All language subtitles for The.UnXplained.S03E05.Secrets.of.the.Immortals.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-BurCyg_track3_[eng]

WILLIAM SHATNER:
Sacred waters, with remarkable

healing powers...

ancient mystics, who lived
for hundreds of years...

and a scientific breakthrough
that may provide eternal life.

Is it possible to cheat death?
To live forever?

Throughout history, many
have searched for the secret

to everlasting life,

but so far, they've all
run out of time.

But what if by re-examining
ancient teachings

and harnessing modern technology

we could, one day,
actually become

immortal?

Well, that's what we'll try
and find out.

♪ ♪

Spanish conquistadors, led
by explorer Ponce de León,

land on the coast of Florida
and claim the area for Spain.

But Ponce de León is not
only in search

of new territory to conquer.

He's also looking
for a mystical spring

said to contain magical,
life-giving waters:

The Fountain of Youth.

Ponce de León had been told
a number of different tales

from the peoples who inhabited
the Caribbean and the Bahamas

of this mythical pool or well,

which, if you entered
into the waters,

you would immediately achieve
rejuvenation.

It would turn back
the years quite literally.

And this was the so-called
Fountain of Youth.

JONATHAN YOUNG:
This is a magical utopian story that was passed around.

The well that would give you
a more youthful energy,

give you a longer span of life.

We don't know how much
metaphor was involved,

but Ponce de León took it quite
literally and looked for it.

SHATNER:
If there actually is a Fountain of Youth located

somewhere in Florida
then it's certain that

Ponce de León never found it,
because he died in 1521.

But over the centuries, many
have believed the incredible

notion that fountains of youth
exist in secret locations

all over the world.

YOUNG:
The story of magical springs and restorative wells

shows up in many
different cultures.

Now, this is legend.
This is folklore.

But people love stories about
immortality because

we want to go on.

We are wired to survive.

Our brain chemistry fights
for us to be alive.

SHATNER:
It's easy to understand the appeal of legendary tales

about magical waters that
bestow eternal life.

But is it really possible that,
somewhere in the world,

a real-life Fountain of Youth
could actually exist?

This small island,
located in the Aegean Sea,

is home to about 8,000 people.

In recent years, Ikaria has
become world-renowned,

not only for its
pristine beaches

and magnificent views,

but also because
a staggering number

of the residents of this island
live longer

than most others on Earth.

The Island of Ikaria is
a place of extraordinary

longevity for the people
who live there.

One in three people who live
there reach a lifespan

well into their 90s,
and it has one of the highest

concentrations of centenarians--

people who live to be
100 or more--

anywhere in the world.

The people of Ikaria live very,
very long lives.

ANDERSEN-TOOMEY: They end up
working late into life.

We've even seen people
who are shepherding

over the age of 100.

Right now,
in the United States the average

life expectancy is 77 years.

In Ikaria they live,
on average, ten years

longer
than the average American.

SHATNER:
Studies have consistently shown

that Ikarians live
remarkably long

and surprisingly active lives.

But why?

Lifestyle and genetics
may play a role,

but the people of Ikaria
believe the secret

lies in their very own

fountain of youth.

They credit
several natural hot springs

that are located at various
places throughout the island.

And these springs are
referred to

as the Immortal Waters.

The Springs of Ikaria are
called the immortal waters

because for millennia they have

been known to have
extraordinary healing powers.

People came from all over,
not just the Aegean,

but Asia Minor
for thousands of years

to experience
the healing waters.

SHATNER: If Ikaria's
so-called Immortal Waters

are a real-life
fountain of youth,

then it begs the question,

what's in the water?

Well, a study published in
the scientific journal

Advances in Nuclear Physics
in 1996

may provide a surprising clue.

The Immortal Waters are actually

radioactive.

MICHIO KAKU:
This Greek island in particular

has quantities of granite which
do have radioactive byproducts.

And one of the decay products
is radon gas.

