Could AI reverse ageing?

It looks like artificial intelligence has found the path to the proverbial fountain of youth. In recent news that made every crazy billionaire squeal with joy, scientists discovered that AI could hold the key to unlocking the secrets of ageing.

What sounds like a science-fiction fantasy is being made possible by a team of researchers from the University of Edinburgh. Their goal is to use AI to turn back the clock on our rotting bodies and minds.

And it seems they are on the right track with their latest breakthrough. At worst, it could combat Alzheimer's, cancer, and a host of other age-related health issues. At best, this research could cure humanity from the one sickness we all have in common: ageing.

Is immortality really possible with the help of artificial intelligence? Is this the next step in human evolution, or have we taken another bite from the forbidden fruit on the theoretical tree of knowledge?

Keep watching to find out how this revolutionary science works, and watch till the end to get those questions scratching at the back of your mind answered.

Scientists have struggled since the beginning of the 19th century to understand and reverse ageing. Now, these breakthroughs give new light to our age-old predicament.

But how exactly does it work?

Let’s take a look at why humans age so you can better understand the science of immortality.

Your body is made up of trillions of cells, each with a different function that essentially keeps you alive. These cells divide constantly; if it weren’t for this, your body wouldn’t grow, heal itself, or get rid of unwanted cells. Unfortunately, over time, these cells get damaged and stressed, eventually becoming senescent. Senescent cells are cells that can no longer divide and reproduce; these accumulate over time, leading to age-related illness.

Cells die to give life to new, healthier cells, as well as to stop cancerous cells from forming. But this accumulation of damaged cells will be what eventually puts us in the grave, so long as something else doesn’t get you first.

This is where senolytics, artificial intelligence, and anti-ageing research swoop in to save the day and possibly our futures. Senolytics are a class of drugs and chemicals that can target dead and damaged cells in the body. If anything can unlock our biological clocks, senolytics combined with artificial intelligence holds the key.

How did AI discover anti-ageing compounds?

There are thousands upon thousands of senolytic compounds out there, but there are only a handful that could possibly solve the dilemma of ageing. However, this is a massive amount of data for the human brain to comprehend, like searching for a microscopic needle in a never-ending haystack. On top of this, many senolytics can flush healthy cells along with unhealthy ones, leading to even more problems.

So, in an intense collaboration, chemists, data scientists, and biologists created an algorithm that could get the job done. They trained the algorithm on a combination of molecular dynamics, simulations that analyse the movement of atoms and molecules, and specific cell shapes and structures. This information came from the DrugAge database, a massive collection of information on chemical structures tested for lifespan extension.

Using these parameters, the AI analysed 4000 chemicals and identified 21 possible candidates for use as senolytics. The team then tested those 21 compounds on a type of translucent worm with a similar metabolism to humans. They discovered that three separate compounds had the ability to remove deteriorating cells while leaving healthy ones unaffected.

These three chemicals are ginkgetin, periplocin, and oleandrin. While all of them showed promise, oleandrin was the most potent of the bunch. These compounds exist in certain traditional herbal medicines in use today.

This next-level discovery is a big step in the right direction for age reversal and other age-related illnesses.

There are many big names backing this massive study. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh published in the journal Nature Communications and had support from the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, United Kingdom Research and Innovation, and the Spanish National Research Council. It even involved some researchers from the Alan Turing Institute.

If these compounds are as effective as the researchers hope they are, we could be seeing a cure for many age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's, vision decline, pulmonary fibrosis, atherosclerosis, and even some cancers. However, the experts agree that we have to undergo countless years of experimentation and research before we have a usable product.

This doesn’t mean it won’t have countless benefits in the present moment. This technology can now be used to effectively identify new drug candidates for diseases with complex biology.

Dr. Vanessa Smer-Barreto, the lead author from the University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Genetics and Cancer and School of Informatics, had this to say:

“Harnessing the strengths of this interdisciplinary mix, we were able to build robust models and save screening costs by using only published data for model training. I hope this work will open new opportunities to accelerate the application of this exciting technology.”

And the AI algorithm has already proven to be hundreds of times cheaper and quicker than standard screening methods.

Let’s be honest, a genuine anti-ageing drug is likely a few decades away, but this study has paved the way to a future where our children could double or triple their lifespans while still keeping the quality of life from their youth.

Debilitating diseases like Alzheimer's could become a thing of the past, and perhaps humanity could evolve to even greater heights without the clutches of death holding us back.

However, immortality is the most far-fetched possibility of this discovery. And even then, would anyone truly want to live forever?

According to the laws of nature, death is necessary to give way to new life. If we remove death from our lives completely, could life stagnate until there is nothing left?