IS THE BRAIN THE FINAL FRONTIER?

Max Hodak, CEO of Science, discusses humanity's quest to extend life through science and technology. He notes the rapid technological progress since the Industrial Revolution but highlights healthcare as a major bottleneck. Hodak proposes sidestepping medical problems by focusing on supporting and extending the brain, offering examples like neural interfaces and retinal chips. He envisions a future where advanced technologies transform the human condition, reducing daily jeopardy and enabling new possibilities. The speaker emphasizes the potential to break dependence on biological limitations, enabling humans to adapt to extreme environments. He points out that many transformative technologies are already in use, such as brain implants and ECMO. Hodak suggests that these advancements will lead to a radically different world by 2035. The speaker predicts a future where individuals may choose digital immortality over death, and the first people to live to a thousand years old are already alive. He believes that focusing on the brain can reshape medicine and unlock new possibilities.