The search for eternal youth has been part of literature since ancient times, but behind this narrative lie ideologies that could well border on innocence or perversity. In any case, until now, it had not represented a clash of ethics; since finding a way to extend human life and possess everlasting youth had only been part of the imagination. But modernity has changed the human vision in more than one aspect, and now a group of millionaires, including Jeff Bezos, are seeking to use science to find the most feasible way to human rejuvenation under the name of Altos Lab.
In search of the best geneticists
According to MIT Technology Review, one of the most unique meetings between people of great renown took place last October. A large group of scientists gathered at Yuri Milner’s super mansion. He is one of the most powerful men on the planet. Milner is a Russian billionaire who gained notoriety after his incursion into the world of investments in social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify.
The scientific conference held at his mansion addressed topics bordering on science fiction. For two days, the group of scientists shared their radical attempts at experiments to ‘rejuvenate’ living beings. A wild Silicon Valley bet called Altos Lab came out of this meeting. It has allegedly recruited the most subversive genetic researchers already.
Among the leading candidates, MIT Technology Review mentions Juan Carlos Izpisúa, a Spanish biologist who gained prominence after publishing his research mixing human and monkey embryos. He himself has predicted that the average human lifespan could increase by at least 50 years if the right lines are followed.
Manuel Serrano, a geneticist at the Institute for Biomedical Research in Barcelona, is another strong candidate. Serrano himself told the magazine that the company is offering him a large budget and a much higher salary than the one he now perceives. But among the features offered by Altos Lab, it is the one of total autonomy that attracts attention. This is because it involves cellular reprogramming to seek human rejuvenation. A question that could lead to an ethical debate on the extent to which science should intervene in biological matters.
Ethically acceptable or unregulated?
We are entering an era in which genetic engineering is swinging dangerously between two opposites. Between seeking cures for diseases and improving human living conditions; and bordering on genetic modification, which would be outside scientific ethics. To make matters worse, as it is a relatively new topic, there is no legislation on the matter. In other words, rather than considering it ethically acceptable, it has not been stipulated what would be ethically and legally acceptable and what would not.
It may be that with the purchasing power of the most millionaire men on the planet, who will sponsor science, we will suddenly come across relevant discoveries on genetics for cellular rejuvenation. But it may also be that in that sense, we will move further and further away from our sense of humanity and end up losing our objective vision.
Text and photos courtesy of Ecoosfera
Photo illustration by Travis Coburn
Translated by María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards