A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
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A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
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Re: A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
#2Re: A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
#3Let's do a moonshot -- make it 3 trillion.
Re: A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
#4NMN
Re: A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
#5There's nothing Silicon Valley billionaires will throw money at faster than the ability to live longer/forever. Makes sense in a way, but pretty much everyone in the field will tell you that the science is simply not there yet. Calico is similarly funded and has been at it for a decade now, with nothing to show for it.
Re: A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
#6“A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.”
– Max Planck[1]
Often paraphrased as "Science progresses one funeral at a time."
I don't think we really want immortality or unnatural longevity.
Re: A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
#7There have been several companies formed in the past few years whose premise is researching in industry anti-aging or basic science more generally (Calico, Altos Labs, Arcadia, etc.)... Does anyone understand the underlying economics or motivations? They can't be gambles when they raise $B's, and I'm too cynical to believe these are altruistic endeavors. Certainly there is research that cannot be reasonably expected to get funding from academic sources, but what results could be worth the squeeze?
Re: A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
#8This all feels like the Ocean's 11 version of biotech
The straight laced CEO as foil with an amazing reputation and a ticking biological clock (1)
The mad scientist known for mixing human and monkey embryos (2)
The beautiful and brilliant husband & wife whiz kid team (3)
All funded by the secretive Russian billionaire with questionable fortune originations (4)
Grabbing the popcorn
(1) https://altoslabs.com/team/executive-leadership/hal-barron/
(2) https://altoslabs.com/team/scientific-leadership/juan-carlos...
(3) https://altoslabs.com/team/principal-investigators-san-diego... & https://altoslabs.com/team/principal-investigators-san-diego...
(4) https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/05/world/yuri-milner-faceboo...
Re: A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
#9There's nothing Silicon Valley billionaires will throw money at faster than the ability to live longer/forever. Makes sense in a way, but pretty much everyone in the field will tell you that the science is simply not there yet. Calico is similarly funded and has been at it for a decade now, with nothing to show for it.
That Japanese vaccine that helped your immune system target half dead zombie cells seemed pretty promising.
Re: A $3B bet on finding the fountain of youth
#10Isn;t one of the problems that not everyone is a net benefit to society so if they already cause 70 years of disturbance, who would want them living another 70? It;s one thing for an Elon Musk type who has loads to do and never wants to die but I can't really see this happening unless, I guess, it is an option.
"Dear Mr Smith, you are getting a bit old and to be honest, you haven't made a great stab at life. However for only $299.99, you can have this injection which will give you another 50 years."