>>> PRODUCTION FUNDING FOR QED WITH DR. B IS PROVIDED BY -- >> WE WILL HIT A GOAL OF A MILLION STUDENTS A YEAR TO IMPACT AROUND THE COUNTRY.

>> AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER FOUNDATION.

FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE.

AND BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.

>> I'M SCIENTIST AND PRESIDENT AND COO.

WELCOME TO QED WITH DR. B.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SCIENCE.

>> TODAY WE'RE TALKING HOW EXPERTS ARE STUDYING HOW WE GROW OLD.

THAT NARRATIVE IS RADICALLY CHANGING BECAUSE THE PROCESS IS UNPREDICTABLE.

>> YOU ARE RIGHT.

SO MANY FACTORS ARE INVOLVED.

EDUCATION AND LIFESTYLE AND FAMILY.

WE ARE SCRATCHING THE SURFACE OF UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS.

IT IS A PROCESS OF DISCOVERY.

>> LATER ON, WE WILL LOOK AT SUPERAGERS.

THOSE ARE PEOPLE WHO AGE WELL.

WE WILL TALK ABOUT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO INCREASE HOW WE AGE.

FIRST, DR. B., WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE BODY AS WE AGE?

>> GREAT QUESTION.

IT ALL STARTS WITH DNA.

FOR MORE ON THAT, I TALKED TO DR. NAUSICA ARNOULT.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MOLECULAR CELLULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER.

>> BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, WE NEED DEFINITIONS.

WHAT IS A TELOMERES?

>> THE TELOMERES ARE THE ENDS OF THE CHROMOSOMES.

YOU ALL HAVE THE LITTLE THINGS THAT LOOK LIKE PROCESSES AND CHROMOSOMES AND WE HAVE 23 AND EVERY CELL HAS THAT AND AT THE END OF THE CHROMOSOME CELLS, THE FLAG IS PROTECTIVE STRUCTURE AND YOU SEE THE THING ON THE SHOE LACE TO AVOID IT FROM FALLING APART.

THAT IS WHAT TELOMERES ARE FOR THE CHROMOSOMES.

THE DNA IS A MANUAL FOR THE CELLS TO FUNCTION.

IT HAS ALL OF THE INFORMATION ON HOW TO FUNCTION IN THAT MANUAL.

IT MAKES A COPY OF THE MANUAL.

THE COPY OF THAT WHICH THE CELLS USE TO DO THAT CANNOT COMPETE IN THE FIRST PAGE AND LAST PAGE.

EACH TIME IT IS COPIED, YOU REPEAT THE FIRST PAGE AND LAST PAGE.

THERE HAVE BEEN BLANK PAGES ADDED SO YOU WILL NOT LOSE INFORMATION.

SO IT IS REALLY DNA WITH INFORMATION AND THAT IS THE MANUAL.

>> WHAT DOES THAT HAVE THAT TO DO WITH AGING?

>> IT HAS TO DO WITH AGING BECAUSE THE CELL IS USING THAT TO MEASURE HOW MANY TIMES IT HAS MOVED.

YOU SEE THE MANUAL WITH THE FIRST AND LAST PAGE, BUT THE COPIER MAKES ERRORS.

AS YOU GROW, THE MANUAL IS NOT AS ACCURATE ANYMORE.

YOU CANNOT COPY THAT MANUAL AND IMAGINE THAT WHEN YOU REMOVE THOSE BLANK PAGES, AT SOME POINT ON THE PAGE, IT SAYS STOP.

WE REACHED TOO MANY COPIES.

WE ARE GOING TO STOP HERE.

THOSE CELLS THAT HAVE REACHED THAT MANY COPIES OF THAT DNA STOP DIVIDING AND BECOME SENTICENT.

AS WE AGE, WE ACCUMULATE THE CELLS AND THOSE FUNCTION AS WELL.

>> WHAT SPECIFICALLY DO THE BLANK PAGES DO THAT MAKES IT AGE AND MAKES IT DO TO SLEEP?

>> DNA BREAKS.

THIS IS SEEN AS A BIG PROBLEM IN OUR CELLS THAT LEADS TO A SIGNAL THOSE BREAKS.

THEY ARE THE END OF THE CHROMOSOMES, ARE THE TELOMERES, THEY TELL THE CELLS THIS IS NOT BROKEN DNA, IT SHOULD NOT BE SEEN AS DAMAGE, BUT WHEN IT BECOMES SHORTER, IT LOSES CAPACITY TO PREVENT THE DNA DAMAGE SIGNALING.

