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GoogleAndTranshumanism

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Introduction... Transhumanism. Eh?

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Transhumanism is a quasi-religious belief that technology is the only way to “save” humanity. A small Transhumanist elite from the Silicon Valley believes Earth’s resources should be invested to merge humans and machines (Elon Musk’s Neuralink builds chips to inplant in our skulls) or go to Mars. Google, through its sister-company Calico, is now one of the first funder of transhumanism.

Google is super secretive about its anti-aging research. No one knows why. - Julia Belluz - Vox - 2017

One of the biggest and most profitable companies in the world has taken an interest in aging research, with about as much funding as NIH’s entire budget for aging research, yet it’s remarkably opaque. Google also prides itself for being a leader on transparency and for its open culture. And we’re living in a time when the norms in science, particularly biomedical science, are centered around openness and data sharing. But these values have somehow eluded Calico.

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/4/27/15409672/google-calico-secretive-aging-mortality-research

Understanding Calico: Larry Page, Google Ventures, and the quest for immortality - Ben Popper, TheVerge, 2013

There is another, more practical reason why Google is increasingly interested in life sciences. The study of life science is increasingly about genetics, and genetics is becoming a question of computing power and machine learning. While the amount of venture capital funding flowing into the life sciences has dropped precipitously since 2008, Google Ventures has been one of the few Silicon Valley investors expanding its stake in this area. .../...

But as Google pushes further in the direction of radical life extension, it will likely incite a heated debate. Skeptics point out that without aging humanity may face a crisis of overpopulation, or at least an enormous imbalance between productive members of the workforce and older citizens eager for retirement. Anti-aging work also highlights the question of how best to dedicate resources to the acute illnesses that can take young lives, or the universal problem of aging.

https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/19/4748594/understanding-calico-larry-page-google-ventures-and-the-quest-for

Can Human Mortality Really Be Hacked? - Smithsonian - June 2017

The secretive Calico was established by Google, in collaboration with Apple chairman Arthur Levinson, to tackle the problem of aging.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/human-mortality-hacked-life-extension-180963241/