We're talking about microscopic
quantities

of radiation.
Even though large

quantities of radon
will kill you,

small quantities of radon

may actually be beneficial.

It's like a vaccine.

Vaccinations give you a little
bit of a virus,

which of course is a bad thing,

but a teeny bit of a virus
or fragments of a virus

stimulate your immune system
to attack the virus.

So some people think that maybe
radiation could be the same.

SHATNER:
Could a naturally perfect dosage of radiation

actually be the reason
why Ikaria's Immortal Waters

seem to have restorative powers?

If the number of Ikarians
over the age of 100

is any indication,
the answer appears to be

a resounding yes.

SHATNER:
Whether or not Ikaria is the site

of a real-life
fountain of youth,

there are those who believe
the key to immortality

won't be found
by immersing yourself

in magical waters

but rather by connecting

to a higher power.

SHATNER:
This ancient city

overlooking
the sacred Ganges River

is one of the holiest
in the Hindu religion.

For thousands of years,
worshippers have come

to this site to perform
meditation and prayer.

In ancient times,

Hindu holy men know as swamis

were said to have used
these rituals to attain

eternal life.

SARVAPRIYANANDA:
In the Yoga Sutras,

there's a whole chapter
called "Vibhuti Pada."

Where Patanjali explains

how by certain
meditative practices,

one can get these powers

to extend the lifespan
of a particular body.

HUSSAIN:
In India, you have a long history

of holy people, swamis, who've

been able to figure out
how the world works,

how their body works,
how the universe works,

and are able to live very,
very long,

uh, periods of time.

You have Devraha Baba,

who died in 1990,

and was believed
to be 250 years old.

Swami Trailanga,
who died in 1887,

believed to be, you know,
280 years old.

If you would ask most
Indians about long-lived

yogis and swamis,
one of the names that will

almost inevitably come up
is that of Trailanga Swami.

And he was observed by not
only many Indians in Banaras,

but also
by the British authorities

there in the late 19th century.

So a lot of what he said
and taught and did

has been documented
and recorded by many witnesses.

They testify to his
extraordinary long life.

SHATNER:
For many, it may be hard

to believe that daily prayer

and meditation can provide

age-defying powers.

But Hindu mystics aren't
the only examples of people

who are believed to have
used the power of faith

to live for hundreds of years.

If we look at the Bible,
we have these great stories

of holy people who've lived
tremendous amounts of time.

The Bible says Methuselah
lives for 969 years.

Noah lives for 950 years.

Adam lives for 930 years.

So these are tremendous
lifespans of people living,

according to the biblical text,
of almost 1,000 years.

TZADOK:
Many in modern times question,

is this to be taken literally?

Did people really
live that long?

And the answer
from tradition is,

yes, they did.

This is nothing new.

This has
very ancient foundations.

Very well documented
in the biblical traditions,

but equally well known
in traditions around the world.

Regardless of the culture,

there's many legends
about the Taoist immortals,

or about the Tibetan immortals,

as there are amongst
the Hebraic immortals.

There is this idea
that because these people

are literally directly

communicating
with the divine, with God,

are they given
other instructions?

Are they given other secrets?

Are they given
other kinds of hints

that allow them to

live much longer lives
than we live?

SHATNER:
Is it really possible that those with a deeper

spiritual connection
to the divine age more slowly?

And can potentially develop

the power
to live hundreds of years?

Perhaps the answer
can be found by examining

a Hindu swami who has
performed meditation and prayer

every morning without fail

for over a hundred years.

At 125 years old,

Swami Sivananda practices
a strict daily regimen

of meditation and exercise,

which he credits as the reason

for his incredible longevity.

The practice is a sacred
Hindu ritual

known as Pranayama.

SARVAPRIYANANDA:
When such an advanced spiritual practitioner

sits in meditation,
what they are actually doing is

obviously quieting the body,
making it absolutely still.

