Marios Kyriazis MD British Longevity Society STRUCTURE W hat HBI via the GB and what it represents H ow via increased complexity natural and artificial Why because of inexorable tendency from simpler to complex ID: 275958
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Slide1
The Global Brain Facilitates Human Biological Immortality
Marios
Kyriazis
MD
British Longevity SocietySlide2
STRUCTURE
W
hat
: HBI via the GB (and what it represents)
H
ow
: via increased complexity (natural and artificial)
Why
: because of inexorable tendency from simpler to complex
When
: now and next 50 years
Who
: only those who engage, the rest is human planktonSlide3
EXTREME LIFESPANSSlide4
Terminology
* Academic
research
vs
practical lay
advice
-
for humans
GB:
distributed intelligence via interconnected humans plus
internet/digital. Nothing else.
(also, it
represents
achievement of high technological level,
for first time)Slide5
Human Biological Immortality
HBI: the rate of mortality as a function of age is zero
(
people will still die from other
causes)
Other terms:
the abolition of ageing, or of involuntary death due to
ageing
Extreme Lifespans
Indefinite LifespansSlide6
Relevant Terms
Environmental
Enrichment:
Externally-derived
stimulation of the human brain (not other species)
Hormesis
Low-dose activation, high-dose inhibitionSlide7
Futurology –Shock Levels
Eliezer
Yudkowsky
:
to explore how people see themselves in accepting the next 50 years, and whether they are shocked by suggestions of how the future may look like
.
FSL 0: degree of change flat, minor developments, (most people)
FSL 1: GB, living to 100, stem cells, hydrogen economy (conservative futurists)
FSL 2: interstellar travel,
alien
cultures (science fiction)
FSL 3: HBI, human-level AI, mind uploading (
transhumanists
, this discussion)
FSL 4: singularity, (
Matrioshka
) Jupiter Brains, Alpha point computing,
posthumanism
, Apotheosis (
Singularitarians
)
Yudkowsky
:
If there is a Shock Level 5, I’m not sure I want to know about it!Slide8
Hierarchical Decomposition
I will attempt to decompose the problem into more manageable modules, in order to study this issue in detailSlide9
IF:
we eliminate the reason for ageing
THEN:
there will be no reason that denies ’non-ageing’ Slide10
Ageing does not happen by default
There is
an underlying reason
When this reason is eliminated, there would be no reason why ageing needs to continue.
The rate of damage exceeds the rate of repair =ageing (dysfunction)
The rate of biological repair mechanisms tends to become progressively compromised with age, resulting in accumulation of damaged biological material that reduces useful function Slide11
The underlying cause of this is lack of energy resources
energy resources (in the
thermodynamical
sense): limited resources that are used primarily for the repair of the germ cell in preference to that of the soma
these
are being diverted, by Darwinian forces, from the somatic repair to the repair of the
germ-line
Slide12
Darwinian natural
selection
must increase complexity via any
means
But:
human brain not developed enough
So:
has to allow selection via new
offspring
So:
DNA must survive at the expense of the
soma
BUT
if we increase energy available for somatic repair
THEN
soma will
live
(a topological
phase transition)Slide13
The equaliser
Any
intentional attempt which improves the input of potential energy into an organic system makes the equalisation of the rate of damage
vs
repair more likely, and thus ultimately must result in retardation of ageing
Ageing
equals loss of energy and thus loss of complexity. Non-ageing is virtually stable energy and thus higher
complexity.
In this case, the reason for ageing is essentially removed. If there is no reason why ageing must happen, then it will not happen.Slide14
Biology
‘Constructs
’
Physics ‘Destruct
’
Or
:
Energy
is a medium used by Biology in order to thwart Physics
Entropy
is a medium used by Physics in order to thwart BiologySlide15
Intentional Stance
Biology is likely to increase potential energy, biological sophistication and
redundancy
Physical
laws seek a state of lowest
potential energy
, minimal uncertainty and minimal entropy
Biology
and Physics are entangled in an eternal
confrontation
As
it is hitherto impossible to change the laws of
Physics,
one way to tip the balance in our favour is to
enhance BiologySlide16
Natural Selection
Evolution by natural selection is the main obstacle to defeating ageing and thus bars HBI
,
because it requires the survival of the germ-line and thus diverts resources from somatic repair.
