What does it mean for all of us when death is treated as a glitch and Silicon Valley invests in the “science” of eternal life?

From the epic of Gilgamesh to the alchemy of the philosopher’s stone, humanity’s eternal quest for immortality – and its rejuvenation tricks, therapies, and tinctures – has always been our most mortal endeavor.

But now the giants of invention and investment are building a fountain of youth of their own creation: one they not only engineer but also own and control. Death is simply their next problem to solve, an expression of hubris that regards humans as appliances to be fixed and machines to be upgraded. By harnessing technology to ‘cure’ aging, and funding cutting-edge – and often controversial – research, today’s immortalists are locked in an arms race to profit from longevity.

What was once a wild west of experimentation has found its way into Washington’s corridors of power. Award-winning broadcaster and academic Aleks Krotoski journeys from cult fringes to the heartlands of government to meet the moguls, effective altruists, geroscientists, and entrepreneurs who are disrupting death. Along the way, she encounters radical life extensionists transfusing their teenage son’s blood, transhumanists who want to upload consciousness to the cloud, biohackers selling AI-powered wellness apps, and billionaire kingmakers building brand-new nations.

This sharp investigation asks: do we really want a handful of Silicon Valley power brokers to be the architects of our forever?

Pages: 320, Dimensions: 15.6x15.6cm