Then they are quieting
the breath.

It means slowing it down

even to the point
of actually stopping sometimes.

It's one of the teachings
in Vedanta

that by certain
meditative practices

the lifespan of the swami
or the monk

is extended
by the will of God...

so that person can remain
as a sort of continuous

living blessing
to those around him.

LORI FAZZIO: From a modern
medical perspective,

Pranayama has many different
physiological benefits.

There was actually a study done

that looked at things such as

life purpose,
ability to find peace within,

and connection
to something greater than us.

And when people score higher
on these spiritual

health scales, it's actually

corelated
with greater health outcomes

and longevity.

And one of the fascinating
things about swamis

or any yogi
who's extremely practiced,

is that they reduce

their metabolism by 64%.

So, basically, they're using 64%

less energy
to have basic body functions.

Does the simple act

of slowing down
the mind and body

through prayer
or meditative practice,

such as Pranayama,

have the power
to increase our lifespans?

And if so, is it possible

that by mastering
these practices,

we could all live
into our hundreds

just like Hindu swamis?

SARVAPRIYANANDA:
There definitely are capacities

of the mind
which we are not aware of

and which we are not using,

and it's a matter of practice
and discovering these abilities

and manifesting them.

There are many who believe that
the swamis' incredible longevity

is a testament to the power
of prayer as a way

to connect us to the divine

and extend our lives.

But there are others
who claim that the secret

to immortality lies
not in staying alive,

but rather by dying,

and being reborn.

SHATNER:
Three-year-old Dorothy Eady

takes a traumatic tumble

down the stairs
of her family's home.

Her injuries, while serious,
are not life-threatening.

But they are life-changing.

Because in the years
after her accident,

Dorothy Eady begins
recalling memories

from what she claims
to be a past life.

SIMMONDS-MOORE: The story goes
that she fell down the stairs,

had a head trauma and actually
died and then returned to life.

And then
when she came back to life,

um, after hitting her head,

she had later experiences
where she seemed

to know things
about ancient Egypt

that she really
should not have known.

RAMY ROMANY:
Her dad would take her to the British Museum.

And when she went there,

she saw images and artifacts
from the New Kingdom of Egypt.

And said, "This is home."

And she became obsessed
with ancient Egypt.

Dorothy Eady was able
to read some hieroglyphs

from the time
that she was ten years old.

And from the time that she was
a teenager she was essentially

writing in a type
of hieroglyphic script.

ROMANY:
Then as she got older, she claimed to have

been reincarnated
from a priestess

in ancient Egypt that

was in a relationship
with King Seti I,

the builder
of the Temple of Abydos.

SHATNER:
Dorothy Eady's claims of a past life

may seem far-fetched,

but the truth is
that many cultures

believe that our souls
are immortal

and can be reborn
again and again,

leaping into new bodies
each time we die.

But could
such an incredible notion

actually be possible?

HUSSAIN:
So reincarnation literally is

this idea that we may live
multiple lives.

We don't just live one life.
We live a life,

we die, and we're reborn.

We're reborn back
into a physical body.

For example, Tibetan Buddhists
believe the Dalai Lama is

a reincarnation
of Avalokiteshvara,

the goddess of compassion.

And when the previous
Dalai Lama dies,

they look for a boy born
with certain signs.

And so there's a great
story about the modern

Dalai Lama
that as a young child he was

brought into the monastery
and he points to a-a bookcase,

says, "My teeth are in there,
my teeth are in there."

And they open it up
and of course,

it's the teeth
of the previous Dalai Lama.

And so you
do have people who have

that sense of awareness

of something
that's happened in the past.

They've lived a past life.

TZADOK: The Kabbalah teaches
that human souls

have a purpose
as ordained by God

to learn while here on Earth.

And sometimes

a single lifetime is not enough

to fulfill the mission
and the cause for which God

has ordained
that we be born here on Earth.

And therefore,
souls will come back.

