Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the ages, is well known for his persistent pursuit of the elixir of life. He sent the priest Xu Fu to the sea in search of the legendary fairy island, hoping to obtain the elixir to achieve immortality. The huge fleet led by Xu Fu set off, but the long sea wandering did not allow him to find the legendary immortal mountain, let alone the elixir of life. In the face of Qin Shi Huang's time, Xu Fu did not go back, it is said that he drifted to Japan with a thousand boys and girls, this part is more of a legend than a conclusive historical record.
This story is not only a part of Chinese history, but also a symbol of the human desire to transcend the limits of death since ancient times. With the development of science and technology, from cryopreservation of the human body to advanced biotechnology, we seem to be approaching a realistic version of this ancient dream. But the question is, are we really getting closer to immortality?
From Qin Shi Huang's quest for immortality and medicine, to the exploration of eternal life in the epic of Gilgamesh in Mesopotamia;From the ancient Greek and Roman legends of Alexander the Great in search of the fountain of life, to the European alchemist Nicholas Flamel's quest for the philosopher's stone;From the hope of immortality in the legend of Sanggral or the Holy Grail, to the study of the Elixir of Immortality in the Renaissance Tuscanarini, stories and legends span different cultures and eras.
These stories reveal the fact that man's desire to transcend the natural boundaries of life and reach eternal life is universal and enduring . People of different cultures and historical periods have expressed the quest for immortality in different ways, whether through mythology, religion, or science. These pursuits reflect the deep thinking of human beings about the nature of life, death, and existence, as well as the unremitting search for mastering the mysteries of life.
Even in modern times, people have not stopped researching immortality, and in this context, new attempts such as cryonics have emerged. This technique, also known as cryopreservation, is the practice of cryopreserving the body of a dying patient in the hope that future medicine will cure their disease and restore life. Although it sounds like science fiction, there are already institutions such as Alcor in the United States that implement this technology, such as the cryopreservation of baseball legend Ted Williams. However, this technology has not yet solved the problem of cell damage during freezing, and there are no successful cases of resurrection. Cryonics challenges the traditional definition of life and death, and although it is still experimental, it shows the potential for future changes in medicine and technology.
In another area, Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, has shown potential in the field of medicine and assistive technology through brain-computer interface (BMI) technology that connects the brain to electronic devices. Take neuralink, for example, which has shown the application prospects of brain-computer interfaces in animal experiments, especially for people with reduced mobility. In human applications, paraplegics have been able to control electronic devices through their minds, showing their potential in neurological and cognitive enhancement. But the development of this technology raises both ethical and privacy concerns, including data security and identity, and needs to be pursued cautiously while ensuring the rights and well-being of individuals.
Therefore, although cryonics and brain-computer interfaces have attracted a lot of attention in science and popular culture as a new concept, their practical application is still unproven and controversial territory. At present, they are seen more as an exploration and hope for the future of medical possibilities than as a technology that is already viable.
In this context, prolonging life while alive has become a more practical need. After all, it is obviously happier and more realistic to live longer and delay aging through brain-computer interface connections than to try to freeze after death. The philosopher Wittgenstein once said, "Eternal life belongs to those who live in the present." Therefore, prolonging life, or slowing down aging, is clearly closer to happiness than freezing after death.
With the development of technology, some new technologies have emerged, such as Harvard University's NAD+ lifting technology (the core ingredient of the current high-net-worth user's widely used anti-aging supplement Schginer), Mayo Clinic's Senolytics (which can specifically remove senescent cells), and Oxford's stem cell activation technology (which can promote the regeneration of damaged tissue). Stem cells**, although expensive, have become a reality in some of the top hospitals. The Senolytics technology has not yet formed into a full-fledged product, but the NAD+ technology of Professor D**ID Sinclair of Harvard University has achieved substantial results.
In 2013, he discovered a NAD+ precursor that enhances the self-healing ability of senescent cells, extending the lifespan of mice by 30% and making them appear younger. Sinclair himself took the substance, and six months later blood tests showed that his biological age had reversed (from 50 to 30). Subsequently, this experiment was confirmed by scientific research institutions such as Harvard University, and in 2018, a mature product Schginer was mass-produced. Under the promotion of Warren Buffett's leading businessmen, Shijiner has become a high-speed and popular anti-aging technology, and it has also become popular from Europe and the United States to JD.com, China.
It is well known that Qin Shi Huang did not find the elixir of life and ended up sleeping next to Lishan Mountain, and although most of the intellectuals are keen on reversing aging technology, some scientists remain optimistic about the prospects of cryonics. O'Briy Gray, chief scientist at Sens Research in the United States, who focuses on the prevention of aging diseases, said that in the future, cryonics and resurrection surgery may be as common as a cold or a broken bone, "It's not as scary or bizarre as people think, it's just a medical treatment designed to provide another ** option for people with serious diseases."
At a cryonics facility in Michigan, Chairman Dennis Kowalski has signed a cryonics agreement with his family. This agency not only provides members with such an option, but also encourages their family members to get involved, offering discounts for members' spouses and free services for minor children. "We do recommend that family members get involved," Kowalski stressed. However, Schginer's high demand also reflects a reality: many people prefer to spend precious time with their families in their lifetimes.