Cryonics, blood exchange, genetic modification... How far are we from 'immortality'?

Putting your hand into a machine that looks like a water basin can increase people's "essence"; get into a pressurized device that resembles a "space capsule", and feel younger after coming out; inject the plasma of young people into the body of the elderly, It is possible to "rebuild" the physiology of youth...

These incredible goods and services are not a trick of a fraud group to defraud the elderly, but a "technology" display at an "anti-aging and death conference" in the United States. In the Tencent news documentary "Before Tomorrow", the host Zeng Baoyi came to California and felt the enthusiasm and urgency of these radical "life extensionists" to prolong life.

"Anti-aging and death conference" scene

Since ancient times, aging and death have been regarded as a natural event, inevitable and irreversible. Today, however, more and more people are joining the movement to prolong life and reverse aging, hoping to "live forever without borders".

In this regard, Silicon Valley has the sharpest sense of smell. Longevity has become one of the hottest topics in Silicon Valley, and madman Aubrey de Grey is an iconic figure in it. The Cambridge University biology Ph.D. founded a longevity research foundation and declared that "people who can live to 1,000 have been born". This very tempting slogan has infected many people after being amplified by the media.

Aubrey de Grey

In the field of longevity research, genetic technology has high hopes. In 2015, American musical actor Liz Parrish secretly went to a private clinic in Colombia to have her genes modified. She underwent two gene therapies that claimed to have lengthened telomeres, increased body muscle mass, and had a healthier heart.

At the ALCOR Life Extension Foundation in Arizona, 165 people have chosen to freeze their bodies or brain nervous systems, hoping that technology will allow them to "resurrect" one day in the future. The silver-white stainless steel tanks are connected to various pipelines, storing liquid nitrogen at minus 196 ℃, and also storing the watch of more than 100 families. Du Hong, the editor and editor of The Three-Body Problem, is the first Chinese to be preserved here.

ALCOR's Liquid Nitrogen Refrigerator

"Immortal life" seems impossible, but human beings seem to have gone faster and faster on this road. The data in the documentary shows that since 2007, more than 4 billion US dollars have been directly invested in research related to prolonging human lifespan, and there are many investors such as Google and Amazon.

So, as a modern person, what should we know about aging and longevity? How to scientifically understand our lifespan? What is the true face of those "longevity substances"? How to prevent major diseases from invading life? Read the excellent course "Decoding Humans" in China, and the top experts in the relevant scientific research fields in China will show you one by one.

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Click to listen to "Decoding Humans: A Science Lesson to Explore the Truth of Life"

01

How long can we live?

How long can humans live? How old do you have to live to see aging? Why are there gender differences in life expectancy between men and women? What are the main theories of aging?

Since the early 1980s, Zhang Zongyu, a professor at Peking University School of Medicine, has taken the lead in conducting research on cellular aging in China. Together with her lover, Academician Tong Tanjun, she introduced the concepts and technologies of molecular biology and cell biology into Chinese aging research. In this lecture, she will tell you about the basic theory of human aging and uncover the mystery of "life span".

02

Is the longevity gene really so magical?

In the 1990s, the first longevity gene was discovered in C. elegans. A seemingly simple genetic mutation can increase the absolute lifespan of nematodes by 60 percent. So, how was the longevity gene discovered by scientists? Is the "longevity gene" a good gene? From animals to humans, what problems are faced by "longevity genes" research?

Han Jingdong, director of the Institute of Computational Biology, Shanghai Academy of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has long studied the systems biology of aging. In this lecture, she will reveal the mysterious "longevity gene" for you, as well as the most cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements such as biological age recognition through 3D face.

03

What is the truth of those longevity substances?

Out of the laboratory and back to daily life, is there a reliable anti-aging method? Why is caloric restriction an effective strategy? For those substances that claim to prolong life, how to distinguish the true from the false? Is the sky-high "life-extending magic medicine" really that magical?

He Qiyang, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, also serves as the president of the Anti-aging Branch of the Chinese Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics. He has been researching in the field of geriatric basic medicine and anti-aging drugs for many years. In this talk, he will introduce you to specific anti-aging strategies and dispel some misconceptions about "longevity substances".

04

How to prevent the invasion of the king of diseases?

Cancer is an age-related disease and one of the "three killers" of the elderly in developed countries. What are the internal and external factors that cause cancer? How to do early screening and prevention of several major cancers? How has the treatment of cancer undergone a revolutionary leap?

Shi Yuankai, deputy director of the National Cancer Center and vice president of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, has been committed to the research of new anti-cancer drugs. According to the State Drug Administration, he is the principal investigator who has conducted the most clinical researches on new anti-tumor drugs in China. In this lecture, he will give us popular knowledge about cancer.

In addition to human aging, lifespan and death, the excellent course "Decoding Humanity" also tells about the origin of human beings, the source of human mind and creativity, etc., from the past to the future, from the body to the brain, to answer the ultimate questions about human beings . All your curiosity about life will be answered in this exploratory journey.

130,000-word large course capacity

600 minutes of audio content

243 scientific concepts

Scientific Edition "A Brief History of Humanity" + "A Brief History of Life"

Frontier and systematic new cognition of life

An interesting and brain-burning life science class

From the origin of human beings, through the evolutionary period of human beings, and then to the unparalleled creativity of human beings... In the intelligent and vivid descriptions of 9 top experts, the basic knowledge of life science, the most cutting-edge and objective knowledge The whole set of logic and rules behind the research dynamics and life development gradually became clear.

The questions covered in the course focus on life: prolonging life, treating difficult diseases, and enhancing the potential of the brain. Therefore, whether it is mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome or metformin, these professional terms are not boring, they have become suspect X, and they are necessary for us to understand the process of human life.

Anthropology, biology, brain science, etc.

Skillful integration of multidisciplinary knowledge

Triggers your thinking about real life on multiple levels

Biology is not an isolated discipline, chemistry, medicine, physics and other disciplines will inevitably be involved in biology, and our courses will also integrate multi-disciplinary achievements to jointly build the "elephant" of human life.

This is a life science course full of humanities. It observes history from a scientific perspective and understands life sciences with humanistic care.