SIMMONDS-MOORE:
A lot of people who have, uh, past-life cases

tend to be connected to trauma.

I think that was the case
with-with Dorothy.

It could be something to do
with, um, her own head trauma.

There's been a lot of research
that tries to say

there is a soul
that gets reincarnated,

but I think we can't really know

exactly what's happening,

um, when people are having
these-these memories.

SHATNER:
In the case of Dorothy Eady,

her accurate recollections
of life in ancient Egypt

were astounding.

At the age of 29,
Dorothy moved to Egypt,

married,
and gave birth to a son,

who she named Sety

to reflect her connection
with the ancient pharaoh.

She would eventually be called
Omm Sety

or Mother of Sety.

While not formally trained,

Dorothy became
a well-respected colleague

of many of the world's
foremost Egyptologists,

spending 50 years working
as a draftswoman,

writer
and unconventional historian.

After spending time
with Omm Sety,

many experts began to believe
that her incredible stories

might actually be true.

Omm Sety in this lifetime

had extraordinary knowledge
and memory

of the workings
of the Abydos Temple

and the artwork within.

The Temple of Abydos

was the holy of holies
for the Egyptian people.

Omm Sety's arrival in Abydos was

stunning for everyone involved
because as an Englishwoman

walking into the temple
for the first time,

she knew exactly
where everything was.

She immediately knew
how to find certain chambers.

She was able to even interpret
some of the hieroglyphs

in the dark.

ROMANY:
The head Egyptologist

took her to a place
in the temple

where he knew she wouldn't know
the answers to

because it wasn't published yet.

He himself was the one

that translated
every part of it.

Took him months. But if Omm Sety

is truly a reincarnated
priestess of Egypt,

then she would know.

And she knew every part
of that wall.

So, either she was

really good
at ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs

or she truly was a reincarnated
ancient Egyptian priestess.

McGOWAN:
Omm Sety became one of the most important Egyptologists,

one of the most important
translators of hieroglyphs

in the world, and she
didn't have a formal education.

The story of Dorothy Eady

is arguably the single
most convincing account

of reincarnation

that we have anywhere
in history.

SHATNER:
There are many who believe that Dorothy Eady's story

proves that reincarnation
is, in fact, real.

But if our souls
are really born again

into new bodies after we die,

why do only some of us
recall memories

from our past lives?

SIMMONDS-MOORE: If you look
at the past life research

and you look at the cases
that seem a bit more intriguing,

i.e., they seem to be

providing stronger evidence for
something anomalous going on,

what we see is that it's people
who died suddenly.

It aligns with the idea
of unfinished business.

ROMANY:
Even though Egyptians do not believe in reincarnation,

the ones around Omm Sety

would decide to actually believe
that Omm Sety's story...

It's a little bit too much
for coincidence.

SHATNER:
While the case of Dorothy Eady

does offer possible evidence

that our souls are immortal

and pass from one body
to another,

what about those
who aren't quite ready

to give up the bodies
they currently have?

Well,

scientists have developed
a rather bizarre technique

that might allow people
to live forever

by keeping them frozen

for centuries.

SHATNER:
In a sprawling industrial park

on the north side of the city
stands the headquarters

of the Alcor
Life Extension Foundation.

Like most
cutting-edge medical facilities,

the doctors and scientists here
work day and night

to provide care
for their patients.

Except in the case of Alcor,

the patients...

...are all deceased.

In our view, people who are
declared legally dead today

are potentially revivable.

Alcor's mission
is to take a patient

who cannot be helped by today's
medicine into the future

where hopefully
more advanced technology

can repair and revive them.

We're here
in Alcor's patient care bay.

In this room, we have
all 184 of our human patients

in these dewars,
these cryogenic dewars.

Essentially very large,
expensive vacuum flasks.

So, in each one
of these containers,

there are
four whole-body patients.

