Ep 38: Aubrey de Grey on the Quest to Reach Longevity Escape Velocity

I talk with the most iconic figure in the life extension movement, Aubrey de Grey. We discuss the current state of progress towards achieving “longevity escape velocity,” cryonics, and philosophical issues related to efforts to expand human life indefinitely.

Ep 37: Brandy Schillace on Head Transplants and Soul Searching

Brandy Schillache and I talk about her new book, Mr. Humble & Dr. Butcher: A Monkey’s Head, the Pope’s Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul. Brandy tell the extraordinary story of a doctor’s quest to transplant organs, including an entire body. Along the way we discuss Russian scientists, two headed dogs, naked brains, and the nature of consciousness itself.

Ep 36: Tim Zimmermann on Death in a Deep Black Hole

I talk with writer Tim Zimmermann about a gripping story he wrote for Outside magazine. It involves deep diving in a freshwater cave and an attempt to recover a body at the bottom. Everything about the story is extraordinary, including how it ends.