'Fountain of Youth' could become reality in 20 years, futurist claims

By Dick Pelletier

      

    "Magical" waters offering cures, longevity, restoration of youth and immortality have been a widely recorded human quest dating back to at least the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who wrote of an Ethiopian fountain of special water giving Ethiopians their exceptional longevity.

    Now, modern science – stem cells, genetic engineering, and nanotech – could play out over the next two decades giving today's humans this cherished dream of extended health, youth, and longer lifespans!

    Futurist Ray Kurzweil, Co-author of Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever, sums up today's trends, and pieces together a picture of what science could very well accomplish in the next 20 years. He sees new drugs on the horizon that will keep most diseases in check; replacing the pain and death now dished out by heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other ailments, with a return to good health.

    To understand why this radical future is unfolding so rapidly, it helps to look at how technologies have advanced in the past. In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore correctly calculated that computer chip power/value would double every two years; and this prediction has proved true to this day. Similar scenarios to what scientists have termed "Moore's Law," are now happening in other technologies.

    Speed to sequence the human genome doubled every year, finishing in just 14 years what some thought would take 100 years. Experts predict that twenty-first century technologies will advance at even faster rates. These include stem cell therapies, genetic engineering procedures, and medical nanotech developments; crucial steps towards achieving better healthcare and extending the human lifespan.

    Researchers believe breakthroughs in stem cell research will soon enable doctors to replace all aging and worn organs, bones and skin with new, youthful versions. This fledgling technology is off to a great start with increasing numbers of clinical trial successes (see Suzanne Somers on Dr. Oz TV show).

    In a recent New York Times interview, Harvard genetics professor George Church forecasts a bright future for regenerative medicine using stem cells. Involved in the Personalized Genome Project, an aggressive effort to sequence the genes of 100,000 people, Church sees an increase in doctors using stem cells to create replacement organs as we trek through this decade and the next.

    Stem cells could one day regenerate nearly every part of the human body, Church says. At first, the process will be used to make sick patients well, but it will soon be clear that people who enjoy good health will want these procedures to enhance and strengthen their already healthy bodies. Many will likely want to become stronger and sport a healthier, more youthful look.

    Genetic engineering (correcting faulty DNA in our cells) holds great promise to eradicate many human diseases, including aging. Genetics could one day provide the means to change genes in adults; we will not only create designer babies, but designer baby-boomers and seniors as well.

    In Nanomedicine, author Robert Freitas talks of developing tiny nanorobots that can roam through our bodies, repairing cell damage. "The hard part is creating the first one," Freitas says; "although the road ahead may be difficult, in the end, to live in perfect health indefinitely will be achievable."

    Nanoscience, Freitas predicts, will produce biological robots between now and 2020. Next will be hybrid robots built from engineered structural DNA, synthetic proteins, and other non-biological materials, which could appear during the 2020s. Positive futurists believe that by early 2030s, scientists will produce completely artificial devices: nanorobots that will protect every cell in the body from disease and injury.

    These cutting-edge technologies promise to improve lives almost beyond imagination, keeping our bodies forever healthy and youthful-appearing. However, extending human lifespans beyond what some consider 'natural' is sure to evoke controversy – political, ethical, and religious.

    Nevertheless, this debate is not likely to stop or even slow efforts to extend health and increase human lifespan. Demand from people who want better health and longer, happier lives will drive this future forward; and it could become reality in time to benefit most people alive today.

    Will today's technologies deliver this optimistic future? Stem cell, genetic, and nanotech advances are now occurring almost daily. Humanity's search for this 'Fountain of Youth' could be realized in 20 years!

    This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.