Reflecting on perspectives from the past year, from ‘the second longevity revolution’ to getting comfortable with ‘being wrong about aging’.
Over the course of a year, we speak to a host of leading thinkers from across the field of longevity and beyond. Today we reflect on some of the highlights of 2024, including interviews with the scientist who discovered the GLP-1 hormone and the CEO of the Chopra Foundation.
Jens Juul Holst: ‘Skinny jabs’ may be longevity drugs, but healthy people shouldn’t be taking them’
In a year that saw weight loss drugs hit the headlines for their potential in longevity, it seems fitting that one of our first interviews of 2024 was with the man who discovered the GLP-1 hormone more than 30 years ago. University of Copenhagen professor Jens Juul Holst highlighted some of the key research supporting the argument that semaglutide could promote longevity.
“Once you put all this evidence together, then I think it’s more probable than not that you will have an effect on longevity with these agents,” he told us.
Andrew Scott: ‘We’re at the beginning of the second longevity revolution’
April saw the launch of a new book, The Longevity Imperative, which introduced the concept of the “evergreen” agenda and called for the adoption of a sustainable lifestyle to allow humans to thrive as average lifespans continue to increase. We sat down with the book’s author, London Business School professor of economics Andrew J Scott for a fascinating conversation.
“For all the amazing progress in biology, this ultimately has to be about the human experience, and how do we as a society, adapt and adjust,” he told us. “Because if we are going to make biological progress, there’s a lot that needs to change on the social side too.”
Michael Fossel: ‘We need to get comfortable with being wrong about aging’
April was a big month for books, and also saw the publication of the succinctly titled Aging: How Aging Works, How We Reverse Aging, and Prospects for Curing Aging Diseases. Based on published research conducted over past 20 years, the book explores the latest aging models, the progress towards potential interventions, along with the obstacles and risks facing the field. Our interview with the book’s editor, Dr Michael Fossel, was a frank and open discussion on the reality of progress in longevity.
“Seldom does an innovative idea come out from the mainstream, because the mainstream is already dedicated to what they’ve been doing for a long time, probably their whole lives,” he told us.
Brent Hoberman: ‘This is longevity’s moment’
This year also saw the launch of a new collaboration between Longevity.Technology and Founders Forum, kicking off a series of global longevity events for investors and entrepreneurs. Ahead of the inaugural Founders Longevity Forum event in London, we interviewed co-founder and exec chair of Founders Forum, Brent Hoberman, who told us attractiveness of us the longevity sector was now more attractive to investors due to the growth in evidence supporting the field.
“There’s also been this collision of being able to capture and analyze huge amounts of data using technologies like artificial intelligence, which means we now can make more sense of longevity and solutions to improve it,” he said. “That’s why I think this is longevity’s moment.”
Poonacha Machaiah: ‘You may live longer, but will you live better?’
On the back of its strategic partnership with precision medicine company Human Longevity Inc and holistic wellness organization, we interviewed the CEO of the Chopra Foundation to learn more about the foundation’s work. With its focus on seven key pillars of health: sleep, meditation, physical movement, emotional regulation, nutrition, community and self-awareness, Poonacha Machaiah explained much of what the foundation has been working on over the years is fully aligned with longevity.
“Longevity is a buzzword right now,” he told us. “Everybody is talking about it like it’s something new, but it has been around in wisdom traditions for a very long time.”