If/when
evolution by natural selection begins to weaken, the restriction of energy resources upon the soma will be eased, the soma will have improved resources for its repairs and thus it will live longer. Slide17
Ageing and Loss of Complexity
Ageing
is characterised by loss of complexity of biological systems (increased entropy over time).
To
counteract this, we must input more energy into the system in the form of cognitive stimulation, i.e. informational
energy.Slide18
Cognitive Stimulation
R
andom
unintentional challenges and
stimulation.
This helps our brain function well. Against
this, entropy increases,
which eventually causes death because the degree of information input tends to zero with time, whereas entropy tends to
infinity
I propose to introduce another variable, the sum of
intentional
cognitive stimulation (i.e. intentional stimulation, special brain exercises, sense exercises, goal-oriented behaviour, seeking novelty and excellence etc.)
Slide19
The Kyriazis Perpetual Equaliser……
Ai =
-
Ai
is the degree of activation
ak
is the sum of all individual
random
exposures to cognitive stimulation
(a1+a2+a3
+ …an)
is the total sum of all such sums of exposures where
k
ranges from 1 to
n
βk
is the sum of all individual
intentiona
l
exposures to cognitive stimulation (
β1+β2+β3+…βn)
is the total sum of exposures where
k
ranges from 1 to
n
is total entropy of the system
is a variable -
the degree of individual loss of intelligence as global intelligence increases
Ai
=0 is death(infinite entropy and zero cognition)
Ai
=
k , is ideal, healthy (non-ageing) statusAi k, is over-stimulation (unhealthy)Ai k, under-stimulation (unhealthy)
Slide20
The Need to Select
Intelligence
is
the
ability to make consistently correct selections from available choices. O
ne
has to be in a position that contains c
hallenges which need
resolving, and choices that need to be made.
Routine
, monotony and regularity do not account for increased need to select, whereas variability, irregularity and uncertainty maximise our need to select (and thus increase intelligence) and thus increase informational energy.Slide21
InformationSlide22
Shannon:
“entropy gain = information loss”
So:Slide23
What’s this?Slide24
Definition
The
noeme
is the intellectual
‘presence’
of someone within the GBSlide25
Noeme
An
active germ-line evolutionary replicator that can be copied and transmitted horizontally. Its vehicle is the human brain as part of the GB.
It is
copied from person to person/society, within the GB.
It
is copied by imitation and technologically assisted transfer (e.g. via the internet).Slide26
Noeme Sets
a
group of successful
noemes
(intellectual presences emanating from a group of human brains) can form a set (
noeme
set) that promotes the survival and success of all of the individual
noemes
within that set (e.g. ECCO intellect—not ECCO people).Slide27
Symbiotic Relationship
Genes and memes can enhance the presence of a
noeme
for example, by
producing a genetically robust brain that has strong intellect and, through memes, consolidating its impact within
societySlide28
Fitness Contribution
The
noeme
competes with alternative forms and continues to evolve and adapt, sometimes being stable, sometimes changing or modifying itself.
Noemes
that do not contribute to the fitness of the GB are eventually
eliminated.
Those
that
enhance
it, are
retained and
improved.Slide29
Opposition or …..
All three can evolve in
opposition
Noemes
that are not well integrated
may be eliminated
(and
this will eliminate
their human
host
through early
ageing
, thus death, thus the end of the gene/meme that defined
them)Slide30
…..Co-operation
Or, a
noeme
defined by beneficial memes/genes can integrate well in the GB and evolve, and transmit their genes/memes to othersSlide31
Qualities of an evolutionary replicator
1. Assimilation (the ability to infect a new host). This depends on the strength of the
noeme
.
2
.
Retention (
it must remain in the memory of the subject/GB)
3
. Expression (as a physical entity, e.g. cognitive information in the brain)
4
. Transmission (through a physical medium, in this case through digital means)Slide32
Why Noemes?
The behaviour of
noemes
can help us understand the behaviour and evolution of the GB.