On this side, you can see

that I can put my hand on here
without any problem,

but just a few inches further in
is minus 320 Fahrenheit.

It's extremely cold.

People say

that we freeze people
colloquially,

but that's not strictly accurate
if we do it right.

Our patients are essentially in
something like a long-term coma,

except there is no
metabolic activity whatsoever.

SHATNER:
To date, 184 deceased patients lie in deep freeze

within Alcor's facility

in the hope that one day,

they'll be resurrected.

This bizarre form
of potential immortality

is known as cryonics.

KAKU:
Cryonics

is the process
of freezing the human body,

perhaps just the human head,

in order to stop
the biological process of decay.

So, the hope is

if you could freeze
somebody alive,

even with an incurable disease,

perhaps you can thaw them out
at some point in the future

when science has found the cure
for that disease.

In that sense,
perhaps you can defeat cancer,

defeat all the ravages
of old age.

Perhaps even become immortal.

MORE:
Professor Robert Ettinger, a physicist,

started the cryonics movement
in the 1960s,

where he proposed

to store people
at ultracold temperatures

where there's potential
that future technology

could repair and revive them.

SUSAN SCHNEIDER:
Right now,

there are many companies
that do this.

There are hundreds
of frozen individuals right now

across the United States.

SHATNER:
Worldwide, it is estimated

that at least 500 people

have been placed
in cryonic suspension,

most notably Baseball
Hall of Famer Ted Williams.

There are even those who claim
that Walt Disney's body

is preserved
in a cryonics facility.

But is there any reason
to believe

that this strange process

could actually work?

If you live in the countryside,
you know that come wintertime,

the lakes freeze over.

But if you ever look
right on top of the lakes,

you'll see frozen organisms.

Fish and frogs.

And then come springtime,

some of them
spring back to life again

when you thought
they were frozen solid.

What's the trick?

The trick is that Mother Nature

has created an antifreeze

to lower the freezing point
for these animals

such that even though it appears
as if they're frozen solid,

the bodily fluids inside
these animals still flows

and these animals
are still alive

even though
their metabolism rate

is very close to zero.

So, in some sense,
we're trying to copy nature.

There's recorded instances
of people falling into lakes,

temporarily freezing

and have no biological signs
of activity

that were
thawed out successfully.

For many decades,

we've been experimenting
with freezing tissue,

and it turns out that some forms
of tissue can, in fact,

be frozen almost indefinitely.

Look at sperm donors

and the fact
that you can have sperm cells,

egg cells frozen

so that
the fertilization process

can take place years later.

And, so, we already live
with a certain form of cryonics

but at the cellular level.

MORE:
Scientists have explored

the effects of low temperature
on biology for many decades.

We've been cryopreserving

embryos and eggs
and many other tissues.

There are actually
thousands of people

walking around today
who were cryopreserved.

Just they were embryos
at the time.

SCHNEIDER:
Cryonics is controversial.

Cryopreservation is used

in fertility clinics
to freeze embryos,

but when it comes to the brain,

actual freezing
and revival of the brain

is at very, very early stages,

and we don't know

whether a brain that is frozen

using today's
early, rough technology

could actually be revived

at some point
in the distant future.

KAKU:
According to the latest data,

not a single human
has survived cryonics,

woken up afterwards
and has lived to tell about it.

And so scientists are skeptical.

But that doesn't mean
it's not possible.

It just means
that the technology of today

is not yet advanced
to that point.

SHATNER:
If cryonics is able to deliver

on its promise of immortality
as many hope,

could it eventually mean
that death itself

will one day come to an end?

MORE:
Cryonics really is about giving people choice

over how long they live.

We think that in the future,

we should be able
to revive cryonics patients

and rejuvenate them

and let them
go about their lives again.

What we want, really,
is indefinite life span.

KAKU:
If, in the future,

someone can show
that you could be revived

after being frozen solid,

then the whole question
of immortality is on the table.

