When science fiction authors take a break from cynicism and try to imagine the positive things about the potential future, advancements in medical technology are often the first item on the list. In the new era, they imagine, humanity will enjoy two or three hundred years of a healthy and active lifestyle. Longevity Treatment comes in various forms, and while the goal is always the same, the effects aren’t so similar.
One of the most intriguing things about science fiction isthat old ideas can be consistentlyput together in new ways. Unique takes on classic concepts allow authors to explore the endless domino effect of every innovation. Even something as thrilling as an extended lifespan comes with countless questions.
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Right now,the average worldwide lifespanis 73.2 years. The country with the highest average is Hong Kong, which sports a healthy 85.29 years. The United States, despite its wealth, sits at 46th place with an average of 79.11. The lowest average belongs to the Central African Republic, currently embroiled in a decade-long civil war, which has an average of 54.4 years. Longevity Treatments are the fictional scientific advancements that allow fictional future societies to get those numbers way up. These generally don’t result in immortality but can increase the lifespan by several centuries. The treatments can come in many forms. Cybernetic enhancements, chemical rejuvenation, regular organ transplants, or even vat-grown replacement bodies are common. Longevity Treatments frequently aren’t available to everyone. They can lead to a society in which the wealthy live for generations while the poor struggle to make do with their limited time.
One of the most popular Longevity Treatments is popping a foreign substance into the bloodstream and allowing it to preserve the body like the dimethylpolysiloxane in a McChicken sandwich. Frank Herbert’sDunerevolves around the all-important naturalnarcotic known as the spice melange, which can add more than 300 years to a user’s lifespan. Robert Heinlein devised a Longevity Treatment with some troubling implications. InMethuselah’s Children, he introduced the Howard families, the result of a mad millionaire’s selective breeding program that gradually genetically created long-lived children. This victory of eugenics leads the rest of humanity to feverishly research a Longevity Treatment. The result is the systematic replacement of blood and organs with lab-grown facsimiles. Various sci-fi universes feature chemical treatments with names like “prolong” and “JuvEn,” which are introduced without a full scientific explanation. Fans understand what they do without understanding how.
If chemicals don’t do the trick, machinery certainly will.Nanomachines are frequently usedto combat disease and extend the lifespan. Stephen Baxter’sXeelee Sequenceintroduced microscopic robots that constantly repaired all biological damage as it occurred. This gave humans an extra 400–500 years of life, but it typically broke down after the body suffered a terminal illness. Howard Tayler’s long-running webcomicSchlock Mercenaryfeatured “Project Laz’r’us,” which entailed nanobots so advanced that they could resuscitate the recently deceased and copy all the data in the brain. Nanomachines have long been a go-to explanation for any pseudo-magic nonsense a sci-fi author wants to use. While they weren’t explicitly designed forlongevity inMetal Gear Solid, they provide medical care and superhuman powers to that franchise’s suite of super soldiers.
One of the most engaging versions of Longevity Treatment is simply scrapping the mortal vessel and moving on to a new one. Richard K. Morgan’sTakeshi Kovacsseries imaginesa distant future in which every person’s personality is downloaded into a small device called a cortical stack at birth. When a user’s organic body dies, they can be “resleeved” into a new physical form. Tarsem Singh’s 2015 filmSelf/Lessplays with the same idea, with the unfortunate added element of the new sleeve having a personality, life, and memories of their own. Animator Don Hertzfeld’s work frequently touches on the idea of immortality.HisWorld of Tomorrowtrilogyis the best exploration of this trope ever made. The films imagine a future in which humanity has many more ways to live, but the obsession with living forever has made day-to-day existence a waking nightmare. It ends with a heartwarming message delivered by a distant clone to her four-year-old original model.World of Tomorrowcalls us to shun forever and live only in the now. Anyone with any interest in this trope or immortality in general must see these films.
Everyone is afraid of death. Most people will do whatever it takesto extend their life. As technology advances, the list of options will inevitably expand. Some unethical companies are already charging thousands for the blood of the young. When some company comes along offering chemicals, nanomachines, or new flesh as the solution for mortality, it’s up to everyone to think long and hard about the upsides and downsides. Hopefully, humanity will get one of the less complicated versions before we start getting desperate.