THEN THEY ARE BEING SEEN AS DNA DAMAGE AND THAT SENDS THE SIGNAL TO THE CELL TO STOP DIVIDING.

>> THAT HAPPENS WHEN THE TELOMERES STOP DIVIDING.

>> YEAH.

>> WE HEAR IN THE NEWS TO KEEP THE TELOMERES FROM SHORTENING.

TO GENES AND EXERCISE AND CREAMS TO COPY OUR TELOMERES FROM SHORTENING.

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IS FACT AND FICTION?

>> YES, IN GENERAL, AS OF NOW, WE DO NOT HAVE SOMETHING THAT WOULD SAFELY LENGTHEN YOUR TELOMERES.

THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO IS HAVE A MORE HEALTHY LIFE.

THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN.

ANYTHING THAT IS A CREAM, DRUG THAT PRETENDS TO LENGTHEN YOUR TELOMERES, I WOULD BE EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS.

IN GENERAL, IF IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT IS.

BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME VERY SERIOUS STUDIES ABOUT WHAT COULD TELOMERES TO SHORTEN FASTER.

YOU REALLY HAVE TWO THINGS ABOUT TELOMERES LENGTH WHICH IS HOW MUCH YOU INHERITED AT BIRTH OF TELOMERES LENGTH.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE LONGER TELOMERES THAN OTHERS.

THEN HOW MUCH YOU DECREASE OR AGE.

STRESS IS VERY HIGH STRESS WHICH WILL INCREASE TELOMERES OR LEAD TO A HEALTHY LIFE.

WE ALL KNOW WE SHOULD LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE.

IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR TELOMERES WITH EXERCISE AND REDUCE STRESS AND GOOD EATING HABITS AND NO DRINKING.

>> IF WE PREVENT THAT ARTIFICIALLY, IS THERE A NEGATIVE EFFECT THERE?

>> YES.

THERE ARE DOWN SIDES BECAUSE THE DEFINITION OF THE CANCER CELL IS A CELL THAT KEEPS DIVIDING NO MATTER ITS ENVIRONMENT AND TO DO THAT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE CELL NEEDS TO DO IS ELONGATE TELOMERES.

MAINTAIN LENGTH.

>> WE ARE STUCK IN THIS ROCK AND HARD PLACE.

ON THE ONE HAND, YOU WANT TO SLOW THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF AGING AND HOW THE TELOMERES DECREASE.

IF WE DO THAT, OR MAKE THEM INCREASE, THAT CAN LEAD TO CANCER.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE WITH UNDERSTANDING TELOMERES?

>> SO, I THINK WE NEED TO FUTURE TO LEAD TO FIRST LOOK AT TELOMERES IN CANCER SELLS THAT ELONGATE THEM AS A TARGET TO CANCER CELLS.

THE OTHER THING IS FIND THE BALANCE TO NOT MAKE IT LENGTHEN BECAUSE THAT WOULD NOT BE GOOD.

HAVE YOUR TELOMERES CHECK AND NOT DECREASE TOO FAST TO INCREASE YOUR HEALTH.

>>> IT SEEMS SIMPLE.

A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE SHOULD LIMIT OUR TELOMERES FROM SHORTENING.

AS DR. ARNOULT SAID THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN THAT.

>> RIGHT, THE STUDY IS NEW AND INVOLVES MANY DISCIPLINES.

LET'S LOOK AT SUPERAGERS.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT, WE WENT TO THE BEST EXPERT IN THE COUNTRY.

DR. EMILY ROGALSKI PROFESS OFF OF COGNITIVE RESEARCH AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY.

>> YOU STUDY SUPERAGERS.

WHAT IS A SUPERAGER?

>> IT STARTED WITH THE AGING, MOST OF THE TIME IT IS BAD.

WHAT IS GOING WRONG OR CHANGES IN THE EYE SIGHT OR HAIR TURNING GRAY OR FALLING OUT OR OTHER EXTERNAL CHANGES.

WE KNOW THERE ARE CHANGES INSIDE THE BODY AND MEMORY PERFORMANCE.

WHILE THAT IS TRUE ON AVERAGE, MOST PEOPLE CAN ALSO SAY, GOSH, YOU WOULD NEVER BELIEVE MY AUNT OR UNCLE OR NEIGHBOR.

