Immortality, Inc.: Renegade Science, Silicon Valley Billions, and the Quest to Live Forever

Made me optimistic about living forever. Reads like several New Yorker articles strung together. I will redouble my health regimens as a result.

Reviewed by William Carr, author of Family Pride: The Opportunity of Crisis I found the author writing beautifully and deeply addressing the talents and personalities of the major characters, making personal,insightful commentary using highly technical scientific language, weaving all of this in a warm vernacular that makes me say “Hey, I know you, Mr. Walter”. The book presents great in-depth teaching and commentary on the main fields of medicine and aging. Much of the book is a great story of highly esteemed doctors and scientists who are striving to improve healthy care and to solve the problem of aging. Often their goals agree, sometimes not. Important Silicon Valley investors feel money is an issue, The author portrays the principals colorfully and insightfully. He creates a sense of an overall team whom played major - sometimes complimentary, sometimes competing roles in confronting the two issues of health and aging. Key are the history and progress of the main players. And the history and development of computerized machines. Humans living longer was a main issue-and the connection between this and better health in people. The book talks of how things have gradually progressed, how the clinicians have always looked to new, attractive ideas - about individual lives and science. Some of the scientists and doctors featured great ideas. Some featured creatively getting things done. Some focused on better medicine with groundbreaking methods while others focused on reaching much greater longevity and thought aging caused disease. Both saw the integration of humanity and machines as key. The elimination of aging came to be a main focus. And a new approach to medicine - getting ahead of death and dying. One theme of the work was living forever, by the fusion of human and artificial intelligence. The combining of biology and technology was prime. Another approach used highly technical personal genome analysis. Could artificial intelligence extract the revelations held within every human genome - every molecule that constituted a “self”, including how you might die? This led to how evolution constructed human species - and each of us. Another theme called for a drug for humans that could eliminate damaged cells found throughout aging bodies - rejuvenating the organism. Another relied on more genome volume, saying if that it worked, medicine could stop treating symptoms and treat the underlying cause of disease. It was felt that evolution could somehow change genetic pathways that lengthen the life of a species. The question was, if evolution could do this, could science do it, too. The ones who supported longevity felt that “smart machines were where the end of “the end” lay. It seems that the discoveries and progress that were intended to serve either medicine or decreased aging brought greatly improved medical care. They also encouraged those who felt the primary problem in health care was aging. These developments seemed to decrease rivalry or disagreement in two camps. The question arose: Could intelligent machines be more important than people? As Mr. Walter says, imaging machines solving the ultimate human problem. But the question was where did the medicine/health issue simply lead to the question of increasing longevity, perhaps extremely. As the book ends, this is being strongly consider and still under work. Further advanced machinery had been ordered to more deeply inspect the interaction between genes and proteins and the effect of this on the human. Great research has been done, focusing both in the individual and the humanity overall. The role of very advanced,human-like machines was seen as crucial in this. In the last two years, individual successes have mounted and financial investment has grown. For instance, two new discoveries found remarkable data in animals that suggested a pathway that fight mortality in humans. The beat goes on. In closing, the author poses a very interesting final question: Will we survive, survive living to two or three hundred years, or more? Perhaps this brings the issues of spirituality and God - and our relationship to these - into play. Maybe an answer to this lies in seeing what we could become—not challengers to God but better creatures than we now are. Mr. Walter’s book offers a true. Purse in its material. It is informative and entertaining and it compels the reader to want to follow the current careers of the acclaimed professionals who are featured.

Don’t let the title dissuade you. Shake off the dust of Doubt. As George Eliot observed, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Chip Walter, one of our most delightful authors today, is our “You Are There” narrator. His style reminds of Tom Wolfe’s immediacy of characters captured in existential challenge. Don’t miss this Journey. Yes, the Finish Line may be inevitable, but the final markers are finding New Horizons and not of the “Lost” kind. As Ben Franklin challenged the human condition, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” “Immortality, Inc.” is how that venture might be gained.

seems like the author had a good idea but, 200 some-odd pages later the conclusion is"oh well, we tried"

Love this book and highly recommend it! Really gave me a good insight into the passion of the movers and shakers within the growing movement of curing the disease of aging. It also gave me a clearer understanding of the science behind extending lifespan, as well as the potential for immortality. Impressive amount of research and interviews went into this book and is told in a wonderful, unfolding story rather than cold, hard facts. It is also very promising as things are moving ahead rapidly in this field!

This is the story of the most important scientific R&D project ever undertaken - the curing of aging and death. Very well written, it describes each of the principal scientists involved today in anti-aging and longevity research, e.g. Arthur Levinson, Cynthia Kenyon, Ray Kurzweil, Aubrey de Grey, Greg Venter, and the high tech visionaries who are funding them. These men and women, each an internationally renowned scientist in their own right, have put their talents and their reputations on the line to do the impossible. Who are they?, what motivates them?, and why they will probably succeed.

Really good story but if you want a lot of scientific detail it’s not here. Got me interested in more though.

Walter takes us with him as he gains confidential access to the fascinating scientests (not always in agreement) who are working in the fields of genome mapping, stem cell research, and biomedical advancement. Walter's ability to clearly and quickly explain the interrelated complexities of this almost science fiction like field is amazing. Just as interesting are the entrepreneurs who are betting billions on the results of this cutting edge research. Walter takes us into their very private world too. A must read true adventure story. (teepeejay)