logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2021
40m 5s

Chasing Immortality

Science History Institute
About this episode

Since humans have been living we've also been dying—best case scenario: after eight or nine decades and plenty of good times. But we're not wholly content with that. Never have been, probably never will be.

In fact, working on how not to die is one of the most human things about us. It's occupied the minds of everyone from ancient Chinese emperors and medieval European alchemists to now, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. They think it's within sight and completely different from how this quest was approached in the past. Or is it?

Credits

Hosts: Alexis Pedrick and Elisabeth Berry Drago
Senior Producer: Mariel Carr
Producer: Rigoberto Hernandez
Audio Engineer: Jonathan Pfeffer

Up next
Oct 13
Chasing Shiny Things
Silver's Volatile History. How long have people been pinning their hopes on silver? And what makes it valuable to us? Is it just because it's shiny and pretty or do we care about its practical uses too? Join us as we go down the rabbit hole to find out how Nevada got its nickname ... Show More
48m 39s
Oct 6
The Acid Queen: An Interview with Susannah Cahalan
A conversation with the author of The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary. If you've ever read anything about the history of psychedelics, the name Timothy Leary will probably sound familiar. He was a Harvard psychologist who r ... Show More
1h 4m
Sep 28
Jersey City's Secret Water Experiment
How did a covert chemical treatment permanently change our drinking water? In 1908, two men, John L. Leal and George Warren Fuller, spent 99 days secretly constructing something that would fundamentally alter the Jersey City water supply. Their decision to add chlorine is one tha ... Show More
47m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
Living Forever
Blood transfusions, drinking gold, and chasing the fountain of youth, this week we dive into the pursuit of living forever, from ancient times to modern day.Topics covered:-How the desire to live forever has changed throughout history-Ancient and renaissance practices to achieve ... Show More
42m 41s
Jan 2018
Where’s my eternal youth? Part 1
<p>Throughout history, humans have faced the inexorable process of aging and death. We’ve dreamt up countless myths to explain why we age and what comes of seeking immortality, but what does science tell us about the process? Why do we age? What purpose does it serve in natural s ... Show More
43m 53s
Oct 2023
Who Wants To Live Forever?
Since the dawn of human history, the great leaders of civilization sought the one thing they could neither buy nor steal: immortality. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the astonishing, troubling conspiracy afoot -- the first immortal may have already been born.The ... Show More
1h 18m
Jan 2018
Where’s my eternal youth? Part 2
<p>Throughout history, humans have faced the inexorable process of aging and death. We’ve dreamt up countless myths to explain why we age and what comes of seeking immortality, but what does science tell us about the process? Why do we age? What purpose does it serve in natural s ... Show More
47m 48s
Oct 2021
The tech billionaires trying to outmanoeuvre death
The desire to live forever is as old as life itself. Now some of the world's richest people are investing heavily in the science of immortality. Could we get to a point where dying becomes optional?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and ... Show More
29m 23s
Jul 2022
Ep 101 Immortality: This Podcast Won't Kill You
<p>For what was originally going to be our 100th regular season episode, we wanted to turn the vaguely threatening title of our podcast on its head by exploring a topic that’s not about something that can kill you but rather the hows and whys of staying alive, forever. That’s rig ... Show More
1h 14m
Mar 2019
From the Vault: Eternal Youth, Part 2
Throughout history, humans have faced the inexorable process of aging and death. We’ve dreamt up countless myths to explain why we age and what comes of seeking immortality, but what does science tell us about the process? Why do we age? What purpose does it serve in natural sele ... Show More
48m 16s
Sep 2019
We're All Gonna Live Forever!
<p>Last week, we spoke with psychologist Sheldon Solomon about the fear of death and how it shapes our actions. This week, we pivot from psychology and politics to religion and history as we explore how people have tried to resolve these fears. We talk with philosopher Stephen Ca ... Show More
37m 27s
Mar 2024
What People Think About Before Death
<p>Death - it is something we will all experience. There are some patterns to what people think about, and also to the regrets they have before dying. Today we will talk about how we can change our lives to have LESS regrets, and how we can also understand what we will think abou ... Show More
57m 32s