THEY ACT LIKE THEY'RE IN THEIR 30s.

THAT WAS THE PREMISE OF THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO AGE AT DIFFERENT RATES OR TRAJECTORIES.

FOR SCIENTISTS, WE WANT RULES AND GUIDELINES.

WE DEFINE SUPERAGERS AS PEOPLE WHO ARE OVER AGE 80.

THAT MEANS THEY ARE THE BIGGEST RISK FOR MEMORY LOSS, BUT THAT HAVE MEMORY PERFORMANCE AT LEAST AS GOOD AS INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR 50s AND 60s.

>> SO ONCE YOU FOUND YOUR SUPERAGERS, HOW DO YOU STUDY THEM?

WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU MEASURING?

>> WE SAY WHAT FACTORS ARE ALLOWING THEM TO HAVE THE GREAT MEMORY PERFORMANCE?

WE INVITE PARTICIPANTS IN AND THEY ARE WITH US FOR LIFE.

THEY KEEP COMING BACK OVER TIME AND EVENTUALLY WE ASK THEM TO DONATE THEIR BRAIN AT THE THIS IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND SCARY, BUT WE CAN FIND A SPECIFIC RESOLUTION.

IF YOU REMEMBER WAY BACK WHEN, WHEN WE HAD THE FIRST DIGITAL CAMERAS, EVERYONE WAS EXCITED.

YOU COULD TAKE AS MANY AS YOU WANTED WITHOUT USING FILM.

BUT THEN WHEN YOU PRINTED THEM OUT ON THE COMPUTER, THEY WHEN PEOPLE GIVE THEIR BRAIN AT THE TIME OF DEATH, WE CAN LOOK AT CELLULAR FACTORS.

GETTING BACK TO THE QUESTION OF WHAT DO WE STUDY WITH SUPERAGERS?

WE'RE INTERESTED IN THE BIOLOGIC FACTORS.

WE ASK TO PARTICIPATE IN AN MRI SCAN.

WE ASKED THEM TO DONATE BLOOD TO LOOK AT GENETIC FACTORS.

WE REALIZE THINGS ARE COM COMPLICATED BECAUSE WE LIVE AND SURVIVE AND WALK AND TALK AND HAVE 80 YEARS OF LIVED EXPERIENCE.

WE ARE INTERESTED IN THAT, TOO.

HOW DOES FAMILY HISTORY PLAY A ROLE?

EDUCATION AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS.

THE WAY WE SET THIS UP IS TO BE REALLY COMPREHENSIVE OF NOT LOOKING JUST AT THE PILLARS AND INTEGRATION AMONG THE PILLARS TO UNDERSTAND THE FACTORS THAT ARE HELPING PEOPLE LIVE LONG AND LIVE WELL.

>> THAT IS INCREDIBLE.

YOU DESCRIBED THE WHOLE ECOSYSTEM OF FACTORS AND DISCIPLINES YOU LOOK AT.

WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND AS COMMON TRAITS IN WHAT WITH YOU DEFINE AS SUPERAGERS?

>> WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY.

NOT AT THE END.

WE FOUND MANY THINGS THAT ARE EXCITING.

SO WHEN WE LOOK AT BRAIN STRUCTURE, WE ASKED A SIMPLE QUESTION.

WHAT IS A STRUCTURE OF THE BRAIN LOOK LIKE?

DOES IT LOOK MORE LIKE THE 80-YEAR-OLD WHAT THEY SHARE IN CHRONOLOGICAL AGE OR WHAT THEY SHARE WITH A 50-YEAR-OLD?

WE ANSWER THE SIMPLE QUESTION WITH COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY TO ALLOW TO US LOOK AT THE OUTER LAYER OF THE BRAIN CALLED THE KOR TEXT.

CORTEX.

WE KNOW OUR BRAINS SHRINK WITH TIME.

WHEN THIS SHRINK OCCURS, IT IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGING COGNITION.

WHEN WE COMPARE AVERAGE 80 YEAR OLDS TO 50 YEAR OLDS, WE SEE SHRINKAGE.

THEN WE FOUND ONE MORE SURPRISING THING.

IT IS DEEP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BRAIN, WE FOUND THE SUPERAGERS HAD A THICKER PART OF THE BRAIN.

>> WHAT ARE YOUR ULTIMATE HOPES FROM STUDYING SUPERAGERS?

