The Immortalists - Aleks Krotoski

What does it mean for us all when death is treated as a glitch and Silicon Valley invests in the “science” of eternal life?Telegraph Book of the Year'A fascinating, deeply reported adventure' Oliver Burkeman'Riveting' Daily Mail'Utterly compelling' New Statesman'Brilliantly troubling ... eye-opening, entertaining' New ScientistFrom the epic of Gilgamesh to the alchemy of the philosopher’s stone, humanity’s eternal quest for immortality – and its rejuvenation tricks, therapies and tinctures – has always been our most mortal endeavour. But now the giants of invention and investment are building a fountain of youth of their own creation: one they not only engineer, but also own and control. Death is simply their next problem to solve, an expression of a hubris that regards humans as appliances to be fixed and machines to be upgraded. By harnessing technology to ‘cure’ ageing, and funding cutting-edge – and often controversial – research, today’s immortalists are locked in an arms race to pocket the profits of longevity. What was once a wild west of experimentation has wormed its way into Washington’s corridors of power. Award-winning broadcaster and academic Aleks Krotoski journeys from cult fringes to the heartlands of government to meet the moguls, effective altruists, geroscientists and entrepreneurs who are disrupting death. Along the way she encounters radical life extensionists transfusing
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