Bobby Ridge

You may have finally just discovered this most important conversation, or you may be a transhumanist veteran. When I research others’ attempts to articulate Transhumanism, I observe that they tend to either discuss the intangible philosophy, or they will offer an hour plus of hard science. The purpose of this article is to provide 5 tangible ways in which right now you can get involved with Transhumanism and take real steps towards extending your healthy lifespan.

I am not a doctor, so I am not providing medical advice. It is recommended that any person considering significant health-related decisions take into account his or her personal circumstances and consult a knowledgeable medical professional. I am merely a normal guy providing some salient information I have discovered during my Transhumanist journey. Here are the 5 tangible ways some of us might, in the appropriate circumstances, extend our healthy lifespans right now:

1. Whole genome sequencing
2. Stem-cell therapy
3. Sign the international ban on AI weaponry
4. Become a member of Transhumanist organizations
5. Cryonics

There are other tangible ways to extend our healthy lifespans right now, but these are ones I have done a significant amount of research into. Transhumanism and the Singularity will transform every single person’s life whether they want this transformation to happen or not, so constant research is essential to being as prepared as possible for this next few decades. Let’s take a closer look at those five tangible ways to extend our healthy lifespans right now.   

• Whole Genome Sequencing

Getting our whole genomes sequenced is a great step to increasing our healthy lifespans for so many reasons. One reason is because of how cheap it is relative to the recent past. It cost $3 billion to have one’s genome sequenced in 2001. Since genome sequencing is an exponentially advancing technology like Ray Kurzweil predicted, in 2015 it only cost $1000 to sequence someone’s genome [1]. Most importantly, getting our whole genomes sequenced prevents diseases. I am not talking about the type of prevention where your parents and grandparents had heart attacks, so now you must eat specific cereal to prevent a heart attack. I am talking about complete prevention, e.g., the scientists at Human Longevity Inc. (HLI) only accept into their testing program people who are considered healthy by contemporary modern medicine. Even though members are considered “healthy,” HLI still finds some sort of hidden pathology in 40% of people tested. With their advanced scanning machines, whole genome sequencing process, and future application of machine learning to all their data, they are turning medicine into proactive, preventative, personalized, and predictive, rather than the contemporary healthcare system being reactive, disease-management-oriented, generalized, and costly.

Figure 1. HLI transforming the modern health system.  [2]

With this incredible approach, HLI has had a 100% diagnosis rate, and all their findings have been successfully treated. They have whole lists of stories, such as the story when a doctor considered healthy came into to get scanned by HLI, and they found a 5cm tumor under his tail bone; a week later he had it removed. He was later told that if he did not have it removed in 6 months, it would have metastasized [3]. The HLI offers two health packages, the Health Nucleus X for $4,950.00 [4] and the Health Nucleus X Platinum for $25,000.00 [5]. This may sound expensive, but with the exponential decrease in genome sequencing cost and with further democratization of HNX clinics, the price will drop quickly. But there is no time to waste, because contemporary health statistics are not on our side. We may feel healthy and are even told we are healthy by a hospital, but getting our whole genomes sequenced is how we really know.

Here is a link to HLI: https://www.humanlongevity.com/

• Stem-Cell Therapy

Stem cells are so exciting, if you don’t feel excitement after reading this part of the article, then you did not fully comprehend the article. According to Daniel Kota, “We have reached a critical point. We see a massive number of different stem-cell treatments out there. The only thing between stem cell therapies and us, is regulatory agencies, such as the FDA in the US. But the number of stem-cell treatments out there are getting so overwhelming that some are just falling through the cracks” [6]. Not only can stem-cell therapy provide a massive number of treatments, but it may even have age-reversal effects. Before I explain these effects in more detail, the stem-cell therapies I am going to describe have not gone through FDA approval yet in the US, so it would require you to be a medical tourist for now. So, a lot of research and many discussions with your physician are essential before actively seeking any sort of therapy. As we age the number and function of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) decrease. MSCs are the major modulators of our health and homeostasis. It is also important to note that MSCs are not the controversial embryonic stem cells (EMCs). MSCs are not only more ethical to use, because the extraction process does not require the destruction of a human embryo, but research has found MSCs to be significantly better to use for human treatments, relative to EMCs. So, back to how MSCs help with age-related diseases.

Figure 2. The amount of MSCs in our body decrease over time.

