Aubrey de Grey Debates Anti-Aging on HARDtalk

 Anti-Aging  

Stephen Sackur of BBC News recently interviewed Aubrey de Grey asking difficult questions about his research and his personal mindset.

Gerontologist and founder of the SENS Research Foundation Dr. Aubrey de Grey recently sat down with Stephen Sackur on the BBC program HARDtalk to discuss his work on combating aging.  The interview follows the pair's other recent interview at the St. Gallen Symposium last month.

In both cases Sackur presents his questions in the form that de Grey is very much on the fringe and that his research may even be considered "inspiring, daft or downright dangerous."

"I've always assumed that aging is natural; that it is part of the evolutionary process," says Sackur leading off.

"You're absolutely wrong," counters de Grey. "The word 'natural' must not be misused.  All of technology is about humanity manipulating nature for it's own ends. Whether its fire or the wheel, or antibiotics or anything, what we are doing is taking what is natural and saying 'That's not good enough.'"

De Grey also clarifies the notion that aging and death are mechanisms of evolution.  Most animals in nature, do not reach the stage where aging takes place because they either are eaten or they die of starvation or other causes.

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According to Sackur, "The vast body of scientific opinion is against you."

De Grey clarifies this as well.  He advises that Sackur check the dates of these criticisms, as their instinctual claims have been countered by the SENS Foundation's work at educating those critics, and making the work seem overall "less crazy sounding."

The discussion also touches on some of the potential future considerations with a population that has overcome aging.

When Sackur presses de Grey on what such a future would mean for our children, and how will they make sense of the world de Grey responds, "That's like saying does human society make sense now, when it is so different than how things were 300 years ago when 40% of the population died before the age of one. It is a very different world now, but it still makes sense."

By 33rd Square

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