We're not there yet,

but there's no law of science
that says you can't do it.

Could freezing ourselves
be the key to immortality?

Only time will tell.

But there are those who believe
there's another key

to unlocking the secret
of everlasting life.

What is it, you ask?

Simple.

Just reverse the process
of aging.

SHATNER: At a small
camedical research facility.

20 miles south of Los Angeles...

This will sound believable
to you, but prepare to get

- even better in shape.
- I know.

SHATNER:
...pharmacologist Dr. Greg Fahy

is conducting
a groundbreaking clinical study.

The purpose of the study

is to find out
if it's actually possible

to make people younger.

The number of birthdays
that we've had so far

tells us
about our chronological age,

but I think
it's a common observation

that not everybody ages
at the same rate.

There's a distinction to be made

between chronological aging
and biological aging.

Some people at the age of 50
look like they're 40,

and some people at the age of 50
look like they're 70.

So we need a better way

of understanding
what your true age is

rather than just the number
of birthdays that you've had.

And what we're trying to do
is to prove

that the clock of aging
can run in reverse.

SHATNER:
A medical treatment

that can reverse
the clock of aging?

Sounds too good to be true.

But the idea
that unusual medicines

or magical substances

can grant immortality
has been around for centuries.

In fact, descriptions
of powerful antiaging remedies

can be found in the traditions
of ancient cultures

around the world.

You find
all these kinds of elixirs

in different traditions.

So, in the Hindu tradition,

you have this drink,
amrita nectar,

that gives you immortality.

If you go
to the Chinese traditions,

you consume certain liquids,
including mercury.

And the medieval alchemy idea,
the elixir of life,

this thing

that will give you
everlasting life.

Throughout history,
kings, queens, emperors

have tried to defy
the aging process

that they see every day
in the mirror.

But we now realize

in principle,
there's no law of physics

preventing immortality.

Aging is the accumulation
of mistakes

as cells reproduce
over a period of time.

So if you can repair the damage,

then perhaps
you can live forever.

SHATNER:
Is it possible that modern science

can develop treatments

to actually make us
forever young?

According to the results
of Dr. Fahy's research,

it's not only possible

but making people younger

might be easier
than we ever realized.

And it all starts

with rejuvenating
the immune system.

There's now evidence
that immune system aging

may be one of the pacemakers
of aging generally speaking.

I don't think it's a coincidence

that we all start to die
about the time

when we lose
our immune system capacity.

So if we could really restore

the immune system
to a youthful state,

we should be able to reverse
biological aging more generally.

SHATNER:
To test this theory, in 2015, Dr. Fahy

began his study in collaboration
with researchers

at Stanford University.

Nine men
between the ages of 51 and 65

were selected to participate.

Four nights a week for one year,

they were given an
experimental injection combining

three commonly available drugs,

including human growth hormone.

Dr. Fahy expected

the combination would stimulate
the patients' immune systems.

But what he wasn't expecting

were the amazing side effects.

One year
after they started treatment,

we began to get some feedback
from some of the volunteers.

They said
they felt very energized,

that their mental capacity
seemed to be improving.

Losing weight, getting stronger.

One of the guys
had completely white hair

when he entered the trial,

and after a while,
his wife told him,

"Hey, honey, you know, your hair
seems to be getting darker."

We were pretty floored
when we actually saw it.

SHATNER:
In 2019,

the extraordinary results
of Dr. Fahy's trial

were published in
the medical journal Aging Cell.

According to the data,

analysis
of the participants' blood

revealed a number
of incredible enhancements.

FAHY:
Some of the things that we saw

indicated that our volunteers
were protected

against essentially
all of the diseases of aging.

Atherosclerosis,
heart disease, et cetera.

That's a general
global antiaging effect

that we would not expect to see

just from rejuvenating
the immune system by itself.

So that was
pretty extraordinary.

It seems like the clock of aging
can actually run in reverse.

