Anti-viral treatments, once we have effective methods we might see some unexpected benefits - there is a possibility that long term viruses affect us in ways we didn’t realise, once we have those treatments then we may start to understand them
The technical aspects of 21st-century medical care will be fascinating.
The legal aspects of 21st-century medical care will destroy us all.
Sort of tangential but related, more use of robots in the workplace, especially in more dangerous areas like mining and maybe in areas like picking agricultural food. The less that people have to do these dangerous types of jobs and other areas where the wages and benefits are very poor, the more healthy people can be (by not doing those dangerous jobs and doing other more healthy jobs). We’ll just have to figure out what to do with the folks replaced by robots, especially if they are poorly educated.
I missed this earlier.
A ten year gain in life expectancy is enormous. In the quote below from an old thread, I cite data to show that eliminating both cancer and cardiovascular disease would lead to ‘only’ a nine-year life expectancy gain.
I’m looking for the study but having trouble, if I find it I will post it.
My point was that if we find a way to reverse aging then it really won’t matter. No matter how crappy your lifestyle if you are 25 you aren’t going to have diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, dementia, etc.
If you do everything right with your lifestyle you just delay diseases of aging. They still happen.
Agreed, and that was the point in my first post as well…
It’s the effective therapies that are going to get us into financial trouble. Joint and organ replacements; the list goes on.
And to Monstro’s point, the default notion that the greatest good is always living longer. This creates a default assumption that effective, expensive care is the default thing that should happen, and anyone who disagrees’ is in favor of a “death panel.”
We cannot afford that approach.