The World in 2030

The World in 2030 289
that if he can just remain healthy for another fifteen years
he may arrive at a point at which science can offer him age
reversal and a greatly extended youthful life?
Kurzweil and his writing partner Dr. Grossman are not
alone in believing that human longevity is soon going to
be extended significantly. James Canton is another noted
American futurist who sees dramatic possibilities being
offered by medicine of the future. Writing in his book ‘The
Extreme Future’ he predicts:
Longevity scientists that I have met are unlocking the
secrets of age embedded in our genes, and as organ
replacement and stem-cell research frontiers are being
crossed, I forecast that the era of longer living,
beyond one hundred years of age, will become common
within ten years and be considered a birthright
by 2025, due to Longevity Medicine. 511
These projections sound almost too fantastic to be true but,
after weighing the science and reviewing all available evidence,
I too have come to the conclusion that both rejuvenation
therapies and life extension will become possible for humans
in the 21 st century. But I am not convinced by the timescale
suggested by Mssrs. Kurzweil, Grossman and Canton, nor
by the simplistic dream of wanting to ‘live forever’.
Futurologists study trends and it is clear that human
longevity has steadily, but quite significantly, begun to
increase without the help of specific rejuvenation treatments.
In a paper entitled ‘Emergence of Super Centenarians in Low
Mortality Countries’, Dr. Jean-Marie Robine of INSERM,