Longevity
Turns out that a compound found under the statues of Easter Island will lead to a longer life (no, I am not kidding).
Rapamycin was first found in the 70's on Easter Island (ok, not just under the statues), and has since been found to be beneficial in all kinds of ways, such as anti-fungal, anti-cancer, and a bunch of other good stuff.
The latest findings are that it could make you live 30-40% longer. Or at least, it would if you were a mouse. Using the drug on old mice showed that it greatly increases life expectancy. Of course, it actually lowers your immune system, which is not ideal, but that is what antibiotics are for. Basically it does the same thing that a drastically reduced caloric intake does, without the terrible life you would lead on said drastically reduced caloric intake.
Personally, I find this very good news, and hope that it is a step towards what will truly revolutionize human society in the next century: moving beyond the natural constraints of the human body.
On a related note, there was a recent drug study which has the potential to increase memory capacity so that "photographic memory" is extended from a matter of hours to a matter of months. Ostensibly, as with many such drugs currently under development, it is to help those with memory impairment, but the pathway is not fixing the impairment but rather improving the underlying system.
Rapamycin was first found in the 70's on Easter Island (ok, not just under the statues), and has since been found to be beneficial in all kinds of ways, such as anti-fungal, anti-cancer, and a bunch of other good stuff.
The latest findings are that it could make you live 30-40% longer. Or at least, it would if you were a mouse. Using the drug on old mice showed that it greatly increases life expectancy. Of course, it actually lowers your immune system, which is not ideal, but that is what antibiotics are for. Basically it does the same thing that a drastically reduced caloric intake does, without the terrible life you would lead on said drastically reduced caloric intake.
Personally, I find this very good news, and hope that it is a step towards what will truly revolutionize human society in the next century: moving beyond the natural constraints of the human body.
On a related note, there was a recent drug study which has the potential to increase memory capacity so that "photographic memory" is extended from a matter of hours to a matter of months. Ostensibly, as with many such drugs currently under development, it is to help those with memory impairment, but the pathway is not fixing the impairment but rather improving the underlying system.
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