How close are we to immortality, and what research is in progress for immortality?
We are close to achieving longevity but complete immortality is not possible at the moment.
There are 4 ways to define Immortality realistically in this century:
- Reduce aging and/or look younger due to cell regeneration (live additional 15+ years) (still death by natural causes, aging of bodies)
- Increase of average expected Lifespan due to complete organ regeneration (live more than 10–35 years) (still death by natural causes, aging of bodies)
- Incapable of dying due to mind uploading consciousness (death by deleting data storage, virus, hacking, destruction of the plantation device or backup data centers.)
- Complete Invulnerability to death
Type 1 will be a reality within 2–5 decades.
Type 2 will be a reality within the next 3–8 decades.
Type 3 could be a reality for far future (next 4 decades up to 2–3 centuries.)
Type 4 is most likely not possible. We would need to transcend time and warp reality into the fourth dimension to achieve this. Maybe optimistically looking due to technology pacing, Our biological selves will not exist; even as 1%. However, Complete advanced inorganic/artificial Synthetic body invulnerable to any disease/hacking will be possible within the next 1–3 millennia if humanity survives that will grant us the ability to live for thousands of years.
Our biological body due to evolution has certain age limits until all motor functions and organs stop at the molecular level unless we keep altering DNA strands to increase longevity or find a way to slow slow cell aging significantly, best bet is to get a complete artificial bodies.
Stem cell research private funding in these biological research areas is active to study different plants and animals such as lobsters, octopus, jellyfish, hydras, tardigrades that have increased cell renewal regeneration that will help us to better understand and delay aging effects and prolong our lives as time passes with technology.
Ongoing research to understand X and Y chromosomes aging effects and its delays.
Advanced Medical Research Scientists and pharmacists are trying to study and develop highly advanced antibiotics with improved potency that will slow down metabolism to look younger. This will slow aging of cells and increase immunity of diseases. An advanced pill that will increase our lifespan and decrease wrinkle effects is going to be possible in the next 2–7 decades and will keep innovating.
Ongoing research in biohacking and increase research in immunity of diseases.
Nanotechnology / Molecular Assembling
This is a hot topic and many scientists from different fields are studying this right now to understand how to create and advance nanotechnology that will one day not only create robots but, completely assemble shapes and recreate it from the bottom up with different broken chemical compounds. It will create advanced 3d printing of artificial organs, skin and cell renewal regeneration capability which will allow us to extend our lives. (will be possible in the next 30–65 years.)
Nanomachines that will inject into our blood for repair and temperature control.
Mind uploading consciousness
Perhaps the most debated subject. We have just scratched the surface in research in this area due to Neuralink and other very few private companies. Research is the slowest in this area due to ethical concerns. Scientists are conducting this research in other animals such as mice, cows, pigs, and monkeys to further study its effects on different parts of brain activity. One day will allow us to put consciousness inside computer safely however not looking optimistically it can take anywhere from 30 years — 3 centuries.
Genetic enhancements
CRISPR gene editing tool exists today and is used to alter and see effects of DNA fragments in a sequence to bacterias. Gene-altering for creating the desirable perfect human will be available in the future. Complete gene-editing of babies and structure of babies with designer enhancements will be available for women to adopt or give birth in less than 2 centuries.
Hybrid of machine and human babies will be available in the next 3–5 centuries.
All of the research stated above could increase our chances of developing technology to increase longevity by more than 20% if human ethical boundaries and guidelines were not an obstacle however, it will take time to approve certain aspects in each areas.
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