>> WE SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE PROTECTIVE FACTORS SO WE CAN BUILD UP PROTECTIVE FACTOR MUSCLES INSTEAD OF AVOIDING RISK FACTORS.

>> WHAT CAN AN ACKNOWLEDGE PERSON TAKE AWAY FROM THE STUDY?

>> I THINK WHAT OUR STUDY SUPPORTS IS REALLY IN LINE WITH LARGER SPHERES OF SCIENCE WHICH HAVE SHOWN US IS RELATIONSHIPS MATTER AND STAYING CONNECTED MATTERS.

WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE SEVERE AND NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL ISOLATION AND LONELINESS LONELINESS.

IF I WOULD AFTER ONE SUGGESTION, CALL THAT FRIEND AND MAKE THAT CONNECTION.

FOR SOME PEOPLE, THAT MIGHT MEAN GATHERING IN A LARGE GROUP AND OTHER PEOPLE THAT MAY BE CALLING A TRUSTED FRIEND.

WHATEVER THAT MEANS TO YOU, THAT SOCIAL CONNECTION IS IMPORTANT.

THE OTHER THING IS OUR BRAINS LIKE TO BE CHALLENGED.

OFTEN PEOPLE ASK HOW MANY CROSSWORD PUZZLES SHOULD I DO A WEEK?

THE ANSWER IS DO YOU LIKE CROSSWORD PUZZLES?

DO YOU FIND THEM CHALLENGING?

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM, CUT THEM OUT.

STRESS, ESPECIALLY CHRONIC STRESS, IS BAD FOR THE BRAIN AND HAS PHYSICAL CHANGES THAT TAKE PLACE TO THE BRAIN.

FINDING THINGS YOU ENJOY AND ALSO CHALLENGE YOU WE KNOW COULD BE IMPORTANT FOR OUR BRAIN AND BRAIN HEALTH.

>>> WHAT I FOUND INTERESTING IS SUPERAGERS COME FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, WE REALLY COULD BE SUPERAGERS, RIGHT?

THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.

PUTTING THAT ASIDE, RESEARCH REALLY IS REFRAING HOW WE AGE.

>> YOU ARE RIGHT.

ONE AREA IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

THE EXPOSURE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO ALLOWS US TO SOLVE PROBLEMS IS WE CAN APPLY THAT TO THE FIELD OF AGING.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I SPOKE TO DR. RONJON NAG WITH THE STANFORD SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.

>> HOW DID IT LOOK TODAY COMPARED TO THE AGES?

>> IT STARTS OFF BY LOOKING AT HOW DOES THE BRAIN WORK AND NEURONS CONNECT.

WE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH COMPUTING POWER.

IN THE '80s, PEOPLE WERE USING RULE BASE.

I WOULD SIT YOU DOWN, DR. B., AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR EXPERTISE AND TRY TO GET THAT EXPERTISE INTO A COMPUTER AS A SET OF RULES.

THE FIELD TODAY IS EXPLODING WITH DATA.

WE HAVE DATA ON THE WEB.

DATA ON TV.

WE HAVE TEXT DATA.

IMAGE DATA.

VIDEO DATA.

WE COLLECT STATISTICS ON ALL THAT DATA TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND SIGNALS.

SO YOU SPEAK WITH A CERTAIN ACCENT.

I SPEAK WITH A DIFFERENT ACCENT.

SOMEONE ELSE SPEAKS WITH ANOTHER ACCENT.

THESE RECOGNITIONS IN MY FIELD IS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF THESE ACCENTS, NOT BY WRITING THE RULES FOR EACH ONE, BUT COLLECTING EXAMPLES OF SPOKEN WORD.

>> HOW CAN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INCREASE YOUR HEALTH LATER IN LIFE?

>> MANY OF US WITH THE WEARABLES OR WATCHES OR BANDS THAT MEASURE EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM.

USED TO BE MEASURE HEART RATE.

THEN IT WOULD MEASURE HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND BLOOD OXYGEN AND BLOOD PRESSURE.

YOU WOULD GO TO THE DOCTOR ONCE A YEAR AND MEASURE HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE.

NOW I HAVE EVERY SINGLE HEART BEAT FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

WITH ALL THAT DATA, YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET MORE INFORMATION AND MAKE BETTER DIAGNOSIS AND HOLY GRAIL IS CAN YOU PREDICT A DISEASE BEFORE YOU GET DISEASE?

