The impact of life extension

Promises to extend lifespans keep rising. Some online surveys peg my lifespan between 76 and 88 years old, but specialists are claiming lifespans as long as 140 years for some humans as medicine provides the ability to regenerate, grow, or print and replace human tissue. With ongoing breakthroughs in organ printing, providing they can get bodies to accept the replacements, it is theorized the replacement of every body part with the possible exception brain can be replicated and the limitation with the brain is shifting our persona/character/self/soul into a viable replacement - an advancement that could truly create immortality.If this turns out to be true, then science is really looking for ways to keep the brain healthy and living for a longer duration. Looking back at Bruce Sterling's novel Holy Fire, the character Mia lives by the rules governing her participation in a lifetime-enhancement program. I'm not certain longevity won't be available to the masses, or at least those who can afford the payments for procedures or insurance to cover the costs, but I do suspect Sterling got it right that longevity will be a privilege and not a right.This brought me to wonder how it might play out in the real world, among various people in various situations.  Here are four ideas I explored:Application deniedMr. Johnson,Your application for LifeSystem replacements has been processed. We regret to inform you the request has been denied at this time. While your physical health, mental state, and background checks do not bar you from the service, your finances are insufficient at this time.According to our projections, your current savings and future earnings would not provide sufficient funds to live beyond 96 years of age. Allowing access to the replacement stage should provide a lifespan of close to 115+ years, meaning you would face 20 years of substandard living.Since you have met the other requirements, you are welcome to reapply if you are capable of gaining employment at a higher wage scale or if your savings were to rise another $476,000 within the next two years. If either of these occur, please feel free to contact our specialists for further assistance.Sincerely,Agent Victoria AD56A4E26D18This idea came from a discussion with friends (and is the original idea for this topic) when the issue of inequality came up while discussing augmented lifespans. My response, as the devil's advocate, was "Why would the system support a 100 year old janitor?" While this view stereotypes the role of janitor, I wanted to focus on certain characteristics including income, perceived intelligence, valued skill sets, and other intangibles society often stamps on this profession (we should always keep in mind janitors do have jobs, we all benefit from their work, and we would be up to our ears in our own trash without them).Another concern is the costs associated with each person on the planet. We each use a range of resources including food, water, and energy at the most basic level. Not everyone has the income to pay for the resource they use and some are not able to based on their circumstances. What happens to these individuals? If we assume there is a financial cutoff, then individuals without the income to cover the costs or to have previously bought into some group insurance to cover costs as they age would go without.That makes good financial sense on many levels and connects with the first story. But what about those in prison? Prisoners are a heavy drain on resources, with California expected to spend an estimated $6.5 billion on 2600 juveniles serving life in prison. An inmate could have the income or savings to continue treatments, but would/should they be allowed this service? Today, felons lose several rights (depending on the state and country) when convicted, including the right to vote while imprisoned, jury exclusion, and the right to possess firearms. Might they lose the right to a greatly expanded lifespan as well?Minimizing prison lifespanFelon receives 20 year penalty plus LifeSystem lossModesto, California3:43 PM EDT, Tue September 25, 2057A controversial new law on California's books has stripped its first felon of LifeSytem rights. In a unanimous verdict by all twelve artificial jury systems, Clarice Cortez was found guilty today of first degree murder charges resulting from using a printed canon to fire solid objects through her neighbor's window following a dispute. Cortez, using plans downloaded from a Kazakhstan dark net, was able to 3D print multiple items, modifying each before assembling into the weapon. The effort to get around the printer's illegal item blacklist proved a key element of the district attorney's case (she was also found guilty of the secondary charge of the illegal printing of weapons).In addition to Cortez' two decades on the Pacific Cleansing Raft, where she'll work off her time sorting ocean garbage for reclamation, she is also being denied the life enhancing drugs and operations she could easily afford giver her income bracket. Experts are asking whether this is an appropriate punishment, as 20 years out of the system could cost Cortez 15 or more years off her life expectancy. Some believe the 35 years of lost lifespan, plus the health impact at the end of life, is too much for a murder where the victim was revived and rebuilt.Her attorney has already filed an appeal to bring Cortez' case before a human jury, though there have only been a few cases in the last few years where these juries have differed from the new Objective Intelligence systems put in place in 2036. Cortez will be allowed to continue the service until her appeal has a ruling.There are obvious questions with this. Will we have prisons 40 years in the future or will there be some form of control that allows convicts to live their lives with very specific and inescapable limitations? I would assume there will be prisons, if only because the private prison system is so lucrative. (Whether or not it is tuned towards prisoners accomplishing good deeds while incarcerated is another question).Also, will we need ongoing treatment for life extension or will it be a la carte service matching each person's need? It would seem a combination of treatments will be necessary. Recent articles point towards gene therapy, printed body part replacements, toxin scrubbing, and stress therapy as some of the key methods we'll use to live longer. Which brings about questions of wealth and how profit will drive the availability of life extension accessibility.The Life-GiverGood morning, Mr. Alwani. How are you today? Please lie down. Face in the hole and, wait a minute, there, some heat on your lower back. Let's see what we have. (Waves at wall to bring up Alwani's history, though he was just reviewing it before Alwani arrived)So, you've been a member in our Golden Eternity package for 14 years now, I see. A good call, sir. Your system reports are all within normal parameters. Genetic