02 Jun , 16:11
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Humanity stands on the threshold of an incredible breakthrough in life expectancy. Leading experts in technology and biomedicine claim that the possibility of living a whole millennium may become a reality in the foreseeable future, reports Daily Mail.
Outstanding minds of our time - British futurist Dr. Ian Pearson, former Google engineer Ray Kurzweil, and biomedical researcher Aubrey de Grey - have presented their fascinating predictions about when humanity will be able to overcome the barrier of a thousand-year life. Despite differences in approaches, they are all unanimous: the era of "practical immortality" will come much earlier than one might imagine.
According to Pearson's bold predictions, by 2050, the wealthiest segments of the population will be able to reach the millennium mark thanks to a revolutionary combination of genetic engineering, robotics, and digital consciousness transfer. "The human mind will be uploadable either into an android body or into virtual reality," the futurist states. Notably, while initially such technologies will only be available to the elite, by the 2060s they will become a reality for the middle class as well.
Pearson also emphasizes that future medicine will revolutionize the fight against aging, allowing not only to prevent but also to reverse age-related changes at the cellular level. Diseases that are considered fatal today, such as cancer and cardiovascular pathologies, will be diagnosed and treated before the first symptoms appear.
Ray Kurzweil, known for his strikingly accurate technological predictions, puts forward an even bolder theory. In his opinion, by 2029, artificial intelligence will reach the level of human intelligence, which will mark the beginning of the "Singularity" era. And by 2045, a complete merger of human and machine will occur, which will "open the path to immortality."
"AI will make basic life necessities - food, housing - significantly more accessible, and brain-computer interfaces, like Elon Musk's Neuralink, will allow consciousness to connect directly to the data cloud," Kurzweil predicts. As a result of this merger, human intelligence will increase millions of times, and personality can be copied and transferred to new bodies.
Aubrey de Grey, who specializes in gerontology, approaches the problem from a medical perspective. He is convinced that 21st century medical advances are capable of turning aging into a reversible process. According to his predictions, by 2050, old age will be perceived as a common disease that can be diagnosed and successfully treated.
