Tech billionaires and the quest for immortality

For January’s Mortal Musings, we’re exploring the tension between extending life and actually living it.

Welcome to Mortal Musings—our monthly roundup of what’s sparking inspiration, contemplation, and shifts of perspective in the realm of life, death, and impermanence. We hope you enjoy!

Billionaire Bryan Johnson is a man on a mission: to outsmart aging and death. The new Netflix documentary Don’t Die gives us a glimpse into his relentless pursuit of longevity, but beneath the lab results and biohacking routines, there’s something deeply unsettling—yet undeniably human—about his quest. He’s poured his fortune into reversing aging, but what he really seems to be chasing is control: over his body, his time, maybe even his past. First, he devoted himself to religion. Then came the all-consuming grind of building a billion-dollar startup, followed by cycles of overwork, fast food, and burnout. Now, he’s turned that same obsessive drive toward optimizing every cell in his body. Watching Don’t Die, I couldn’t help but wonder: when does self-optimization become just another form of addiction? And if death gives life its urgency, what happens when you try to erase it? Love him or hate him, this documentary is worth a watch—not because it has all the answers, but because it forces us to confront the questions we’d rather avoid. YOUTUBE

If Don’t Die is about the extreme pursuit of longevity, Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia is its more grounded counterpart—focused not just on living longer, but on making those extra years worth it. Attia argues that modern medicine treats aging all wrong, waiting for disease to strike instead of preventing it in the first place. His book lays out a science-backed approach to extending healthspan through exercise, nutrition, sleep, and emotional well-being. But here’s a simpler longevity hack: reading. A Yale study found that people who read at least 3.5 hours a week live, on average, 23 months longer than non-readers. That’s a 20% reduction in mortality from an activity you can do in bed. So, whether you pick up Outlive or any other book, one thing is clear—reading might just help you outlive the rest of us. OUTLIVE

What If Death Isn’t the End? We tend to think of life and death as opposites—but science is proving that the boundary might be blurrier than we think. Researchers have discovered a “third state” of existence, where cells in a dead organism continue functioning, sometimes gaining new abilities. Frog skin cells can reorganize into living machines called xenobots, and human lung cells can self-assemble into microscopic healers known as anthrobots. Even more unsettling? Scientists have partially revived pig organs after death, restoring cell activity in hearts, livers, kidneys, and even brain tissue. If parts of us keep adapting and changing long after we’re declared dead, does that mean death is less of an end—and more of a transformation? And if science continues to blur the lines, would you still want to live forever, knowing that what comes after might be something entirely new? EARTH

What If Aging Is More Flexible Than We Think? At 70, Richard Morgan picked up a rowing habit. At 93, he has the heart, muscles, and lungs of a 40-year-old. Scientists studying him found that his dedication to strength training, cardio, and a protein-rich diet has kept his body biologically decades younger than his actual age. But maybe the real secret to longevity isn’t just about living longer—it’s about living deeper. For Morgan, that means spending his time doing something he loves: rowing. WASHINGTON POST

Immortality might sound great—until you watch Altered Carbon. In this Netflix Sci-fi, death is optional—for the rich, at least. Consciousness is stored in "stacks" and transferred into new bodies, allowing the wealthy to live indefinitely while the poor struggle in borrowed flesh. But the show makes one thing clear: immortality isn’t just about extending life, it’s about what you lose in the process. When you have endless time, passion fades. Achievements feel hollow. Moments lose their meaning. The oldest beings in Altered Carbon are detached, twisted, or utterly depraved. And while this is science fiction, it’s not that far from reality—today, wealth already determines who gets to live longer, thanks to better healthcare, cutting-edge treatments, and the luxury of time to focus on longevity. Watching this show made me never want to live forever—and honestly, never want anyone else to, either. YOUTUBE

What’s been sparking death contemplation for you these days? We’d love to hear about it—send a link our way, and it just might end up in a future edition. And if this newsletter resonated with you, don’t forget to like, comment, or share it with someone who might appreciate it too.

— Maura