I
t
makes it easier to define ourselves in a way that strengthens our intellectual presence in the world. By trying to enhance our cognition and intelligence we can become better integrated into the GB and so become a valuable part of it, forcing natural laws to operate in a way that prolongs our lifespan.Slide33
NatureSlide34
What
constitutes a good stimulation or challenge
A
Positive Challenge is a condition that requires action
(Francis
Heylighen
) because it represents an opportunity to be exploited.
These
can
be:
Planned/anticipated,
or
Unexpected/unintendedSlide35
A Praxeological Approach
Follow a
program of planned positive challenges
.
The brain is
forced to SELECT the best option
An appropriate
selection itself creates information (Shannon’s reduction of uncertainty). Meaningful Information (knowledge, experience, wisdom, excellence), via expressive activation of appropriate brain mechanisms
activates
(increases the energy available to, or the potential energy of) biological patterns and agents that then improve repair and maintenance, thus non-ageing.Slide36
Entropy
The generation of entropy over an average lifespan (around 80 years) was found to be in the region of 11,404kJ/K (Degrees
kelvin).
No entropy generation equals death.
It is possible to estimate the specific entropy generation rate
over time and calculate the lifespan entropy generation per unit mass (
is in kW/kg-K).
(t) =
(t)
dt
Any reduction in the entropy production would therefore result/be associated with an increased lifespan (longer
dt
). Also, any increase of meaningful energy into the system would have the same
result
Slide37
Network D
iameter
and
Spreading
A
ctivation
using humans (nodes
) instead
of neurons (nodes)
the network diameter is the shortest distance between
two
nodes
a network of N nodes (such as brain/neuron OR GB/human) each with a number of links k, the network diameter ND is log(N)/log (k). So the ND will grow as the size of the networks increases, unless the number of
links
per node also increases (so we must increase our number of links to keep ND low – it has to be low so that to ensure any positive feedback can be applied while the stimulus is still present, otherwise there will be no learning – with good learning, functionality increases so it is
useful
to the GB).Slide38
Network Diameter and Spreading Activation
In a network
of N nodes (such as brain/neuron OR GB/human) each with a number of links k, the network diameter ND is
log(N
)/log (k
)
So
the ND will grow as the size of the
network
increases, unless the number of links per node also increases
(we
must increase our number of links to keep ND low –
so
that to ensure any positive feedback can be applied while the stimulus is still present, otherwise there will be no
learning, leading to poor functionality of
the
GBSlide39
Network Diameter and Spreading Activation
The distribution of links per node in nature follows a power law where the probability that a node has k links is proportional
to
(g
is a positive number
). It appears that
the new nodes ‘prefer’ to form links with other nodes that already have more
links
Slide40
Network Diameter and Spreading Activation
Some
circumstances where power law is not obeyed is when there is limited time for forming the links (such as in certain human interactions). So increasing the lifespan of the node, increases its ability to form links and power law is obeyed (it is more ‘natural’)Slide41
Spreading activation
These
links and nodes need to be activated and pass the activation to other nodes. The strength of the link (via synapses and/or via digital connection) will
determine the activation potential.
This is represented by
A(t+1
)=M x A(t)
where
A(t
) is the activation of a node at time t
M is the matrix denoting the weight of the links from one node to another
A(t+1) is the activation of the node at the next time step.
The
higher the nodal activation, the more relevant the role of that node will be within the (brain/GB)Slide42
The Global BrainSlide43
Biological amplification
What
happens during stimulation (arrival of new information
)?
Photonic recycling in cell surface interactions after dissipation of energetic states
L
igand-receptor
associations
alter
the conformation of the extracellular portion of intramembranous proteins and this change is transmitted to the cytoplasm by the
transmembranous
helical
segments
via non-linear
vibrations of proteins and generation of
soliton
wavesSlide44
Biological Amplification
Photon-photon interactions induce molecular vibrations responsible for
bioamplification
of weak signals described
by:
= BvLq
m
is the mass of the
molecule
c
is the velocity of the electromagnetic
field
B
is the magnetic flux
density
v
is the velocity of the carrier in which the particle
exists
L
is its dimension, and q is a unit charge.
Slide45
Biological Amplification
After
activation of the cell with the new information, the cell must
respond.
