been used for?
A second major problem is social inequity. Assuming cryonics and mind uploading actually work, then who gets to use them? At present, only the rich can afford to undergo cryonics as it is so expensive. It begs worrying questions about a tomorrow where the wealthy start to attain immortality whilst everyone else faces what it means to age and die. In doing so, the gap between those with resources and without became larger than it was originally. Also, if mind uploading enables a kind of digital immortality the development might result in "immortal elites" who rule over others while they are forced to remain mortal. It would arouse problems for social structures and governance as the relationship between these two classes will change drastically just like the movie “In time” shows.
Secondly, the psychological and societal impacts of immortality are also worth considering. It is believed that in its many pretexts, immortality can have with quite amazing effect on human psychology. The existence of human beings could bottleneck into an existential fatigue, with the broad sense of purpose usually formed by being aware that life is limited utterly lost. The swing of life is embedded with birth, old-age and death…taking away the last word on it could drastically change our attitudes towards all three. As has been Praise in writing and movies, so the psychological problems of living forever like alienation, ennui as well as absence from loved Scarus are also depicted. And in such a world, society would be buffeted mightily given that age-old nuclei of family and clan life passed on intact from one generation to the next.
The ethical dilemmas associated with cryonics and mind uploading contribute to a broader philosophical inquiry regarding the pursuit of immortality by humanity. On one hand, the intrinsic desire to extend life and transcend death is deeply embedded in the human psyche. On the other hand, medical progress has already significantly extended lifespan accompanied by improvements in quality of life. But the journey for endless life has its unwanted outcomes. Without some urgency from the shortness of life, would people still want meaning or accomplishment or honor? Death has always been a central part of human existence, and some even argue that it is this ephemerality infused in life what makes our time on Earth meaningful. For all its allure, the hunt for eternal life could well rob existence of those qualities that make it valuable.

Above all, the dream of eternal life and advances in the science of aging force us to think that there are always two sides to immortality. It means although people can live forever, it also deprives life of its inherent meaning. Whether or not immortality can be achieved in the future, this process of exploration itself will lead to deeper thinking and understanding for humanity.