How the search for longer life could be ‘catastrophic’ for our planet: Attempts to lengthen lifespans will put too much pressure on resources – and could cause humanity to go EXTINCT, expert claims

For centuries, eternal life has been a common pursuit for women and men around the world.

To this day, tech tycoons like Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman invest in startups that aim to reverse aging by making modifications to animal cells.

While this sounds like a wonderful new era of carefree living, one expert has questioned whether or not it’s a good idea.

Dr Stephen Cave, a philosopher at the University of Cambridge, said extending human lifespan would be “absolutely disastrous”.

He claims that attempts to radically extend life would put too much pressure on Earth’s resources, and could mean humanity’s sooner extinction.

Dr. Cave and American philosopher John Martin Fisher are the authors of a new book, “Should You Choose to Live Forever?”, which discusses whether “it is wise to desire immortality.”

Dr Cave said: “Never before in human history has this amount of money and this amount of talent been spent trying to solve the problem of aging.” times.

“If you think that the planet has already reached, or perhaps even exceeded, its carrying capacity for humans — if you look at the destruction of biodiversity, habitat loss, climate change and so on — then clearly this could be absolutely catastrophic.”

The academic said technological progress has already doubled over the past 300 years or so, from 40 years to 80 years, so perhaps it could double again.

Dr. Cave also believes it is possible that the technology needed to extend human life will be so expensive that only the wealthy can afford it, leading to a “terrible scenario” in which money could be the difference between life and death.

The expert leads the new Cambridge Institute for Technology and Humanity, which aims to explore how technological advances – including attempts to extend lifespan – impact society.

He told MailOnline: ‘I’m not arguing that we shouldn’t be working on life-extension (or other) technologies, but we’re just not ready for them right now.’

“We must invest as much in thinking about the consequences and ensuring these transitions go well, as we do in the technology itself.”

This age-old question remains more relevant than ever, with billions of dollars currently being poured into anti-aging research.

For example, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has invested in a company called Altos Labs, which wants to develop technology that can reverse the human aging process.

Atlos Labs has raised at least $270m (£215m) to look into the possibility of reprogramming cells to turn back the clock in animals, including humans.

The company is headquartered in California, but also has offices at the Cambridge Science Institute in the UK, which opened in July last year.

Bezos has also invested in California company Unity Biotechnology, which is developing drugs that are said to cleanse the body of aging and dying cells.

Meanwhile, Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI, this year invested $180 million in Retro Biosciences, which states its goal is to add 10 years to a healthy human lifespan.

Some experts believe that humans could become immortal early in the next decade, although this could be considered wishful thinking.

Ray Kurzweil, a former Google engineer, said that humans will achieve immortality in just eight years thanks to technology that can cure diseases.

According to Kurzweil, nanobots – small robots that can enter the human body – will be able to repair damaged cells and tissues that deteriorate as the body ages, and make us immune to cancer and other diseases.

Earlier this year, scientists at Harvard University said that human lifespan could be extended with an anti-aging injection within five years.

Their experimental treatment successfully regenerated cells in mice, helping them live longer, while reducing frailty and promoting heart and lung health.

It is hoped that the findings will lead to treating humans in the same way, enhancing their ability to resist disease by making them biologically younger.