Talk about longevity tends to focus on diet and exercise – the things we know are essential to a long and healthy life. Still, we’re in the modern world, and it’s probably no surprise that a lot of people are looking to the potential benefits of technology for increasing our longevity even more.
Technology already has a role to play in health and can impact our life expectancy. Pacemakers are an obvious example, keeping your heart beating properly with the help of electricity so you don’t enter heart failure. Even devices that are less obviously health-related, like the cell phone in your pocket, can be invaluable for monitoring your vital signs or reminding you when you need to take medication.
The thing about technology is that it’s improving all the time. Watch a Paralympic runner on their blades and compare that to the stereotypical wooden leg you might see in an old pirate movie. We’ve come a long way in the last century, and sometimes it seems progress is constantly speeding up. Plus, a lot of very rich people have an interest in longevity and are willing to make the kind of financial investments needed to develop technology further.
Some research areas look promising, but the science isn’t quite there. Things like cellular rejuvenation aren’t really in play yet, but studies have started to suggest it might be in the future. Will we one day be able to grow tissue or even entire organs to replace those that are damaged? Scientists are certainly going to try it.
Of course, it can take a long time for a promising idea to turn into something workable, let alone become widely available. That’s especially true with medicine and medical devices, which have to meet pretty strict safety standards before they’re allowed anywhere near a human being. If you see something about an idea or preliminary study taking place today, don’t get too excited yet. It’ll probably be years before it reaches the market.
There are also a lot of ethical issues that can crop up when we’re talking about medicine and experimental procedures or technology. Not everyone is going to be excited about new devices or procedures that can sometimes look a little like humans trying to play God. There will undoubtedly be a lot of debates in the future, but for now, there’s still room for excitement and hope.