A shown in Figure 2, when we are born, we have a certain amount of MSCs, and they divide at their fastest rate. The number of cells and their rate of division decrease over time. So, let’s say you’re 80 years old and you need 10,000 MSCs to recover from some pathology, but you only have a 1,000 – well you can clearly see that the 80-year-old will not have enough MSCs [7]. So what researchers and doctors are doing are just placing stem cells back into the body, e.g., at the Stem Cell Institute, the medical clinic in Panama City, Panama, they inject stem cells in the specific area of bodily damage, such as a hip fracture. They also intravenously inject stem cells into patients. Matter of fact, this is what Mel Gibson’s father did. He was 92 years old, on his death bed, and the genius Mel Gibson had his personal physician talk with Dr. Neil Riordan, and soon thereafter, Mel’s Dad was in Panama getting stem cell injections in his hip and intravenously. Now his father is thriving at 99 years of age! [8] That is amazing! There are a large number of similar stories ranging from curing complete quadriplegia to low-functioning children with autism becoming high-functioning, even to a point where it is barely noticeable that the child has autism. Dr. Riordan, the founder of Stem Cell Institute, wrote an amazing book called Stem Cell Therapy: A Rising Tide: How Stem Cells Are Disrupting Medicine and Transforming Lives, that explains MSC therapy in a very easy-to-understand and passionate manner. I highly recommend it. Prices for the stem-cell treatment depend on the specific pathology, but general intravenous injections would cost around $20,000.

Here is a link to the Stem Cell Institute: https://www.cellmedicine.com/

Here is a link to Dr. Neil Riordan speaking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLKOddCPs9I

• Sign the International Ban on AI Weaponry

The only other epochs that were as important as the next two decades of artificial intelligence (AI) development were when life first began 4.2 billion years ago and when the universe began 13.8 billion years ago. According to Andrew Ng, “AI is the new electricity. About a hundred years ago, we did not have widespread access to electricity in the US, but with the rise of electricity, it transformed every industry. Agriculture was transformed through the rise of refrigeration, communications was transformed by telegraph, manufacturing was transformed by the electric motor, healthcare was transformed. In all these industries you have a hard time imagining how to run these things without electricity. AI technology, especially deep learning, has now advanced to a point where we see a surprisingly clear path for it to also transform every industry” [9]. Similar statements have been uttered from many of the tech titans, e.g., Sundar Pichai, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk [10] [11] [12]. Like every technology, AI can either be used for good or evil. Well, the amount of good AI can bring humanity is probably infinite. It will help us cure all diseases, personalize teaching to children, drive our cars, take away our soul-draining jobs, and SO MUCH MORE. To make an ideal AI future come to fruition, we must properly steer this most powerful technological development. The amount of bad that AI can bring humanity, if misapplied, is an existential risk, possibly worse. There are already AI weapons being successfully made, e.g., The Kalashnikov Bureau weapons manufacturing company announced that it has recently invented an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), which field tests have already shown better than human level intelligence. China recently began field-testing cruise missiles with AI and autonomous capabilities, and a few companies are getting very close to having AI autopilot operating to control the flight envelope at hypersonic speeds. [13]. According to Reuters, “The Pentagon’s fiscal 2017 budget request will include $12 billion to $15 billion to fund war gaming, experimentation and the demonstration of new technologies aimed at ensuring a continued military edge over China and Russia” [14]. Vladimir Putin publicly announced that “Artificial intelligence is the future. Not only for Russia, but for all of humankind. It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere, will become the ruler of the world” [15]. The government of China laid out a timeline to beat the US in this AI arms race, aiming by 2020 to have caught up to the AI industry, by 2025 to be ahead of the US, and by 2030 to dominate the industry of AI. One tangible way to prevent an AI arms race is to sign the international ban on AI weaponry.

Here is a link to the open letter supporting an international ban on AI weaponry: https://futureoflife.org/open-letter-autonomous-weapons/

• Transhumanist organizations

It almost seems like every week there is a new Transhumanist organization emerging. I guess people are finally figuring out how quintessential transhumanist principles are for the future of humanity. I recommend you search Wikipedia, because they have a great database of Transhumanist organizations.

Becoming a member of the United States Transhumanist Party (USTP) and all the other transhumanist parties and organizations is a great way to stay informed about all the exponentially accelerating science and technology [1]. The USTP’s central tenet is to place science, health, and technology at the forefront of American Politics. The accelerated technological advancement that is occurring will cause such enormous change, but for some reason our political leaders mainly focus on providing the American people with momentary uplifting feelings, and their advocacies encompass going back to the old days. Well instead, they should be placing all their resources into educating and preparing Americans for this massive transformation we are all about to witness in the next few decades. Please become a member of the USTP and help us get the word out about Transhumanism and the Singularity for the sake of all our lives.