SHATNER:
One of the participants who most benefited

from Dr. Fahy's
groundbreaking study

is a man named Paul Hynek,

who readily volunteered
for the program

in the hope that it might be
the key to a longer life.

I don't think aging is normal.

It's a bug, not a feature.

Ever since I was a kid,
I wanted to live forever.

I always thought that science
was getting faster and faster

and would sort of catch up
to my childhood dreams,

and science
has made me young again.

SHATNER:
While Paul's claim of being young again

may sound far-fetched,

Dr. Fahy has the evidence
to prove it.

Test results clearly show

that in addition
to other health benefits,

Paul was actually able to regrow
an entire body part

that usually degrades with age:

the thymus gland.

FAHY:
Your immune system has many components,

but one of the major components

is the thymus gland.

And, unfortunately, the thymus

becomes more and more replaced
by fat as we get older,

and it leads

to a lot of other
downstream aging processes.

When we looked at his results
at the end of the trial,

Paul definitely was able
to regrow his thymus gland.

So, the thymus
is in this area right here.

At the end of the trial,

Paul's immune system function

and his health in general
seemed to be exceptional.

Those are the areas
that are beginning

to show a little bit
of thymus regrowth.

Almost everything
that we measure,

uh, has-has improved in Paul,

including his biological age.

My effective biological age

kept decreasing

even after the trial was over

because of the lingering effects

of the program in my body.

I'm getting younger every day.

Excellent.

The notion of being able to stop
the aging process in its tracks

is certainly appealing.

But is it really
a long-term solution

that will allow us
to live forever?

Some experts argue
that immortality

won't be achieved by preserving

our current bodies

but rather it will require us

to build entirely new ones.

SHATNER: Scientists
at Carnegie Mellon University

announce a major breakthrough
in the quest for immortality.

The team of researchers
was able to use

a modified 3D printer

to create human organs
made out of synthetic collagen,

which they demonstrated

by printing a human heart.

(heart beating)

Think of a car.

We have a body shop
as our car parts wear out.

We need a human body shop

that can replace organs
as they wear out.

And that's being done
at universities

where we can actually grow
organs of the body

in a 3D printer.

3D printers can print out

cell for cell heart tissue.

SHATNER:
The idea of creating artificial human organs

may sound bizarre to some.

But the truth is
that since the 1960s,

doctors have replaced
human heart valves

with ones taken from pigs

and created artificial corneas
out of plastic.

However, the prospect
of placing 3D printed organs

into the human body
presents a major obstacle,

one that scientists
are on the verge of solving.

One problem
with creating artificial organs

is the rejection mechanism.

That is the bugaboo

that has prevented progress
in this field.

But sometime in the future,

if you take cells
from your skin, from your bone

and grow them

with 3D printers,

you're not gonna have
this rejection mechanism,

and so you'll be able
to create artificial organs

grown from your own body.

We'll be able to be
just as young and vigorous

as we were in our youth.

SHATNER:
New organs that can restore our youth?

Is it possible
that humankind is on the cusp

of finally making immortality
a reality?

ANDERSEN-TOOMEY:
Our bodies just weren't designed to live forever.

I think part of the interest
in life extension

is that since it's such
an innate part of human nature

to want to survive,

people see it as one
of the biggest scientific goals,

to conquer death.

HUSSAIN:
I think people are hardwired for immortality

precisely because we're alive,

you know,
and we want to be alive.

And we don't want to die.

We have friends.

We have families.

We have things
that we need to do.

I've got so much life
ahead of me.

I don't want this to stop.
I want this to keep going.

It seems that humanity
is willing to try anything

in order to cheat death,

from having a drink
from a fountain of youth

to freezing ourselves
to replacing our body parts.

But perhaps the question

is not whether
we can achieve immortality

but rather do we really want to?

Maybe we're better off enjoying
the time we've been given

and letting the secret
to immortality remain...

...unexplained.

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