Venki Ramakrishnan

But I think there's no evidence that they know about mortality in the sense that we humans know that we're all going to die, that we're not going to live past 120, at least given current medicine and biology. So that's influenced us greatly.

But I think there's no evidence that they know about mortality in the sense that we humans know that we're all going to die, that we're not going to live past 120, at least given current medicine and biology. So that's influenced us greatly.

Ever since we were aware of it, if you look at all the ways we try to avoid death, you know, building pyramids and mummifying ourselves, and also a lot of religions actually deal with what happens when you die. And they're all different religions will have different ideas of what will happen, but they all view it as some sort of transition.

Ever since we were aware of it, if you look at all the ways we try to avoid death, you know, building pyramids and mummifying ourselves, and also a lot of religions actually deal with what happens when you die. And they're all different religions will have different ideas of what will happen, but they all view it as some sort of transition.

rather than a finality so it is a question that's bothered us ever since we became aware of it but It's only in the last 50 years that biologists have made real advances in understanding what is the aging process. It's not just wear and tear. It's much more complicated than that. And what is the aging process?

rather than a finality so it is a question that's bothered us ever since we became aware of it but It's only in the last 50 years that biologists have made real advances in understanding what is the aging process. It's not just wear and tear. It's much more complicated than that. And what is the aging process?

Why is it that some species live for a day or two and others live for several hundred years or possibly, in the case of plants, even a thousand years or more? And why is there this huge spread? What causes that? What causes us to eventually die? It's a big existential question. Then there's a practical thing, which is societies are getting older. And as societies age, what happens is that

Why is it that some species live for a day or two and others live for several hundred years or possibly, in the case of plants, even a thousand years or more? And why is there this huge spread? What causes that? What causes us to eventually die? It's a big existential question. Then there's a practical thing, which is societies are getting older. And as societies age, what happens is that

you have to deal with an aging population because fertility rates are going down. The population distribution is being more and more shifted towards older age groups. And if these older people require lots of care or poor health, that's not great either for them or for society. And so there's a big push from governments to do something about improving health in old age.

you have to deal with an aging population because fertility rates are going down. The population distribution is being more and more shifted towards older age groups. And if these older people require lots of care or poor health, that's not great either for them or for society. And so there's a big push from governments to do something about improving health in old age.

And that requires understanding the whole problem of aging. And so there's a lot of research, but then now you have injection of a lot of private money. There are 700 companies doing some sort of longevity-based biotech. Billions of tens of billions of dollars going into this. A lot of it funded by tech billionaires from California. And I like to joke that these are guys who...

And that requires understanding the whole problem of aging. And so there's a lot of research, but then now you have injection of a lot of private money. There are 700 companies doing some sort of longevity-based biotech. Billions of tens of billions of dollars going into this. A lot of it funded by tech billionaires from California. And I like to joke that these are guys who...

just are afraid of getting old. They like their life and they don't want the party to end. And so they're funding, they can't buy youth, so they're buying research into aging. And that's also distorting the field. It's generating huge amounts of hype because now there's money involved.

just are afraid of getting old. They like their life and they don't want the party to end. And so they're funding, they can't buy youth, so they're buying research into aging. And that's also distorting the field. It's generating huge amounts of hype because now there's money involved.

And so I thought as somebody who doesn't have a personal skin in the game, and since it is this big question, I thought I could look at the current state and talk about how we came to our state of understanding, which is interesting in itself, but also what are the realistic prospects and what's just a lot of hype. So I think that's the sort of goal.

And so I thought as somebody who doesn't have a personal skin in the game, and since it is this big question, I thought I could look at the current state and talk about how we came to our state of understanding, which is interesting in itself, but also what are the realistic prospects and what's just a lot of hype. So I think that's the sort of goal.

And it turned out to be a much bigger problem than I imagined because aging basically encompasses all of biology, right from DNA all the way to cells and tissues and organisms. So- But it was fun to write it.

And it turned out to be a much bigger problem than I imagined because aging basically encompasses all of biology, right from DNA all the way to cells and tissues and organisms. So- But it was fun to write it.

Yes, I do say that, actually. We all have a skin in the game in that we're all aging, and we'd like to do something about it if we can.

Yes, I do say that, actually. We all have a skin in the game in that we're all aging, and we'd like to do something about it if we can.