Nowadays, most of us will die from one of four things: heart disease, cancer, diabetes or dementia. And the single biggest risk factor for getting these diseases? Age itself.
The incidence of disease skyrockets for most people after the age of 65, but people who live in certain places called Blue Zones have average life spans of 10 to 15 years longer.
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One of these places is Okinawa, a string of islands in southern Japan, where living a long life is considered one of the greatest human achievements. In Okinawa, people who turn 97 even get honored with a special celebration called Kajimaya.
Dr. Makoto Suzuki has been studying the people of Okinawa to find out just what it is that allows them to fend off the effects of aging for so much longer than most.
“These people are genetically predisposed to longevity. Some families lack genes that would make them susceptible to disease,” Suzuki said. “It’s because their DNA is different.”
Like Suzuki, scientists around the world are turning to the growing field of longevity research to try to hack our metabolisms and DNA to fend off age-related illnesses.
VICE News explored the world of modern-day lifespan hacking and whether or not science can actually engineer immortality.
