Summary of the book "The Science and Technology of Growing Young" - By Sergey Young

Key Concepts in this book:

1. A Longevity Revolution is about to begin.
2. Advances in the diagnosis of sickness will save lives.
3. Precision medicine uses artificial intelligence to find remedies that are suited to the individual.
4. Diseases can be eradicated using genetic engineering.
5. We shall all become bionic, with artificial components added to our bodies.
6. Future advancements may allow humans to live indefinitely.
7. Immortality does not have to be a disaster for the environment or a moral issue.
8. Keep doing everything you can to stay alive.

Who can benefit the most from this book:

• Tech geeks curious about how AI has impacted health care.
• Middle-aged people wanting to reverse the effects of aging.
• People who want to find out how to optimize their health to live longer, fuller lives.

What am I getting out of it? Learn how to live to be 200 years old.

Consider the possibility of living for two centuries. Or, perhaps even better, being able to turn back the clock so that your body functions as it did when you were 25.

All of this may seem far-fetched, similar to the fable of Benjamin Button. But it's scientifically sound, especially in light of how far science and technology have progressed in recent decades.

The Longevity Revolution is already underway, and it will have an impact on us all. As a result, the more information you have about it, the better.

You'll learn all about the technical advances that are driving this healthcare revolution in this summary. And, if that wasn't enough, you'll learn how to take control of your health right now, so you can live the longest life imaginable.

In this summary, 

• You'll learn how artificial intelligence can help us prevent sickness and develop tailored treatments.
• Why a Mediterranean diet is so vital.
• And how genetic engineering can cure cancer.

1. A Longevity Revolution is about to begin.

Consider this scenario: you wake up feeling revitalized. You've got a good night's sleep and are excited about the party. It's your 200th birthday today.

You've spent the night in a temperature-controlled chamber with AI-assisted ventilation. This indicates that your body has received the proper amount of oxygen.

Your bed tracked your sleeping patterns, and minuscule robots worked within your body, making little repairs while you slept. Diagnostic devices both inside and outside your body scanned your vital signs in detail and fed the information into a computer for processing.

You get out of bed and go to the restroom. Your toilet assesses the health of your microbiota by scanning your pee and faeces. You smile as you admire yourself in the mirror. You don't appear a day over 25 despite having lived for two centuries!

All of this is possible because you've taken steps to reverse your physical age.

The most important message here is that we are on the verge of a Longevity Revolution.

People in the premodern era may expect to survive until they were 30 years old if they were lucky. That number has risen to roughly 75 in the last few decades. Why such a large jump?

Progress in agriculture, on the other hand, has enhanced what we eat and how we eat it. Antibiotics, for example, have saved billions of lives. In general, health care has improved dramatically, particularly for mothers and babies.

It's no small feat to live an extra 45 years, but that's only the beginning. People will be able to live for 115, 150, or even 200 years in the near future.

Consider how swiftly science is growing if your brain tells you that's not possible. The first smallpox vaccine took 200 years to develop. When polio first appeared in 1895, it took scientists 50 years to produce a vaccine. COVID-19, on the other hand, spread like wildfire in 2020, and it only took a year to develop effective vaccines that have already saved millions of lives.

In the coming years, breakthroughs like the Human Genome Project, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing will propel creations we never imagined conceivable. People will live longer chronologically, and biologically, they will ageless.

So set aside your cynicism and discover everything there is to know about the Longevity Revolution. One thing is certain: it will alter your life.

2. Advances in the diagnosis of sickness will save lives.

We're in the midst of a diagnostic crisis right now. Globally, healthcare systems are overwhelmed, and even the best doctors have little time to spend with their patients.

People in rural or under-resourced areas in many parts of the world have no access to doctors at all. As a result, more than 100 million people worldwide have undetected thyroid disorders, and 232 million people have undiagnosed diabetes.

Medicine is a reactive rather than a proactive profession. Doctors are more concerned with putting out fires after their patients have already become ill than with ensuring that individuals stay well in the first place.

But, thanks to advancements in diagnostic technology, this is set to change. In fact, it has already done so.

The main takeaway is that advancements in how we diagnose sickness will save lives.

Did you use a Fitbit to keep track of your steps today? Perhaps your heart rate is monitored by an Apple smartwatch? Then you've already benefited from the diagnostic technology revolution.

A slew of technology start-ups has been vying to produce low-cost, portable, and simple-to-use diagnostic gadgets. The Cerebrotech Visor, for example, detects strokes using radio waves and is worn like a cap. It has a remarkable 93 per cent accuracy rate. Owlstone, a British firm, has developed a diagnostic mask that analyzes your breath in real-time. Millions of diabetes individuals have already benefited from implantable glucose monitors.

All of this information might be fed into a massive database, similar to the Internet of Bodies. Computers will compare your data to information acquired from millions of other people all over the world using machine-learning techniques. A portion of this database has already been created. Accessing your genetic information has gotten easier and more affordable thanks to firms like 23andMe, allowing you to get a more complete picture of your health needs.

The newest scientific results, as well as your family history, microbiota, and lifestyle choices, will be taken into account by the machines. What's the end result? An accurate diagnostic that allows you to prevent diseases from developing.

However, diagnosis is only the first step. Most significantly, these algorithms will be able to establish a treatment plan that is specifically tailored to your needs. Precision medicine, as we'll see in the next concept, is a type of treatment that could save your life.

3. Precision medicine uses artificial intelligence to find remedies that are suited to the individual.

Teresa McKeown was getting ready to die. She was in her early fifties when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. It spread to her guts and metastasized. Chemotherapy was ineffective in treating it. Teresa was malnourished, in excruciating agony, and seemingly without hope.

Her doctor then recommended her to the Moores Cancer Center's experimental program. This was her final option.

The Moores Center's doctors used artificial intelligence to sequence and analyze the DNA in her cancer cells. They used this information to scan a database of all available cancer medications and pinpoint the most effective one. Opdivo, an investigational immunotherapy medication, was suggested by the AI.

The medicine is normally only used to treat skin, kidney, and lung malignancies, so it seemed like an odd choice. McKeown's cancer, however, was incomplete remission after only four months.

The takeaway here is that precision medicine uses AI to develop remedies that are specific to the individual.

Until now, cancer treatment has been a one-size-fits-all approach. However, each patient's medical history, lifestyle, and genetic composition are distinct. Medical treatment must be personalized to be truly effective.

Fortunately, improvements in AI have made this possible. Patients are currently completely reliant on their doctors' abilities and expertise. However, their abilities vary greatly, and even the finest doctors are just human, which means they make mistakes and have bad days.

Furthermore, even the greatest doctors will find it difficult to keep up with all of the medical research. Every year, one million new peer-reviewed papers are published. And new medications appear on the market at an alarming rate.

So, what's the answer? Computers can now scan hundreds of millions of pages and compare the content to a patient's health diagnostics and genomic sequence thanks to a type of AI known as Natural Language Processing. As a result, you'll get a precise, personalized diagnosis and therapy.

This method has already been utilized to create medications that are tailored to the needs of certain patients. It can, however, serve as a preventative measure. It will be able to identify inherited illnesses or vulnerabilities and recommend lifestyle modifications or treatments to prevent them.

Of course, computers will never be able to take the position of doctors. However, they will enable our doctors to perform a better job and adapt treatment to each of us.

4. Diseases can be eradicated using genetic engineering.

Imagine being able to modify and reprogram your DNA in the same way that you could upgrade the software on your computer. Imagine being able to manufacture diseases such as cancer or viruses like HIV.

That may seem far-fetched, yet scientists and doctors now have the technology to alter our DNA, allowing them to regulate or eliminate ailments previously thought to be incurable.

Take sickle cell anaemia, for example. This condition causes aberrant red blood cells to form, which are unable to transport enough oxygen throughout the body. Patients experience chronic pain and exhaustion, and their average lifespan is only 54 years. However, doctors may now modify the genes that cause this disease.

  So, how did genetic engineering aid in the treatment of sickle cell disease? By utilizing a very unique protein. Bacteria abound in our bodies, and they excel at battling viruses. When an invader is detected, a protein called Cas9 is activated, which targets the virus and "snips" it out of the cells it has infected.

Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, Nobel Laureates, have demonstrated that this protein, Cas9, can be "trained" to target any virus. Doctors have been able to treat sickle cell anaemia, some forms of muscular dystrophy, and heart disease, as well as snip the HIV virus out of diseased cells, thanks to this technological breakthrough.

Rather than snipping the virus out of sick cells, another promising kind of gene therapy involves injecting new, healthy cells into the body. This has proven to be beneficial in the treatment of babies with Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID), a disorder in which the body fails to develop the T-cells required to fight infections.

CAR T-cell therapy, a related gene therapy, has even shown promise in treating cancer. It alters T-cells to improve their ability to detect and eliminate cancer cells. Even in patients who were on their deathbeds, this therapy has been beneficial in treating childhood leukaemia and non-lymphoma. Hodgkin's

Gene therapies are excessively expensive today; a cure for SCID can cost upwards of a million dollars. However, as technology advances and these treatments become more frequently used, the cost of these treatments will decrease. Cancer, for example, is quite likely to be eradicated entirely within our lifetimes.

But, in addition to fighting sickness, might gene therapy help us live longer? We'll find out in the next concept.

5. We shall all become bionic, with artificial components added to our bodies.

Science fiction novels and films frequently foreshadow technological advancements. They do, however, put their finger on the pulse of our cultural fears. Consider the story of Frankenstein, in which a man was made in a laboratory and transformed into a monster. Or any of the films about robots wreaking havoc on the world.

To be honest, these scenarios aren't all that far-fetched. In reality, science has advanced to the point where we can even produce body parts in labs. And, for operations like knee and hip replacements, we already rely on prosthetic parts.

The distinction between natural and artificial in our bodies will continue to blur in the future.

The important message here is that we shall all become bionic, with artificial components added to our bodies.

Consider the case of organ replacement. Over 113 thousand people in the United States are on the waiting list for an organ transplant. However, the number of contributors is far lower. And not all transplants are successful: organ donation is impeded by a variety of circumstances, such as blood type compatibility.

Furthermore, successfully extracting and delivering organs is a logistical nightmare. Organs are frequently destroyed during transport, resulting in poor patient outcomes. Even if the transplant is successful, most patients will need to take immunosuppressant medications for the rest of their lives to prevent their systems from rejecting it.

Fortunately, groundbreaking advances in the field of organ transplantation may soon render all of this obsolete. You won't have to wait for an organ to become available in the future. You'll simply create your own.

LyGenesis, for example, has invented a technology that allows you to produce micro livers inside your body. They're all connected to your lymph nodes and have the ability to take over your original liver if it stops working properly.

Another firm, Stratagraft, has created new skin in a laboratory. This substance has aided burn sufferers whose skin has been damaged beyond repair.

What if you're having problems with your vision? You could be able to use a 3D-printed cornea in the future. One was made by a team of engineers at Newcastle University utilizing bio ink containing stem cells and proteins. It functions in the same way as the original.

Second Sight, a business based in the United States, has even found out a means to restore some vision to those who have completely lost their vision by establishing an electronic link between the retina and the brain.

We will all become bionic in the near future. What was once science fiction is on its way to becoming a reality.

6. Future advancements may allow humans to live indefinitely.

A small girl is shown playing happily in a park in a viral YouTube video. She rushes up to her mother and expresses her longing for her. The two of them then settle down to blow out the candles on a seven-year-old girl's birthday cake.

Her mother's eyes well up with tears, but the daughter instructs her not to cry. She isn't unwell anymore, after all.

This heartfelt video is not what it appears to be. The youngster in the video appears to be real, yet she is a phantom of a real girl who died at the age of seven from a severe disease. The mirage was made using a 3D scanner to capture her physical likeness and interviews to capture her voice, personality, and mannerisms while she was still alive.

When her mother is missing her daughter, a firm named Vive Studios made this virtual reality replica of the girl so she may engage with the hologram.

The main point here is that futuristic technologies may allow us to live indefinitely.

The border between the real and the fake is blurred by technological innovations like these. Could the avatar of a seven-year-old girl be regarded an extension of her person if she looks, sounds, and moves like a real child, and if the software spontaneously speaks the types of things the girl herself would say? The vast majority of us would answer no. After all, this mirage is merely a depiction of a person, not the individual.

But what is it that makes you, well, you? What if your consciousness, too, could be digitized and kept in the cloud?

Anders Sandberg, a researcher at the Oxford Future of Humanity Institute, is attempting to do just that. "Whole brain emulation," he believes, is achievable. This method would employ artificial intelligence to identify and mimic brain activity. Your brain replica would think, act, and feel just like the real you.

This digital brain may be implanted in your chosen avatar and upgraded every few years, similar to how you would upgrade your car. It's possible that the avatar is a physical clone of you, like an identical twin.

This prospective scenario raises ethical concerns such as "Are you responsible for the crimes your avatar commits?" and "Can your avatar fall in love or have children?" There are no simple fixes, and these issues will only grow in importance in the coming years.