markers are clean. Mental fatigue is just a bit elevated - we'll get you into the SenseZero tank for an hour and then some meditation.Your heart rate and blood pressure are up a bit. Yes? Oh, I see. I'm sorry to hear the divorce has turned ugly. Yes, I understand it must feel like betrayal that your domestic appliances have taken her side in court. Robots, they have no soul, sir. None at all.Now, your blood tests are showing a slight elevation in C-reactive proteins. Not enough to trigger your wearables, but let's try to get them down a bit (slaps oil on Alwani's back and begins the massage)Let's get those nano-sensors in there and see what they give us. Ooh, a bit of tightness in your neck and shoulders. (A representation of Alwani's torso appears on the wall-screen as the system registers the tense areas by shading them red) Let's work that out a bit.Okay, we're getting readings. Let's see what we have. No sign of cancers. Your heart has been cleansed, so no issues there. Ah, we're getting a viral response in some tissue. Looks like you picked up something since your last visit. Oh? That's it then. Let's see your records.(Steps over to the wall and waves a few charts across the screen). Ah, here we go. Late June, I see elevated heart rate and a slight rise in body temperature. Thought that was a cold? Did you get it tested? Just the custom meds? I see. I suspect you aren't over it all just yet.(Moves back and continues the massage) Well, let's clean you up. (Uses a different oil) There, that will do it. Everything else seems relaxed. No pain in the hip? That's good. We'll keep an eye on that. If we head it off now, we can save you from a replacement in 50 years time.Okay, your system is scrubbed. Let's get some little healers in there to deal with that inflammation, get some medicine to those muscles and deal with this. (Finishes up and covers Alwani with a warm blanket) Okay, you lay there and let that heat sink in. One of the assistants will get you in a few minutes and take you to the tank. Sound good? Great. We'll check again when you're done with your mental cleansing and run some forecasts based on your recent data.I find it difficult to forecast how the wealthy might experience elevated services and, while a typical prediction is less human contact as robots take jobs, it looks as though it could go the other way with humans moving into fields where human characteristics such as empathy and sensitivity will be difficult to program into a machine. If that's is true, we might see an increase in human to human interaction with most other work automated.Still, snake oil will always exist and human-oriented systems might also be preferable to those who can afford them (providing everyone can't). Up-buying will always be an option and it will create jobs and offer a different and more humanized service than the one we're likely to find embedded in our clothes and homes in the future.My last thought is on how life extension might be misused:Forever YoungThe couple entered the office, sitting as the door shot."Good afternoon.""Thank for seeing us, doctor." This was spoken by the woman, a flawless beauty somewhere between 40 and 70. Hair, skin, posture, all perfect. Only her eyes and ears gave away her true age, the tissue in those places more difficult to repair from the type of sun damage her generation dealt with before age erasing products and services entered the market."Well, it's important that we speak about your daughter. I prefer these conversations in-person when possible, so thanks for agreeing to come to the office."The man leaned forward. "Is Sarah okay? I assume the tests results are meaningful." He's older than she, or at least appears that way. Preferring to look mature, he's allowed a bit of natural gray to tease the hair at his temples and dust the rest with "wisdom." Still, his skin and posture are that of a much younger man, or would have been 30 years before - depending on how much you could trust today's results of the anti-aging movement."Yes," the doctor turned to his left and tapped a screen on his desk. An image of their daughter appeared at the top left with a series of icons down the page. He tapped one, opening a series of results. "The concern was Sarah had quit growing and not reached certain milestones you might expect in a teen girl. Now, there can be several reasons this happened, but her gene sequence turned up no abnormalities that might explain it." He scrolled to a result and tapped it again. "According to all of her reports, she's perfectly healthy except for what we are witnessing, that her growth has pretty much halted. So, I asked for a drug screening and it came back positive for one of the more prominent anti-aging compounds on the market. It's an inhibitor designed to retard the aging function." He tapped a link on the report and an pop-up appeared, "Do either of you use Years Ago?"The parents looked at each other. The mother spoke, "No, I took it some time back, but my Age Counselor has prescribed a different system, a custom system."The father leaned back, "I've never taken that drug or any regularly. I prefer yearly updates through my doctor.""Well, I did some research and found the compound is readily available on the black market and is being used more often by children. It is printable, you see, and easy to manufacture for those who have the technology. It's a risk, because dealers  sometimes mix in other compounds that are not known to the user. Fortunately, Sarah seems clear of other toxins, so she's getting a clean version of this compound, though in pretty heavy doses." He turned back to face the, his hands folded on the desk, "She has effectively quit aging.""Well, but why?" The mother barked this out. Her perfect daughter had never been in trouble, never earned below a B+, and almost never spoke out. "Why would she do this to herself?" Leaning to the side, she covered her flawless mouth with a flawless hand, her face wrinkling in worry as if the first time it had ever wrinkled from anything.I would bet any anti-aging system would not work on children, but I also have to wonder how an anti-aging movement might impact those who still possess natural youth. It's typical that children mimic or flee the perceived errors of their parents. In an interesting parallel, the character Claudia in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles is trapped forever in the body of a young girl after being turned. Her body simply stops aging and she will remain a child until her actual death.Could age treatments lock us in at a moment in time? Would we age in between treatments? Can the effects of aging really be reversed? The issues of age will not remain that of life span or health span, but also be impacted by cosmetic uses of the system. As these treatments, however they are administered, become reality, how might they impact our lives?Please share your thoughts on how an anti-aging movement might impact society in positive and negative ways.