Afgespeeld

  • In David's life so far, he has read literally hundreds of books about the future. Yet none has had such a provocative title as this: “The future loves you: How and why we should abolish death”. That’s the title of the book written by the guest in this episode, Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston. Ariel is a neuroscientist, and a Research Fellow at Monash University, in Melbourne, Australia.

    One of the key ideas in Ariel’s book is that so long as your connectome – the full set of the synapses in your brain – continues to exist, then you continue to exist. Ariel also claims that brain preservation – the preservation of the connectome, long after we have stopped breathing – is already affordable enough to be provided to essentially everyone. These claims raise all kinds of questions, which are addressed in this conversation.

    Selected follow-ups:

    Dr Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston - personal websiteBook webpage - includes details of when Ariel is speaking in the UK and elsewhereMonash Neuroscience of ConsciousnessDeep hypothermic circulatory arrest - WikipediaSentience and the Origins of Consciousness - article by Karl Friston that mentions bacteriaList of advisors to ConsciumDoes the UK use £15,000, £30,000 or a £70,000 per QALY cost effectiveness threshold? by Jason ShafrinResearchers simulate an entire fly brain on a laptop. Is a human brain next? - US Berkeley NewsWhat are memories made of? A survey of neuroscientists on the structural basis of long-term memory - Preprint by Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston, Emil Kendziora, and Andrew McKenzie


    Related previous episodes:

    Ep 91: The low-cost future of preserving brains, with Jordan SparksEp 77: The case for brain preservation, with Kenneth Hayworth


    Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration



  • Our guest in this episode is Jeff LaPorte, a software engineer, entrepreneur and investor based in Vancouver, who writes Road to Artificia, a newsletter about discovering the principles of post‑AI societies.

    Calum recently came across Jeff's article “Valuing Humans in the Age of Superintelligence: HumaneRank” and thought it had some good, original ideas, so we wanted to invite Jeff onto the podcast and explore them.

    Selected follow-ups:

    Jeff LaPorte personal business websiteRoad to Artificia: A newsletter about discovering the principles of societies post‑AIValuing Humans in the Age of Superintelligence: HumaneRankIdeas Lying Around - article by Cory Doctorow about a famous saying by Milton FriedmanPageRank - WikipediaNosedive (Black Mirror episode) - IMDbThe Economic Singularity - book by Calum ChaceWorld Chess Championship 2024 - WIkipediaWALL.E (2008 movie) - IMDbA day in the life of Asimov, 2045 - short story by David WoodWhy didn't electricity immediately change manufacturing? - by Tim Harford, BBCResponsible use of artificial intelligence in government - Government of CanadaBipartisan House Task Force Report on Artificial Intelligence - U.S. House of Representatives


    Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration

  • Our guests in this episode have been described as the world’s two oldest scientifically astute longevity activists. They are Kenneth Scott, aged 82, who is based in Florida, and Helga Sands, aged 86, who lives in London.

    David has met both of them several times at a number of longevity events, and they always impress him, not only with their vitality and good health, but also with the level of knowledge and intelligence they apply to the question of which treatments are the best, for them personally and for others, to help keep people young and vibrant.

    Selected follow-ups:

    Waiting For God - 1990s BBC ComedyAdelle Davis, NutritionistRoger J. Williams, BiochemistThe Importance of Maintaining a Low Omega-6/Omega-3 RatioLife Extension MagazineCalifornia Age Management InstituteFibrinogen and agingProfessor Angus Dalgleish, Nuffield HealthAbout Aubrey de Grey speaking at the Royal InstitutionGeorge Church, GeneticistJames Kirkland, Mayo ClinicDaniel Munoz-Espin, CambridgeNobel Prize for John Gurdon and Shinya YamanakaVSELs and S.O.N.G. laserXtend Optimal HealthFollistatin gene therapy, MinicircleExosomes vs Stem CellsPrevent and Reverse Heart Disease - book by Caldwell Esselstyn Jr Dasatinib and Quercetin (senolytics)We reverse atherosclerosis - Repair BiotechnologiesBioreactor-Grown Mitochondria - MitrixNobel Winner Shinya Yamanaka: Cell Therapy Is ‘Very Promising’ For Cancer, Parkison's, MoreDeath of the world's oldest man, 25th Nov 2024Blueprint protocol - Bryan Johnson


    Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration