Bull? or reality, what do you think

[Vincanity]

Nanotech Could Make Humans Immortal by 2040, Futurist Says Futurist Ray Kruzweil predicts that advances in nanotechology could start making humans immortal by the mid-2000s by instantly repairing damaged cells and... Sharon Gaudin, Computerworld Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:48:00 -0700 In 30 or 40 years, we'll have microscopic machines traveling through our bodies, repairing damaged cells and organs, effectively wiping out diseases. The nanotechnology will also be used to back up our memories and personalities. In an interview with Computerworld , author and futurist Ray Kurzweil said that anyone alive come 2040 or 2050 could be close to immortal. The quickening advance of nanotechnology means that the human condition will shift into more of a collaboration of man and machine , as nanobots flow through human blood streams and eventually even replace biological blood, he added. That may sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but Kurzweil, a member of the Inventor's Hall of Fame and a recipient of the National Medal of Technology, says that research well underway today is leading to a time when a combination of nanotechnology and biotechnology will wipe out cancer, Alzheimer's disease , obesity and diabetes . It'll also be a time when humans will augment their natural cognitive powers and add years to their lives, Kurzweil said. "It's radical life extension," Kurzweil said . "The full realization of nanobots will basically eliminate biological disease and aging. I think we'll see widespread use in 20 years of [nanotech] devices that perform certain functions for us. In 30 or 40 years, we will overcome disease and aging. The nanobots will scout out organs and cells that need repairs and simply fix them. It will lead to profound extensions of our health and longevity." Of course, people will still be struck by lightning or hit by a bus, but much more trauma will be repairable. If nanobots swim in, or even replace, biological blood, then wounds could be healed almost instantly. Limbs could be regrown. Backed up memories and personalities could be accessed after a head trauma. Today, researchers at MIT already are using nanoparticles to deliver killer genes that battle late-stage cancer. The university reported just last month the nano-based treatment killed ovarian cancer, which is considered to be one of the most deadly cancers, in mice. And earlier this year, scientists at the University of London reported using nanotechnology to blast cancer cells in mice with "tumor busting" genes, giving new hope to patients with inoperable tumors. So far, tests have shown that the new technique leaves healthy cells undamaged. With this kind of work going on now, Kurzweil says that by 2024 we'll be adding a year to our life expectancy with every year that passes. "The sense of time will be running in and not running out," he added. "Within 15 years, we will reverse this loss of remaining life expectancy. We will be adding more time than is going by." And in 35 to 40 years, we basically will be immortal, according to the man who wrote The Age of Spiritual Machines and The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology . Kurzweil also maintains that adding microscopic machines to our bodies won't make us any less human than we are today or were 500 years ago. "The definition of human is that we are the species that goes beyond our limitations and changes who we are," he said. "If that wasn't the case, you and I wouldn't be around because at one point life expectancy was 23. We've extended ourselves in many ways. This is an extension of who we are. Ever since we picked up a stick to reach a higher branch, we've extended who we are through tools. It's the nature of human beings to change who we are." But that doesn't mean there aren't parts of this future that don't worry him. With nanotechnology so advanced that it can travel through our bodies and affect great change on them, come dangers as well as benefits. The nanobots, he explained, will be self-replicating and engineers will have to harness and contain that replication. "You could have some self-replicating nanobot that could create copies of itself... and ultimately, within 90 replications, it could devour the body it's in or all humans if it becomes a non-biological plague," said Kurzweil. "Technology is not a utopia. It's a double-edged sword and always has been since we first had fire."

[grasshoppa]

It will happen. thank god because I don't wanna die.

[Oneironaut Zero]

I don't doubt it at all. We've been working on this kind of stuff, for a long time, and our progress and findings have been well documented - even through mainstream media. It's just a matter of time. (No pun intended.)

[LucidFlanders]

Why would people wanna live longer lives? I am fine with whatever date is set for me to cease to exist.

[grasshoppa]

Why would people want to die?

[LucidFlanders]

Why would people want to die? Nobody does, but death is not possible to stop so why put it off for 20 or so more years? you're still going to die. People need to accept this....

[Vincanity]

Yeah but this got me thinking If this all becomes possible what will happen to us all. We would be able to change the color of our eyes, be able to change our phisical features and tone our bodies using these robots. Imagine a world were everyone is beautiful, everyone can run as fast as usain bolt. Everyone can jump higher than Michael jordan.. Show bizz wouldnt exist anymore because stars would just be as rich as the next guy, kobe bryant and all them would stop playing because people would be better than them, models wont exist because everyone is prettier than they are. pretty fucked up if you ask me.

[♥Mark]

Nobody does, but death is not possible to stop so why put it off for 20 or so more years? you're still going to die. People need to accept this.... If you're fine dying at 70-80, that's your deal. Some of us wouldn't mind living longer. Accept it as it comes but there's no reason a human "should" die at around the age we tend to die now. Imagine a world were everyone is beautiful, everyone can run as fast as usain bolt. Everyone can jump higher than Michael jordan.. Show bizz wouldnt exist anymore because stars would just be as rich as the next guy, kobe bryant and all them would stop playing because people would be better than them, models wont exist because everyone is prettier than they are. pretty fucked up if you ask me. A world where we get to be what we want, that levels the playing field between who would otherwise be (and presently are (often)) pretentious overpaid dreck. Yeah, what a shame. We'd probably have to start judging people based on the content of their character, too.

[grasshoppa]

Nobody does, but death is not possible to stop so why put it off for 20 or so more years? you're still going to die. People need to accept this.... Another 20 years means more advancements, which means another 20 years after that 20 years is up...After that? I've seen predictions that say people born after 1960 will be alive in 2200.

[kingofclutch]

Is it possible? Probably. Is it likely? Nope.

[Oneironaut Zero]

Nobody does, but death is not possible to stop so why put it off for 20 or so more years? you're still going to die. People need to accept this.... So...why are you still living? If people need to just accept that "death happens", and not try to prolong their life, because of that fact, why haven't you just killed yourself already? Because you don't want to die, that's why. And there is no reason to end your life sooner than necessary, if you are in good health. Not saying that you need to go out and kill yourself, to prove a point, just illustrating what's wrong with that sort of logic.

[Vincanity]

The Future of Nanotechnology In the world of "Star Trek," machines called replicators can produce practically any physical object, from weapons to a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea. Long considered to be exclusively the product of science fiction, today some people believe replicators are a very real possibility. They call it molecular manufacturing, and if it ever does become a reality, it could drastically change the world. Atoms and molecules stick together because they have complementary shapes that lock together, or charges that attract. Just like with magnets, a positively charged atom will stick to a negatively charged atom. As millions of these atoms are pieced together by nanomachines, a specific product will begin to take shape. The goal of molecular manufacturing is to manipulate atoms individually and place them in a pattern to produce a desired structure. The first step would be to develop nanoscopic machines, called assemblers, that scientists can program to manipulate atoms and molecules at will. Rice University Professor Richard Smalley points out that it would take a single nanoscopic machine millions of years to assemble a meaningful amount of material. In order for molecular manufacturing to be practical, you would need trillions of assemblers working together simultaneously. Eric Drexler believes that assemblers could first replicate themselves, building other assemblers. Each generation would build another, resulting in exponential growth until there are enough assemblers to produce objects [source: Ray Kurzweil]. Assemblers might have moving parts like the nanogears in this concept drawing. Trillions of assemblers and replicators could fill an area smaller than a cubic millimeter, and could still be too small for us to see with the naked eye. Assemblers and replicators could work together to automatically construct products, and could eventually replace all traditional labor methods. This could vastly decrease manufacturing costs, thereby making consumer goods plentiful, cheaper and stronger. Eventually, we could be able to replicate anything, including diamonds, water and food. Famine could be eradicated by machines that fabricate foods to feed the hungry.

