Too Many Questions

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.

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.