Here is the link to become a member of the USTP: https://transhumanist-party.org/membership/

Here is a link to H+Pedia’s list of Transhumanist political organizations: https://hpluspedia.org/wiki/Transhumanist_political_organisations

Here is a link to Wikipedia’s list of Transhumanist organizations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Transhumanist_organizations

• Cryonics

Cryonics has been around for a relatively long time. The first cryonics institute was formed in 1976, and even though cryonics has been around for so long, cryogenically preserving one’s body just has not been popularized yet by the mainstream. One would think that by 2018, we would have caught on. It is sad to think of all the millions of people that missed the chance to be preserved for the last 40 years. It is very important to have yourself and loved ones cryopreserved after death, because it will decrease the taboo, push the advancement of the technology forward, and, most importantly, you will be able to live indefinitely! Many may think that it is too expensive, and prices can range anywhere from $28,000.00 to $200,000.00, but choosing to do monthly payments makes the price very affordable [16], [17].

Here is a link to a cryonics organization – the Alcor Life Extension Foundation: https://alcor.org/

Here is a link to another cryonics organization – the Cryonics Institute: http://www.cryonics.org/

In the great Transhumanist game, the human species must unite once and for all to survive the 21st century. Ray Kurzweil gave us a map to the greatest treasure, a treasure that will buy more than happiness. It will buy us eternal love, beautiful augmentation, indefinite longevity, and maybe even utopia. It is up to us to steer this ship in the right direction and make sure we stay afloat while on this dangerous journey. I sincerely hope this information saves as many lives as possible.

Bobby Ridge is the Secretary of the United States Transhumanist Party. Read more about him here. 

References

1. Kurzweil, Ray. “Ray Kurzweil — Immortality By 2045 / Global Future 2045 Congress’2013.” YouTube, 2045 Initiative, 18 Jan. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlRTbl_IB-s
2. Venter, Craig. “Dr. Craig Venter – How We Will Extend Our Lives: From Synthetic Life to Human Longevity.” YouTube.com, The Artificial Intelligence Channel, 1 Oct. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfzfI2dvp3s
3. Venter, Craig. “MIS2017: Genomics, Advanced Imaging, And The Future Of Medicine.” YouTube.com, Cleveland Clinic, 8 Nov. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkUMjh1GjKs
4. Health Nucleus X. Human Longevity, Inc. 2013. Web. 4 May 2018.
5. Health Nucleus X Platinum. Human Longevity, Inc. 2013. Web. 4 May 2018
6. Kota, Daniel. “Promises and Dangers of Stem Cell Therapies | Daniel Kota | TEDxBrookings.” YouTube.com, TEDx Talks., 28 Nov. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsFEcBwO8O4
7. Riordan, Neil H. Stem Cell Therapy: A Rising Tide: How Stem Cells Are Disrupting Medicine and Transforming Lives. 2017. Print.
8. Riordan, Neil. “Golden Cells and Mesenchymal Molecules – Neil Riordan, PhD.” YouTube.com, Riordan Clinic. 15 Jan. 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLKOddCPs9I
9. Ng, Andrew. “Andrew Ng – The State of Artificial Intelligence.” YouTube.com, The Artificial Intelligence Channel, 15 Dec. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKpuX_yzdYs
10. Pichai, Sundar. “Google CEO Sundar Pichai: A.I. More Important To Humanity Than Fire And Electricity | MSNBC.” YouTube.com, MSNBC. 29, Jan. 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxEo3Epc43Y
11. Bezos, Jeff. “Amazon’s Jeff Bezos: Lessons in Management at I.A. Gala 2017.” YouTube.com, Expovista TV, 8 May, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpDUiDQigO8
12. Musk, Elon. “Elon Musk, National Governors Association, July 15, 2017.” YouTube.com, WordsmithFL, 16 July, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3lzEQANdHk
13. Husain, Amir. “Amir Husain: “The Sentient Machine: The Coming Age of Artificial Intelligence.”” YouTube.com. Talks at Google. 31 Jan. 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcC5OV_oA1s
14. Conn, Ariel. “Pentagon Seeks $12 -$15 Billion for AI Weapons Research.” Future of life institute. FLI – Future of Life Institute, 15 Dec. 2015. Web. 4 May, 2018.
15. Putin, Vladimir. “Whoever leads in AI will rule the world! – Putin to Russian children on Knowledge Day.” YouTube.com. Russia Insight. 4 Sep. 2017.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kggRND8c7Q].
16. “Cryospreservation is far more affordable than you might think.” Cryonics Institute Technology for Life. Cryonics Institute. 4 May, 2018. Web 4 May, 2018.
17. “Alcor Cryopreservation Agreement – Schedule A Required Costs and Cryopreservation Fund Minimums.” Alcor Life Extension Foundation. Alcor. Web 4 May, 2018.