Death and Cake

Imagine sitting down with a group of strangers to discuss your mortality. Sound terrifying? It shouldn’t be. Jools Barsky and Susan Barsky Reid lead a global movement called Death Cafe, which offers non-judgmental spaces for people to share their thoughts and feelings about death. Mangesh had a wonderfully life-affirming conversation with them about the legacy of their brother and son Jon Underwood, Death Cafe’s founder; the ways in which death conversations help us make the most of our lives; and why cake is really, really important. Visit the Death Cafe website Find a Death Cafe event near you Try an easy snacking cake recipe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Philosopher John Fischer thinks you should want to live forever…but not so you can see the stars or run your start-up forever. He thinks you should choose life because living can bring so much joy. And that made his argument for living forever the one Mangesh found most compelling…compelling enough that he wanted to share their conversation in this mini-episode with you, our favorite longevinauts.  John Martin Fischer is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at University of California, Riverside. You can read his extended (and much more high-minded) debate with our favorite longevity curmudgeon, Stephen Cave, in their book: Should You Choose to Live Forever: A Debate from Routledge Press. Read about near-death experiences and other touches with immortality in John’s study for the Templeton Foundation: The Science of Immortality. Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life by John Gray Special thanks to Botany for the score.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of his longevity journey, Mangesh struggles to make sense of the growing belief that death can—or should—be optional. He spends time with death doula Alua Arthur, who explains how accepting mortality allows people to live with purpose, and meets a longevity researcher whose tidy economic models are complicated by a tragic loss in her own life. Then, as he weighs the optimism of young longevinauts with the fear of losing what makes us human, he confronts the question he’s really been asking all along.   Watch Alua Arthur’s TED Talk and learn more about Going with Grace Check the Aevitas House events calendar Read Chloe Mango’s newsletter, Chloe’s Lab Notes Learn more about Starsuit, Owen Zoyt’s next-gen spacesuit Check out Bishoy Tadros’s books, podcast, and coaching Visit the Why Philanthropy Matters website and read Rhodri Davies’ essay on longevity Explore Raiany Romanni-Klein’s work on longevity, ethics, and economics Special thanks to Azadi Records and Bliss Samsa for their beautiful tracks, and Botany for the score.  Episode collage art by Vahini Shori.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Because the vast majority of longevity research is based on white people, Mangesh asks the question, what about HIS body? He talks with a Yale researcher from Delhi who explains how centuries of colonialism have shaped South Asian epigenetics, leading to stark inequalities—and more big questions. And then, Mangesh heads to India, where he subjects himself to high-tech services at a biohacking lab and visits a traditional ayurvedic clinic. Back home in New York, his mom reflects on life after loss, and how much longer she really wants to live. Plus: Mangesh’s teenage son explains looksmaxxing and rates his dad’s face. Learn more about Raghav Sehgal’s longevity research Check out Reverse Infinity and Shree Shanti Wellness in Goa Try a recipe for pani puri  Listen to the BBC audio documentary 3 Million, about the Bengal famine Special thanks to Azadi Records and Bliss Samsa for their beautiful tracks, and Botany for the score.  Episode collage art by Vahini Shori.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The game’s afoot! Many powerful people—from world leaders to Silicon Valley billionaires—have been whispering about the possibility of living forever via organ replacement. But is their dream a reality, or is it still in the realm of sci-fi? Mangesh learns about Vladimir Putin’s longevity obsession from an exiled Russian journalist, spends an illuminating afternoon with a white-hat hacker, and meets a scientist who’s rebuilding brains, one cell at a time. Finally, he tracks down the co-founder of a mysterious start-up that’s rumored to be doing things no one ever thought possible… until now. Read Proekt’s coverage of Putin’s health, and Foreign Policy on death rates for Russian soldiers  Read Nakoa Po’s Sundial Therapeutics Substack Support your local library Visit R3 Bio’s website, and read coverage in Wired and MIT Technology Review Special thanks to Azadi Records and Bliss Samsa for their beautiful tracks, and Botany for the score.  Episode collage art by Vahini Shori.