>> SOME OF ALL OF THE TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS, WHICH ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT?

>> I THINK DRUG DISCOVERY.

IT TAKES ABOUT $1 BILLION AND 20 YEARS TO DISCOVER A NEW DRUG.

STARTING IN CLINICAL TRIALS, AT THE BEGINNING, YOU HAVE A 5% CHANCE OF GETTING TO THE END.

IT'S EXTREMELY RISKY FOR COMPANIES TO INVENT NEW DRUGS.

IT TAKES A LONG TIME.

WHAT WE USE IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO COLLECT DATA GAIN.

CAN WE ACTUALLY DEVELOP DRUGS ON A COMPUTER BEFORE WE START GIVING IT TO PEOPLE?

CAN WE CHANGE THAT 5% NUMBER TO 25%?

THEN CAN WE REDUCE THE TIME IN 20 YEARS TO 3 YEARS?

USING DATA AND USING DRUG DISCOVERY TECHNIQUES, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE AND REDUCE THE COSTS OF INVENTING NEW MEDICINES.

>> WHAT DO YOU THINK AGING WILL LOOK LIKE 20 OR 50 OR MAYBE 100 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD?

>> I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE AT LEAST THIS DECADE AND THE NEXT 20 YEARS WILL BE THE DECADE OF BIO-AND MATH AND COMPUTING AND SCIENCE WITH BIO CHEMISTRY AND NEW MODELS.

IF YOU TAKE 20 TO 40 YEARS OR 50 YEARS, WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE CONVERGENCE OF MACHINES WITH HUMAN.

WE HAVE KNEE YOU HAVE DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION WITH PARKINSON'S.

WE WILL GET A REPLACEMENTS OF PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY.

THERE IS AN ETHICAL ISSUE PARTICULARLY WITH THE GENE EDITING AREA.

DO WE WANT TO DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS, BUT ARE THERE UNFORESEEN ITEMS THAT COULD HAPPEN BY CHANGING PARTS OF THE BODY?

HOW WOULD WE REACT WITH EACH OTHER?

I THINK IN 100 YEARS TIME, IF YOU CAN ACTUALLY LIVE TO 120 OR 150, ARE YOU GOING TO DO THE SAME CAREER?

ARE YOU GOING TO STAY MARRIED FOR THE SAME PERSON FOR 125 YEARS?

ARE YOU GOING TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO LIVE 125 YEARS?

SOCIETY COULD CHANGE VERY DIFFERENTLY.

>> WILL WE EVER BE ABLE TO UPLOAD OUR BRAINS TO A MACHINE AND EFFECTIVELY LIVE FOREVER?

>> LET'S SAY WE COULD DO THAT.

WOULD IT STILL BE YOU IN THAT MACHINE?

THAT IS THE THING YOU HAVE TO ASK.

IS IT CONNECTED TO ANYTHING?

NOT CONNECTED TO THE BODY OR ENVIRONMENT?

MAYBE WE DO THAT WITH YOU.

EXTRACT YOUR PERSONALITY BY LOOKING AT YOUR WRITINGS AND VIDEO AND YOUR PICTURES AND HOME VIDEOS AND HOME PICTURES.

YOU HAVE SO MUCH STUFF NOW ON OUR PHONES AND ENTIRE LIFE IS NOW RECORDED.

MAYBE WE COULD MAKE A RECORD OF DR. B.

WHAT WOULD STILL BE YOU?

IT WOULD BE A LOT DEEPER THAN THAT.

WHAT YOU NEED IS THE BODY HAS HORMONES AND DOPAMINES AND EMOTION.

HOW WOULD YOU PROGRAM GUILT?

HOW DO YOU PROGRAM JEALOUSY?

IT IS MORE COMPLEX EMOTIONS TO PROGRAM -- IT IS MORE THAN JUST MEMORIES AND MORE THAN JUST THE FACTS.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO BUILD IN THOSE EMOTIONAL BIOLOGICAL MODELS THAT HAPPEN AS A HUME, BUT MATHEMATICAL FORM.

IT IS THE WAY WE SEE IN THE WORLD TODAY IS NOT ACTUALLY DOING ANY UNDERSTANDING.

IT IS NOT ACTUALLY -- IT IS PATTERN RECOGNITION AT THE MOMENT.

COULD WE GET THERE?

