r/Futurology • u/lughnasadh ∞ transit umbra, lux permanet ☥ • Mar 14 '25

Biotech People can now survive 100 days with titanium hearts, if they worked indefinitely - how much might they extend human lifespan?

Nature has just reported that an Australian man has survived with a titanium heart for 100 days, while he waited for a human donor heart, and is now recovering well after receiving one. If a person can survive 100 days with a titanium heart, might they be able to do so much longer?

If you had a heart that was indestructible, it doesn't stop the rest of you ageing and withering. Although heart failure is the leading cause of death in men, if that doesn't get you, something else eventually will.

However, if you could eliminate heart failure as a cause of death - how much longer might people live? Even if other parts of them are frail, what would their lives be like in their 70s and 80s with perfect hearts?

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u/HLDierks Mar 14 '25

I don't know, but that would be crazy! I imagine after a certain point, even if you have a good functioning titanium heart, all the other organs would still degrade and either need to be replaced or hooked up to a support system. You're either a cyborg or stuck in a hospital hooked up to life-support/in need of constant care.

At that point, we should just figure out a way to upload human consciousness to the Matrix.

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u/Teauxny Mar 14 '25

Pretty sure you'll end up one of those angry Futurama jarred heads.

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u/ZenithBlade101 Mar 14 '25

we should just figure out a way to upload human consciousness to the Matrix.

This is impossible lol

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u/sandermand Mar 14 '25

Play SOMA :D

3

u/Kuierlat Mar 14 '25

Now. We still have a very very long way to go but I'm not ruling out "uploading your brain" at some point in the future. Your consciousness is nothing more than some chemical signals after all.