~30m interview with Dan Buettner and Aubrey de Grey. I found some of Sanjay's questions awkward, but the interview is nonetheless interesting and insightful. (With these guys, I don't think it matters if the interviewer is a cardboard cutout.)
(Hat tip: Accelerating Future)
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Some recent research on aging:
Science Blog 12/3: Why we outlive our ape ancestors
In spite of their genetic similarity to humans, chimpanzees and great apes have maximum lifespans that rarely exceed 50 years. The difference [...] is that humans evolved genes that enabled them to better adjust to levels of infection and inflammation and to the high cholesterol levels of their meat rich diets.
ScienceDaily 12/2: Why females live longer than males
Researchers in Japan have found that female mice produced by using genetic material from two mothers but no father live significantly longer than mice with the normal mix of maternal and paternal genes. Their findings provide the first evidence that sperm genes may have a detrimental effect on lifespan in mammals.
This last one gets under my skin. Pay close attention to the percentages...
Physorg 11/30: Study reveals people's thoughts on living longer
In a study in which people were given a hypothetical pill to make them live longer, 63 percent of participants said there would be personal benefits to life extension, including spending more time with family (36 percent); having more time in life to achieve ambitions (31 percent); and better health and quality of life (21 percent), according to a new study by University of Queensland researchers. Eighty percent also envisioned at least one downside: prolonging a state of poor health (34 percent); financial cost of living longer (16 percent); and outliving family and friends (12 percent). Half of the participants believed the benefits to society would include increased collective knowledge (26 percent); extended lifespan of 'important' people (15 percent); and more time to contribute (12 percent).
Thirty-seven percent of people see no personal benefit to living longer?! Half see no benefit to society of living longer?! And people are more worried about the financial cost of living longer than outliving family and friends?!
[Rant over.]
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Earlier:
Life expectancy over time (with Aubrey de Grey's TED Talk)