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a crossover episode! Skyline Drive: How to Live Forever x Part-Time Genius join forces to take on Blue Zones—like Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; or Sardinia, Italy—places said to hold the secret of longer, healthier life. But what makes them so special—and why are they blue?!?!?  (Spoiler, it has nothing to do with the ocean.) Is their longevity power real or just a myth? And why did the researchers who started it all have a falling-out that might just last a hundred years, too?  We’ll be back with a new HTLF episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, subscribe to Part-Time Genius wherever you get your podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a whirlwind trip to the Bay Area, Mangesh reconnects with a childhood friend who’s experimenting with new ways to optimize his health. Then, he heads to the heart of San Francisco to meet the investors, startup founders, tinkerers, and biopunks who are taking longevity science into their own hands. Plus: Skyline Drive’s first-ever musical number, about the bizarre Honduran charter city of Próspera. Read more about Próspera from Wired and Bloomberg Visit the Frontier Tower website Check out Elliot Roth’s work Learn more about Illumicell Learn more about Muse Bio Listen to more of David Nagler’s music Check out Allie Oops on Tiktok Special thanks to Azadi Records and Bliss Samsa for their beautiful tracks, and Botany for the score.  Episode collage art by Vahini Shori.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to “mortality curmudgeon” Dr. Stephen Cave, humans have been inventing stories about immortality since the beginning of time. On a quest to unravel some of these myths, Mangesh finds himself wrestling with a literal fountain of youth in Chicago, playing left-handed tennis with an ambidexterity expert in San Diego, and discovering the Greek way of life with an old friend from last season. Plus: Meet Mr. Wonderful.   Watch Stephen Cave’s TED Talk and get his book, Immortality: The Quest to Live Forever and How It Drives Civilization Check out Jim Houliston’s website, AmbiLife, and learn more about Ambidex Fitness  Check out George Aivaliotis’s comedy on Instagram   Special thanks to Azadi Records and Bliss Samsa for their beautiful tracks, and Botany for the score.  Episode collage art by Vahini Shori.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mangesh hops a train to Boston, where he tries on a special suit that turns him into an 80-year-old, discovers the connection between elderly worms and high-end longevity supplements, and meets a scientist who’s growing brains in petri dishes (when she’s not throwing dance parties for mice). Plus: What really happened to Ted Williams’ frozen head? Learn more about AGNES and Joe Coughlin’s work at the MIT AgeLab Learn more about William Mair’s work with the Harvard Healthy Aging Initiative  Read Lenny Guarante’s research on SIR2 and the mechanisms of aging Watch Li-Huei Tsai’s TED Talk about treating Alzheimer’s with light and sound, and learn more about the MIT Aging Brain Initiative  Special thanks to Azadi Records and Bliss Samsa for their beautiful tracks, and Botany for the score.  Episode collage art by Vahini Shori. CORRECTION FOR THIS WEEK: Lenny was contacted by Sequoia, and a then-Sequoia partner is the co-founder and CEO of Elysium, but Sequoia is not an Elysium investor. The company is backed by other venture capital firms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When an astrologer tells Mangesh that he’ll (probably) die early, he takes it in stride. But his family and friends (not to mention all the Don’t Die longevity influencers on his FYP) feel differently… and besides, if science can keep his brain sharp and his tennis game strong for longer, why not take advantage? So he visits Dr. Nir Barzelai, the world’s leading aging researcher, and Dr. Ron Primas, an elite longevity doctor, to figure out what he should do. Plus: A chat with Ken Reid from TV Guidance Counselor about age in pop culture, from the Golden Girls to “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” Disclosure: The experts we spoke with want to be clear that although they have some minor quibbles with Bryan Johnson, they’re grateful for the fact that he’s started the conversation on longevity. Any insinuation that he’s got weird vibes is ours. Listen to Ken Reid’s podcast, TV Guidance Counselor Learn more about Nir Barzelai’s Longevity Genes Project and his book, Age Later Learn more about Ron Primas’s longevity and concierge medicine practice Read Cynthia Kenyon’s groundbreaking 1993 study of worm longevity Check out the Ray Kurzweil Library Special thanks to Azadi Records and Bliss Samsa for their beautiful tracks, and Botany for the score.  Episode collage art by Vahini Shori.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.