Episode 2: Phony Fountains

What does a world with extreme longevity look like? What effect would it have on the population and the health of our planet? Could governments afford the increased costs for health care and social security? How do we ensure lifespan-extension drugs don’t exacerbate the longevity gap between rich and poor? And how long will it really be before the first 150 year old is born?

The animal world is full of age-related curiosities. Tiny aquatic creatures called hydras don’t age at all, while small dogs live twice as long as big ones. Pets may be the first to benefit from medicines that slow aging, which could pave the way for similar drugs for people.

Making the right choices around what we eat, how much we exercise and how we manage our stress can add a decade or more to our lives. In this episode: A science based blueprint for building your own fountain of youth.

Keith and Laura get tested to find out if they’re genetically predisposed for longevity. Another test promises to reveal their biological ages. Have stress and disease conspired to make them older than they should be? Plus, more hallmarks of aging: weakened immunity, chronic inflammation and methylation.

Scientists have identified several drugs that appear to slow aging. Some are already widely used in humans to treat other diseases. But how do you get a cure approved when regulators don’t see aging as a disease? And wouldn’t it take decades to prove the pill prolongs human lifespan? This episode explores the hits and misses on the path to a fountain-of-youth pill.

Why do we age, and how can we reverse it? We meet a researcher whose discoveries overturned everything we thought we knew about aging. We learn about the levers that cause aging to speed up or slow down. And we meet the 11-year-old scientist at the centre of it all.

Today’s aging science is built on shaky foundations, from Ponce de Leon’s legendary quest for the fountain of youth, to surgeons who transplanted monkey testicles into men. We also look at cryonics and mind-uploading -- speculative science that purports to bring people back from the dead.

Are we on the verge of medical breakthroughs that will extend healthy human life by decades? Some scientists say the first human to reach 150 years is already alive. Is it you?

If there were a pill that could add decades to your life, would you take it? Unlocking the Fountain is a podcast about the mysteries of aging and the scientific quest to slow, stop or reverse it. Hosted by Keith McArthur, coming September 28.

Bryson's family struggles with the trials of pandemic life. A death in the community underscores the need for a cure — and promising new research might make one possible.