Oddbean

Agreed. But these mortals seeking immortality might be on to something. From ancient documents such as the Bible and Sumerian texts humans are said to have been able to live for several centuries. So the human body may be capable of that again, if it can overcome the upper limit of 120 years that apparently was divinely imposed... https://ref.ly/Ge6.3

😀This morning, I started to think about quantum consciousness (Penrose), and it felt like a sign. Also, the weather is shit (rain, wind, 8°C with real-feel 0°C). With these excuses in mind, not looking like your everyday alcoholic, Cheers! Oder Prost!

Enjoy that weather and the warming sensation of libations. Agreed not a great game plan every day, but on the particularly nasty days, light a fire and contemplate all that is good. Thanks for sharing the ideas of Penrose. For anyone else interested, this is fascinating (from Brave browser's AI): Penrose on Quantum Conscious Roger Penrose, a renowned mathematician and physicist, has proposed a theory of quantum consciousness that attempts to explain the nature of human consciousness. According to Penrose, consciousness arises from quantum mechanical processes in the microtubules of neurons in the brain. Key Components Microtubules: Penrose and his collaborator, anaesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff, suggest that microtubules, which are found in neurons, have a fractal structure that enables quantum processes to occur. Quantum Coherence: Penrose proposes that quantum coherence, a phenomenon where quantum systems remain in a superposition of states, occurs in microtubules, allowing them to process and store information in a non-classical manner. Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR): Penrose and Hameroff’s Orch-OR theory posits that consciousness arises from the orchestrated collapse of the quantum wave function in microtubules, which is triggered by the binding of neurotransmitters and other molecules. Implications Non-Algorithmic Consciousness: Penrose argues that human consciousness is non-algorithmic, meaning it cannot be reduced to computational processes or simulated by digital computers. Quantum Origins: The theory suggests that consciousness has quantum origins, which are essential for understanding its nature and function. Challenge to Neuroscience: Penrose’s theory challenges the dominant view in neuroscience, which focuses on classical computational processes in the brain. Current Status While Penrose’s theory has garnered significant attention and debate, it remains a speculative and controversial idea. Many scientists and philosophers have criticized the theory for lacking empirical evidence and being difficult to test experimentally. However, some researchers are actively exploring the possibility of quantum effects in microtubules and the brain, and recent studies have provided some indirect support for the theory. Open Questions Experimental Verification: A crucial challenge is to design experiments that can directly test the quantum nature of microtubules and their role in consciousness. Neural Correlates: It is essential to identify the specific neural correlates of consciousness and how they relate to the quantum processes proposed by Penrose. Integration with Neuroscience: The theory needs to be integrated with our current understanding of neuroscience and the brain’s functioning to provide a more comprehensive explanation of consciousness. Overall, Penrose’s quantum consciousness theory represents a provocative and thought-provoking idea that continues to inspire research and debate in the fields of physics, neuroscience, and philosophy of mind.

What I understand by “Life extension” can be 1/ the effective source or reason that allows someone to live for a substantially longer period of time. 2/ history, the extension of someone in time though tales and stories. In my opinion 2 would be the most possible case to your argument. But not life, or essence of a being. That is too much day for such a ledger. PS: I don’t really know about quantum physics.

I’ve watched the lifespan/healthspan extension field, which I’ve been a big believer in, go from being viewed as a complete joke and ridiculous (and even impossible (which is insane)) by scientists (and the public) 15 years ago, to one of the hottest sectors. We can talk about the personal, special interests of VC and oligarchs, but I’ve always thought it was an obvious cost saving strategy for the government due to the rising costs of healthcare, which are largely due to age related decline. I was right on this one and everyone scoffing at me as a young pup in PhD school was wrong 🤙

I mean even the people who write books on it still say the best thing you can do is just fasting, eat well and exercise. I doubt there will be some miracle breakthrough anytime soon… but sometimes I look at the implausible world around me and wonder

Science has identified ways to turn on some of the pathways, often with dietary compounds, that help maintain youthfulness. This and knockout studies have given us a handful of key genes involved as well. Whether the breakthrough is a cocktail of natural compounds or a genetic/pharmacological approach will depend on clinical studies but as someone in biotech it feels very obvious we’ll have some significant treatments in the next 5-25 years. Two standout recent papers I’ve seen were discoveries in IL11 inhibition and another on simple taurine supplementation, showing significant lifespan extension in animal models. Even if neither IL11 or taurine are the “answer” in the final product, identifying these models will open up a huge understanding in the next few years which probably will lead to a product. I’ve seen this same pattern of discovery and drug breakthrough happen over and over and over, and it’s always faster than people think (eg will be in your lifetime).

Yeah it’s a lot of fun, the downside for doing it in your garage is cost and the availability of materials. I’ve always envied the computer people who can just do creative random shit on a laptop willy nilly. There is a middle ground though, basically crunching publicly available datasets and databases 🤙

i heard of the human cell atlas project recently. just having a map and raw data to explore will be a great start for new people getting involved to figure out this insanely complex system. And now with all the computation and ai algorithms available, i think we can start making huge headways into this https://www.humancellatlas.org