I THINK AS COMPUTER SCIENTISTS, WE LIKE TO.

THAT WOULD BE POSSIBLE.

I THINK WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT THE ISSUES OF WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THESE THINGS BEING POSSIBLE.

>>> SO IN THE NOT SO DISTANT FUTURE, EXPERTS SAY WE COULD LIVE TO 150.

WHAT CONSIDERATION DO YOU THINK ABOUT WITH THAT?

>> IT IS INTERESTING.

WE LIVE TODAY IN AN AGE OF COMPLETE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AT SUPER HIGH SPEEDS.

WHAT IS FASCINATING BETWEEN NOW AND ANOTHER 75 YEARS, THE WORLD WILL BE DIFFERENT THAN WE CAN IMAGINE.

THAT IS EXCITING AND SCARY.

I'M WILLING TO LIVE TO 150.

SIGN ME UP.

>> WHAT DID OUR EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE FUTURE OF AGING?

>> NEXT 50 YEARS IS VERY LONG IN TERM.

WE ARE MAKING SO MUCH PROGRESS AND IT'S VERY HARD TO IMAGINE.

I THINK THE BIG GOAL OF AGING IS TO INCREASE THE HEALTHSPAN AND HAVE PEOPLE STILL DIE AT 90, BUT LIVE MOST OF THEIR LIVES IN A VERY GOOD HEALTH.

>> LONGEVITY AS YOU KNOW IS THE HOLY GRAVE.

OLDEST PERSON TO HAVE LIVED IS 126.

IT TURNS OUT IF YOU WENT TO STONE AGE MAN AND HOW LONG DID THEY LIVE.

YOU KNOW, THE AVERAGE AGE IS GONE FROM 36 TO 78.

A LOT OF THOSE AGE DIFFERENCES ARE BECAUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE OF FAMINE AND LACK OF HYGIENE.

WE HAVE KNOCKED OFF THE LOWER HANGING FRUIT WITH MEDICINES AND ANTIBIOTICS.

THE NEXT STAGE AND NOW AT THE DIFFICULT PART WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO LOOK AT GENOMIC DATA TO ACTUALLY SAY CAN WE GET ABOVE THE 126 POINT.

>> MY TAKE FROM THE EXPERTS TODAY IS AGING IS A DYNAMIC PROCESS AND I'M ACTUALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO AGING.

I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT TO LIVE TO 150.

I GUESS WE WILL SEE WHERE THE SCIENCE GOES.

DR. B.?

>> YOU ARE BETTER THAN ME.

I'M NOT SURE I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO AGING.

THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE CAN'T CONTROL.

GENETIS ARE GENETICS.

THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO TO AGE GRACEFULLY.

THAT IS SOMETHING I WANT TO LOOK FOR TO AND WORK ON.

THAT IS QED WITH DR. B.

THAT'S ME.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER.

SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

>> THERE IS STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH AGING.

SUPERAGERS OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE THAT CONVERSATION.

SO THERE ARE OTHER CULTURES AND PLACES WHERE THEY CELEBRATE INDIVIDUALS AS THEY AGE AND VALUE THEIR WISDOM AND MEMBERSHIP AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY.

THERE'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS IN ZIMBABWE WHERE THEY HAVE TAKEN GRANDMOTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY AND GIVEN THEM A ROLE IN HELPING WITH MENTAL HEALTH.

THERE WAS A PSYCHIATRIST AND INCIDENT OF MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGE AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO FILL THIS GAP WITH MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.

WHAT THEY FOUND WAS BY PUTTING GRANDMOTHERS ON BENCHES AND GIVING THEM TRAINING, THEY WERE ACTUALLY ABLE IN A CLINICAL TRIAL TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS THOSE MDs IN THAT SPACE.

NOW THEY FILLED THE GAP BY CELEBRATING PEOPLE IN THEIR AGING YEARS AND CHANGING THAT STIGMA AND CONVERSATION AROUND WHAT'S EXPECTED IN AGING.

>> PRODUCTION FUNDING FOR QED WITH DR. B IS PROVIDED BY -- >> CARES ABOUT S.T.E.M.

WE BELIEVED IN THE INSTITUTE TO BETTER SOCIETY THROUGH THE USE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.

WE WILL HIT A GOAL OF 1 MILLION STUDENTS A YEAR.

>> AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER FOUNDATION.

BOUND LESS ENERGY FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE.

>> AND BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.