Yes, Transhumanists Really Do Want To Achieve Immortality

The Renaissance philosopher Montaigne quipped that “death has us by the scruff of the neck at every moment.” He could have added: until, finally, it strangles us. But what if we knew how to escape death’s chokehold? What if we could avoid death and live forever?

Immortality might seem like the stuff of science fiction, yet it’s increasingly becoming the focus of real science. In 2013, Google launched Calico, a biotech firm whose objective is to “solve” death. PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, meanwhile, has pledged to “fight” death. And last year, it was reported Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos had invested in Altos Labs, a company that plans to “rejuvenate” cells in order to “reverse disease.” (Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

There’s even a start-up developing drugs so that dogs can live longer. Clinical trials are scheduled to start this year. If they’re conclusive, the plan is to apply the same science to people.

Immortality — or anti-aging, as researchers soberly call it — is the next big thing. Estimates put the industry’s worth at a staggering $610 billion by 2025.

From Silicon Valley to Cambridge, England, scientists are writing the latest chapter in the tortuous history of our quest for eternal life. It’s a history that goes back a long way.