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
Jun 30
The History of Clinical Trials: From Fake Exorcisms to Testing Today
Alexis Pedrick joins Sam Jones and Deboki Chakravarti to bring you an episode from Tiny Matters, an award-winning podcast from the American Chemical Society produced by Multitude. The episode, which originally aired in February 2026, explores the surprising origins and evolution ... Show More
54m 19s
Mar 2026
Agnes Pockels and the Kitchen Sink Myth
This episode is a co-production with Lost Women of Science. Agnes Pockels did pioneering work in surface science. Her invention, the Pockels Trough, became the basis for an instrument that helped Katherine Burr Blodgett and Irving Langmuir make discoveries in material science tha ... Show More
37m 28s
Sep 2025
Flemmie Kittrell and the Preschool Experiment
Alexis Pedrick joins Katie Hafner to bring you an episode from The Lost Women of Science Initiative, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to telling the forgotten or untold stories of remarkable female scientists and their groundbreaking work through history. The episo ... Show More
52m 4s
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
Dec 2023
The Blurred Line Between Life and Death
We think of life and death as clear cut — you're alive or you're not; your heart's beating or it isn't; your brain functions or it doesn't. But when you look a bit deeper, both on a biological level, and in terms of people's experiences, the border where life ends and death begin ... Show More
49m 30s