Example:
in
the primary visual cortex, V1 neurons can be activated to fire action potentials. The neuron assesses spatial frequency, orientation, motion, direction and
speed. Slide46
The responses of V1 neurons consist of tiled sets of selective spatiotemporal filters. In the spatial domain, the functioning of V1
is
similar to many
local, complex Fourier transforms
Slide47
Fighting Father TimeSlide48
How to choose an ideal degree of challenge
Csikszentmihalyi's
concept of ‘flow’.
How
a challenge that matches one’s skills and abilities causes well-being. If the challenge is over one’s ability then it causes anxiety. If it is below, it causes
boredom.
Blascovich's
‘challenge versus threat
’. A challenge is a situation that matches
our
resources to deal with it. A threat is when
our
resources are below what is
necessary.
If
a mental challenge causes excessive stress or anxiety,
it is
unlikely to be beneficial in ageing. If it is of such a low intensity that causes boredom, then it will not be beneficial either.Slide49
Erwan Le Corre
“The
variation between a low and a high level challenge is likely to mobilize biological resources and activate defence mechanisms that can ultimately increase biological redundancy and improved damage repair rates. This implies that there must be a continuous variation of challenging stimuli, without ever reaching a stage of exhaustion” (in this case, mental exhaustion).
Slide50
Environmental Enrichment
Enrichment
aided by technological inputs such as digital
assistants
in a context of societal and cultural progression. This is a novel approach to the issue of longevity, as it does not merely refer to achieving a healthy lifespan but also to actually force the existing model of human evolution to transit to a more sophisticated
level.
The
continual informational cognitive input may have a positive effect on epigenetic DNA changes which could then act in a way to up-regulate certain anti-ageing genes. This may be augmented by environmental
enrichment,
and increased use of technology, such as digital assistants, nanotechnology and synthetic biology.Slide51
Environmental Enrichment
It causes
epigenetic changes via DNA
methyltransferases
or histone
acetylases
, that
could be either beneficial or
detrimental
.
It has also been reported that maternal environment affects embryonic DNA
The effect has
been shown in many other recent
studiesSlide52
Environmental Enrichment
External
brain stimulation has measurable effects on numerical
ability
EE
up-regulates
BDNF, immune factors,
anti-inflammatory
reactions, and antioxidant mechanisms
Influences vision
, the retina, tissue repair
,
and other physical parameters, thus having a holistic effect on the organism.
Slide53
Also
Prevents apoptosis
Increases growth factor expression
Reduces pro-oxidation
Up-regulates SOD1 and SOD2
Reduces pro-apoptotic
caspases
Increases testosterone in malesSlide54
Stochastic Resonance
A
mechanism by which a system embedded in a noisy environment acquires an enhanced sensitivity towards small external time-dependent
forcings
, when the noise intensity reaches some finite
level.
Noise may
play a constructive role in large classes of both natural and artificially designed systems.Slide55
Stochastic Resonance
Input
of noise (a
hormetic
event) influences dopamine-related internal noise and enhances the attention span of inattentive children. This suggests that suitably applied external stimulation can modify cognition/behaviour, thus giving credence to the suggestion that
hormetic
stimuli can
have positive effects, via biochemically modulated brain mechanisms (in this case,
dopamine)Slide56
is (the internal dynamic potential) that has
and
- minima and
as an intermediate unstable state
is the process variable
is the stochastic force that accounts for the background random noise
is the amplitude of the periodic force t
hat can influence
the
system
is
the frequency of this force
ø is
the phase of this force
By manipulating the
parameters
(by applying weak periodic interventions*), it may be possible to influence the effect that stochastic background events have on the system, and force the system to lower its response threshold.
* These interventions could be
hormetic
inputs, genetic manipulation via transposons, or technologically-enhanced, culturally-dependent neurological enrichment.
Slide57
Conclusion
HBI
is an intrinsic consequence of self-organisation in nature.
Here I discuss ways to accelerate this, using the GB as a facilitator
A suggestion that has relevance to the general public is the notion that
hormesis
, and specifically cognitive
hormesis
may be a possible tool for accelerating the gradual transition to indefinite lifespans.
P
ractical
advice:
increase uncertainty in your life
move away from your equilibrium
avoid the point of least potential energy (
i.e
increase potential energy)
Slide58
More information(any form of criticism accepted)
Marios
Kyriazis
www.elpistheory.info
e
mail: drmarios@live.it