Do We Have to Die? with Venki Ramakrishnan

About This Episode

Why do we die? Do we have to? Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and Gary O’Reilly explore the paradox of death, the science of aging, and the search for immortality with Nobel Prize-winning structural biologist Venki Ramakrishnan, author of the new book Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality.

What do we mean by death? We discuss the paradox within death: that an organism’s cells can be alive, but the organism itself could be dead. Is death a lack of brainwaves, a stopped heart, or the irreversible loss of biological coherence? You’ll learn how cells die to keep you alive, how the boundaries between life and death are fuzzier than you think, and why aging might be more like a slow unraveling than a clear biological switch.

We then dive into the cellular machinery of how proteins deteriorate, how DNA and mitochondria accumulate errors, and how senescent cells, meant to prevent cancer, can fuel inflammation and disease. Could reprogramming these cells help us reverse aging? You’ll hear about the latest in anti-aging research, from fasting and caloric restriction to rapamycin and regenerative medicine. Why don’t humans live as long as Greenland sharks, which live 500 years? We look at species that live far longer than humans, and ask: are we biologically programmed to die, or is it just a side effect of evolution focusing on reproduction over repair? Does evolution care if we die?

As we close, we explore the social consequences of longer lives. Would a world with little generational turnover be more stable or more stagnant? Can we separate what’s good for the individual from what’s good for society? And finally, from a cosmic perspective: does knowing we die give life its meaning?

Thanks to our Patrons Erick Schnell, Joey T, Nick Fortin, Karen Harbert, Jacob Kirkpatrick, Gunther Hammel, Frankie Blooding, Cynthia Maloy, Davlat Sirojitdinov, Abram Pousada, Adam Wyler, Greg Anderson, Soleful, Vlad lucha, Arvind Sridhar, thomas maigler, Morgan Wireman, Robey Neeley, Isaiah Fox, Volodymyr, BB, Eric Hilgendorf, Gabe B., Josh Emery, Devon Hen, Tiffany Alisa Boggs, Carmine Ciccone, Armstrong Manhães, Chris Sedunary, Chihiro, Roberto Medeiros, Sanaz Mitchell, Greg Wilson, Robert, Matthew Synco Sr., Meiby Yeras, Juraj Belanji, Katherine Yarbrough, Pedro, Sarah Lippert, Conor Doherty, Evgeny Semiletov, Ranjana Ranjana, Umar Cheema, ashwin patti, Grant Norman, Starry-eyed mama, Bob Rueter, Andrew, Peter Rhomberg, Brent Linford, and Dominic Consiglio for supporting us this week.

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