The quest to dramatically extend the human healthspan has significantly accelerated in the last few decades. Lifespan is how many years a human lives in total; healthspan is how many years a human lives in a state of good to decent health. Achieving longevity escape velocity does not mean achieving eternal life nor immortality. However, scientists are making remarkable progress in the field of anti-aging research.
One key concept that holds great potential is longevity escape velocity, an idea that has been heavily promoted by renowned gerontologist Dr. Aubrey de Grey. Aubrey de Grey wrote a book entitled Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime. Another good book related to defeating aging is Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old by Andrew Steele. Hopefully more humans will come to understand what longevity escape velocity (LEV) is and hopefully more university students will study fields that will enable them to engage in research that could lead to LEV and the defeat of aging.
Longevity escape velocity refers to a hypothetical point where medical advancements and interventions can outpace the aging process. LEV suggests that by slowing down (or reversing) the aging process, scientists can help individuals to live radically longer, healthier lives. Alternatively, longevity escape velocity can be thought of as being the point in time at which doctors and scientists are able to increase the average human life span at least one year, every year. Rather than directly targeting specific age-related diseases, such as cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, longevity escape velocity (and defeating aging) can potentially be achieved by addressing the underlying mechanisms of aging itself. There are various scientists who are focusing on various strategies to defeat aging. One of the most promising approaches involves targeting age related damage in the human body.
While achieving longevity escape velocity remains a lofty goal, advancements in biomedical gerontological research show great potential to help humanity to defeat aging. Aging is the worst humanitarian crisis on Earth. With each new discovery, us humans inch closer to understanding how to stop and reverse age related damage (aging), and may potentially extend the average healthy human lifespan significantly. By targeting the underlying mechanisms of aging, scientists are not only striving to increase the number of years we live but also to enhance the quality of our lives as we age. The future holds great potential, and it is an exciting time to be part of the quest for defeating aging and unlocking the secrets to a longer, healthier existence.
