A reality check on longevity: Mark Hamalainen’s plan to solve aging - Episode 7

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There are countless reasons to admire Mark Hamalainen, and one of them is his brutal honesty. While many longevity influencers confidently declare that longevity escape velocity and indefinite lifespans are just around the corner, you won’t get such easy assurances from Mark.

That’s because, and this might seem counterintuitive at first, he’s one of the most deeply committed advocates for solving aging that I’ve encountered. Mark, a former director of science at Synthego and a former researcher at SENS Research Foundation (Aubrey de Grey has called him his protégé), has dedicated over two decades to tackling humanity’s greatest challenge.

You see, Mark's honesty doesn't stem from pessimism, but from a deep commitment to reality-based thinking. His mission isn’t driven by hype but by a relentless pursuit of tangible progress in the fight against aging.

I first met Mark at the Longevity Biotech Fellowship (LBF) retreat in Sweden in January 2024, where I had the opportunity to witness his vision and dedication firsthand. It left a lasting impression, not only on me but likely on everyone who attended. Here was someone who wasn’t just dreaming about a future where aging is solved - he was meticulously planning it, working hard to remove the roadblocks that stand in the way.

His work with the LBF, the Longevity Acceleration Roadmap, and his broader efforts in the longevity community are all about taking concrete, actionable steps toward a future where the passing of time is not a death sentence - all the while knowing that this goal is one of the most complex challenges humanity has ever faced.

In this episode, Mark discusses several key strategies that he believes are essential to making real progress. These include advancing bioengineering to gain precise control over biological processes, developing comprehensive data sets to better understand aging at a molecular level, and exploring visionary ideas like the replacement strategy. He also highlights the potential of biostasis and cryopreservation as a last resort, potentially offering a way to preserve life until future technologies can fully reverse aging.

So, while Mark may not offer the easy assurances that some in the longevity space do, he offers something far more valuable: a realistic and deeply informed plan of action, a commitment to truth over convenience, and above all, a profound hope that by facing the realities of aging head-on, we can one day overcome them.

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00:00 Introduction to Mark Hamalainen
03:38 Mark’s childhood and discovering The Mars Trilogy
09:20 Meeting Aubrey de Grey and starting at SENS
13:25 Meeting Mark at the Longevity Biotech Fellowship retreat
15:36 Longevity Biotech Fellowship and bottlenecks to progress
19:43 The big bottleneck: a lack of data
27:37 The Hallmarks of aging is not a theory of aging
31:18 The information theory of aging: probably not all there is to it
34:43 The limitations of partial reprogramming
39:52 The technical plan to solve aging
45:28 The three categories in the technical plan roadmap
47:30 Advanced bioengineering
50:44 Why small molecules are not welcome in the roadmap
52:27 Can next-gen Crispr tech help us?
55:38 Revisiting the limitations of small molecules
58:42 The astronomical cost of the advanced bioengineering path
1:01:46 Would artificial general intelligence speed things up?
1:09:36 The replacement strategy
1:13:58 Weirded out by the idea of replacement
1:19:26 Jean Hebert’s book and importance for the replacement strategy
1:20:58 How to attach a non sentient clone to your brain
1:34:19 When Reason didn’t see to reason
1:35:43 Going beyond what Aubrey de Grey started
1:37:44 How has the longevity field reacted to the technical plan?
1:41:36 Is Mark going to be cryopreserved?
1:47:14 The question is not if we’re going to solve aging, but when
1:50:30 How to get in touch with Mark

[garyoliverMD]

Another excellent discussion on aging and longevity with Mark Hamalainen, a longevity scientist on a world class level. His views, agree or not, at the very least should be strongly considered by all as they are well researched, insightful, brave, and honest to a level exceeding most ivy league professors.

[joecool]

What about the trim trials and the trim X trials that are successful

[max_AT]

can you please pay more attention to the sound volume balance, i am already at max volume and i still cant understand the 3rd guy (left bottom).

[JoakimVesterlund]

Yo, i think we might be missing some links in the video description:)

[michaelvescovo]

what about bioelectricity? surely that should be on the roadmap also.