It’s always surprising when we meet or hear about someone who has crossed the 100-year mark. Now, imagine a person not only reaching a century, but living for ten, a hundred, or even a thousand centuries!
It might look like something straight out of a movie. Science fiction, but according to Portuguese scientist João Pedro de Magalhães, this reality may be closer than we imagine. He strongly believes that technology could allow humans to live for up to 20,000 years.
Understand the statement from the renowned expert
Photo: Valentina Razumova/Shutterstock/Reproduction
João Pedro de Magalhães holds the position of professor of Molecular Biogerontology at the renowned University of Birmingham, located in England. He is widely recognized as a leading expert in the field of aging.
During a recent interview given to the renowned website Scientific AmericanMagellan shared his audacious vision regarding human longevity.
The key to achieving an extraordinarily long life lies in understanding and manipulating cells. He explains that our biology is governed by intricate genetic programs, similar to algorithms computers, which coordinate our development until maturity.
Magellan’s vision is not simply to extend human life, but to fundamentally reshape the way our cells mature. He believes that by deciphering the complex genetic and molecular patterns that control aging, it will be possible to intervene in a targeted way to slow or reverse the process.
Although the idea of living for 20,000 years may seem fantastic, we shouldn’t rule it out completely. The history of science is full of advances and discoveries that, in their early stages, were considered impossible.
However, it is crucial to consider the ethical, social and philosophical aspects of such advance. A human life extended over millennia would raise questions related to overpopulation, sustainability, inequality and the meaning of existence in such a prolonged context.
Ultimately, João Pedro de Magalhães’s vision challenges the conventional boundaries of human longevity, encouraging us to conceive of a future in which the limits of aging are expanded far beyond what we previously considered possible.