[Vincanity]

Also: http://videos.howstuffworks.com/ted-...tics-video.htm near the end of the vid he explains some of the amazing things we will achieve with nanotechnology in about 20-30 years

[Black_Eagle]

To me, immortality and eternal youth devalue life and the skills of people.

[Marvo]

Show business is not only about being pretty. You also need to know how to act. I'm totally on this by the way, though I do see problems with overpopulation.

[LucidFlanders]

So...why are you still living? If people need to just accept that "death happens", and not try to prolong their life, because of that fact, why haven't you just killed yourself already? Because you don't want to die, that's why. And there is no reason to end your life sooner than necessary, if you are in good health. Not saying that you need to go out and kill yourself, to prove a point, just illustrating what's wrong with that sort of logic. I already said nobody does, which means me aswell. But if it is my time to go, i rather go out when i am supposed to, then be scared and try and make it longer. Death is death. I'm fine with my lifetime as it is.

[tkdyo]

wow, this would be incredible if its true. Good thing too, cause last night I stayed up nearly all night trying to come to terms with just not existing. On a side note. Over population would become a problem, but if people werent dying that means all of that experience of that person builds up, which leads to faster advancement, which leads to possible advances in terraforming, which solves the population problem as long as we have galaxy left

[grasshoppa]

I don't think overpopulation will become more of a problem. Eventually the entire world will be equal in terms of development I would imagine that most parts of the world would share contraceptive values that North America has (Don't get pregnant unless you want to). I would imagine the average children per family will be 1-2 maintaining and stabilizing the population.

[Oneironaut Zero]

I already said nobody does, which means me aswell. But if it is my time to go, i rather go out when i am supposed to, then be scared and try and make it longer. Death is death. I'm fine with my lifetime as it is. That just doesn't make any sense to me. When you're "supposed to?" What does that even mean? As the article says, the average life expectancy used to be like 23 years old. So you're saying it's somehow a bad thing that we've developed the technology and nutritional know-how to raise the expectancy to (what is it, today?) like 75? If you contract a deadly - yet curable - disease, are you just going to let it eat away at you until you die, or are you going to treat it - essentially doing what is available to you to ensure that you live longer than if you just let the disease take you?

[tkdyo]

yeah, but even at that rate...if only a few people die a year...thats going to cause overpopulation eventually. and I mean a looong time from now. but as I said, but then, Im sure terraforming will be well under way. We have all of the moon, mars and venus to take care of before even leaving our solar system lol.

[dostoevskyblue]

lets just hope nanotechnology,the machines dont takeover and create a futuristic nightmare apocalypse,like skynet in terminator

[LucidFlanders]

That just doesn't make any sense to me. When you're "supposed to?" What does that even mean? As the article says, the average life expectancy used to be like 23 years old. So you're saying it's somehow a bad thing that we've developed the technology and nutritional know-how to raise the expectancy to (what is it, today?) like 75? If you contract a deadly - yet curable - disease, are you just going to let it eat away at you until you die, or are you going to treat it - essentially doing what is available to you to ensure that you live longer than if you just let the disease take you? Die of old age. You don't have to agree with my way of looking at things, but i can't see past wanting to live a longer life then dieing of old age. I can't see a point in wanting to even live over 100. So you wanna live forever? not me, and i don't get why people wanna live that long.

[Bonsay]

lets just hope nanotechnology,the machines takeover and create a futuristic nightmare apocalypse,like skynet in terminator Fixed. Die of old age. It depends on where you make the limits. If death of old age is in our genes and if you decide that's where you're going to close the system that defines your existence, then it makes sense not to interfere with that. See, the same reason you give, could be given by someone who doesn't want to get treated for a disease. The only difference would be that his limits are smaller and that they include death due to illness.

[grasshoppa]

Die of old age. Doesn't happen.

[mini0991]

Read "Prey" by Michael Crichton and get back to me on nanotech.