7. Immortality does not have to be a disaster for the environment or a moral issue.

It is conceivable to lengthen the lives of humans. Is that, however, a good idea? After all, just supporting the current population is putting a burden on the planet. Consider what would happen if everyone lived a hundred years longer!

The idea of extending human life may not appeal to everyone. People express concerns about the environment or moral issues, such as what would happen if certain immortal humans exploited their eternal powers to subjugate or harass their mortal counterparts? Of course, these are reasonable concerns. However, we can't predict the future by extrapolating from the present.

The main point here is that immortality does not have to be an environmental disaster or an ethical issue.

Thomas Robert Malthus, an economist, expressed similar concerns about overpopulation in 1798. Because he believed that farmers would never be able to keep up with the expanding population, he predicted severe famine.

Malthus' model was predicated on the assumption that farmers will continue to use manual labor and steam-powered tools. They didn't, however. Inventions such as mechanized agricultural machinery, refrigerated transportation, and genetic engineering, on the other hand, dramatically altered agriculture.

Malthus had no idea what the future held. We don't either. Who knows what the world will look like when people live to be 200 years old. Animal farming and its associated environmental destruction will be eliminated thanks to innovations like lab-grown meat. And that's just the start: additional, even more exciting, advancements could be on the way.

Let us now turn our attention to the opposite concern: the fear that immortality may be predicated on immorality. It originates from concerns about how new medical technology will be used by people. Some fear that the existing wealth and power imbalances will only widen.

Consider what it would be like if dictators could prolong their lives — and their hold on power – indefinitely. Or what if only the wealthy could afford to improve their bodies and extend their lives, dividing humanity into two classes?

These concerns have a solid basis in fact. But, once again, we can't assume that the issues we're dealing with today will persist tomorrow. After all, innovations like DIY diagnostics and AI doctors will make healthcare more accessible to everybody.

Millions of individuals do not have access to hospitals or clinics, yet they will benefit from life-saving care given via simple smartphones.

Although the future is unpredictable, we may begin to shape it now. Not by suffocating innovation, but by ensuring that its benefits are shared by all.

8. Keep doing everything you can to stay alive.

You can be confident that if you're in your twenties or even middle age, you'll be able to benefit from the Longevity Revolution during your lifetime. Many of the promised innovations have already been implemented. However, some are still in the early stages of development or require more time to perfect.

So, in order to gain their immense benefits, you'll need to stay healthy for as long as possible. You don't have to wait for robot surgeons to save you; your health is in your hands right now, and there's a lot you can do to keep it that way.

The main point here is to do everything you can to stay alive.

First and foremost, ensure that you have frequent checkups. Many types of cancer are completely curable if caught early. If they've already grown, this isn't the case.

If you're a man over 40, you should receive a pancreatic cancer screening, and if you're a woman, you should get monthly breast and cervical cancer screenings. Make an appointment for blood tests and a thyroid wellness check.

Also, don't forget to use your smartphone or Fitbit's DIY diagnostic tools!

Also, keep an eye on what you consume into your body. It's been proved that eating a Mediterranean diet rich in veggies, healthy fats, and whole grains improves general health. It also lowers your chances of getting cancer or diabetes, as well as dying from a heart attack.

On the other hand, eating too much red meat, animal products, sugar, or processed foods has the opposite effect. A recent Spanish study of 20,000 participants found that those who ate a poor diet had an 18% higher risk of dying.

Of course, you should abstain from common vices such as smoking and drinking. They are the most ruthless killers on the planet. Tobacco is responsible for half a million fatalities in the United States each year.

Regular exercise is another lifestyle change you can adopt to improve your health. In fact, studies have shown that only 15-20 minutes of moderate activity per day reduces your risk of death by roughly 35%! Even if you only go for one quick walk every day, the effects will be substantial.

It's equally as vital to look after your emotional wellness. As much as any medical intervention, getting enough sleep, meditating, and spending time with people you care about will improve your health.

The important message in this summary is that the Longevity Revolution is approaching, and it's completely likely that people will live to be 200 years old, if not more. Human genome sequencing and AI diagnostics, for example, have already begun to make this practical. To reap the benefits of this transformation, we must first take care of our health so that we can live as long as possible.

Here's some additional advice that you can put into practice:

Make sure you get enough rest.

Getting adequate sleep is one of the easiest ways to improve your health. Sleeping for at least seven hours per night has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. It can also have a significant positive impact on your mental health. Make sure you get to bed an hour early to allow yourself ample time to relax and fall asleep quickly. You'll wake up feeling revitalized and ready to take on the challenges of the day.