Rugby World Cup: England boss Eddie Jones worried about shadows affecting stars ahead of final vs South Afr – The Sun

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AN hour after masterminding one of Englands greatest sporting triumphs, Eddie Jones was already thinking dark thoughts.

This workaholic, insomniac head coach has experienced two World Cup final weeks before and he knows how such immense occasions can play tricks with a players mind.

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Jones said: The mindset you create during the week is very important and its about not inventing shadows.

Everywhere you look there are shadows, so you have to make sure youre looking at the right shadows.

England had just wiped the floor with New Zealands back-to-back world champs the 19-7 semi-final scoreline having seriously flattered the outclassed All Blacks.

But Jones was already concerned about those shadows the fears and insecurities which can affect a player before a showpiece as grand as Saturdays final with South Africa.

Whatever Jones says publicly, he knows bringing down the All Blacks team he described as rugbys God was the pinnacle of their achievements in a one-off match.

Yet unless they lift the Webb Ellis Cup in five days time, that mighty feat will end up tainted.

Up until this year, England had won two World Cups in 68 years of contesting such events in their three major mens team sports at Wembley in 1966 and against Jones Australia in Sydney in 2003.

Yet now the English could celebrate World Cup glory for the second time in 111 days following the intoxicating chaos of cricketing success against New Zealand in a Super Over at Lords in July.

During that competition, England also produced a near-perfect semi- final, hammering the Aussies only to face lesser opposition in a final which they could and should have ended up losing.

That is a shadow worth looking at for Jones, who also worked as a consultant to South Africa when they defeated England in the 2007 final.

There was an encouraging sign at the final whistle on Saturday, though.

With the slight exception of replacement flanker Mark Wilson, who momentarily held his arms towards the heavens, Englands players barely celebrated.

Some went down on their haunches to catch breath, most just shook hands with the vanquished All Blacks, seemingly marking it down as a half-decent day at the office and on to the next one. On that lack of euphoria, Jones said: Its because weve got another week to go.

Now it is about the attitude of the players and the messaging the leadership gives the players.

Its about making sure no one gets too far ahead of themselves and this team has got no reason to, as we havent achieved what we want. All its done is give us another week.

Gesturing to the massed ranks of media, Jones continued: This week wont be normal because you have this and youll have people on the street patting you on the back and telling you how good youve been.

Im sure the newspapers will be full of praise so youve got to work hard to keep yourself focused.

As favourites for the final, England will have to adjust their mindset and they are likely to be quieter, more self-contained than last week.

But as underdogs against the All Blacks, their psychological approach was spot-on bullish in their words, determined not to be bullied by the pre-match Haka and like bulls in a china shop in the opening minutes.

Englands rapid start including a Manu Tuilagi try after just 96 seconds was key.

Jones said: A Test match against New Zealand is like the start in Formula One. Youve got to be on your mark ready to go because if youre not, you get left behind and you can never find your way back.

We had to come out of the blocks hard early and establish some physical and mental ascendancy early. You dont win the game there but it puts you in a good position.

Jones was fulsome in his praise for skipper Owen Farrell, who soldiered on after suffering a dead leg in the first half with George Ford having to take over kicking duties and landing four penalties.

Jones said: Owen was outstanding. He wasnt at his best but he managed the team so well.

That second half becomes a leadership challenge and he got the boys focused and got us doing the simple things well. He understood where we could get an advantage and did that brilliantly.

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As for the injury, I think you would have needed a samurai sword to get him off!

Now boss Jones must lead his men forward, knowing that, while the Gods have fallen, sporting immortality is still to be achieved.

He knows the pathway to those bright lights. And he knows his men must sidestep the shadows.

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Immortality | FringeWiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia

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"Immortality" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of Fringe.

As the story shifts back to life "over there," the absence of Colonel Broyles shifts the dynamic of the Fringe Team as they investigate a bioterrorist armed with an insect that has a taste for human flesh. Meanwhile, alternate Olivia is reunited with her beau, and Walternate remains determined to save his world but discovers there are certain lines he will not cross.

Dr Armand Silva, a scientist obsessed with now extinct skelter beetles, infects people on purpose to find out how to revive the beetles from extinction. Lincoln Lee (Alternate Universe) is now the new head of Fringe Division since Phillip Broyles (Alternate Universe) went missing and Walternate has not released the news about his death.

Brandon Fayette (Alternate Universe) tells Walternate that Cortexiphan worked on a certain subject, giving him telepathic powers before killing him. Brandon believes that younger patients will yield more promising results; however, Walternate firmly rejects that idea, showing that that is one line he will not cross.

Fauxlivia and her boyfriend, Frank Stanton, reunite after months of being apart although she keeps her distance, with memories of Peter Bishop still lingering. Frank reveals that he's going to propose to Fauxlivia, and she says yes despite her reservations.

When the Fringe team catches the scientist, they believe that he's infected Fauxlivia because she's showing symptoms of the previously infected. When he reveals that he is the final host and not Olivia, a beetle eats its way out, completing the scientist's work. Frank and the medical team are trying to help Olivia when they find movement in her stomach while performing an ultrasound. Frank is about to inject her with a powerful anti-parasitic when he is stopped by another member of the medical team, who shows him Olivia's blood work.

At the hospital, Olivia and the baby are both revealed to be healthy. Frank asks how long she has been pregnant. Olivia is actually six week's pregnant with Peter's baby; when Frank asks her if she loves "him," her silence reveals that she does actually harbor feelings for Peter and not Frank. Frank tells her that is all he needed to know and leaves.

Other Brandon tells Walternate that he believes he has found a way to bring Peter back to the other side.

Later, Olivia returns home to a house that is filled with boxes and Frank is obviously moving out. Walternate comes to visit Olivia and tells her that he will take care of her, as she is carrying his future grandchild.

Fauxlivia: Ugh, you know how I feel about bugs.Lincoln: Not Charlie. Charlie loves bugs.Charlie: Look lively, people. New boss is here.Lincoln: How is it that when you say "boss," it sounds like insubordination?Charlie: You see, that's my tone. Maybe that's why I didn't get the promotion.Lincoln: Yeah, maybe, or else I'm better than you.

Mona: I'm Foster... Mona Foster.Charlie: We, uh--we--we met before?Mona: I treated you for your arachnid infestation. I'm not surprised you don't remember me. You were in a lot of pain. So how are the spiders?Charlie: Uh, they're good. They--they--sometimes they just itch a little bit.Mona: Maybe you just need somebody to scratch it.

Fauxlivia: Bug girl's got a crush on Charlie.Charlie: Bug girl has a crush on the fact that I got spiders in my blood, kiddo.Fauxlivia: Come on, everybody's looking for someone that's gonna like them for who they are inside, right?

The white rose

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Immortality | Factpile Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia

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Immortality is the term given to people who won't die naturally. It is a common power for supernatural beings such as Gods, vampire, werewolves, etc. Other causes can be cosmic powers, mutation, etc. There as several types of immortality, each varying in usefulness.

Type 1: Immortality through longevity

Longevity grants the user the ability to live indefinitely and the inability to die of old age, illness, or natural causes, but does not prevent death through means such as being stabbed.

Examples: Elves from Lord of the Rings.

Type 2: Spiritual immortality

Spiritual Immortality is where the user can be killed (also depends on durability for usefulness in combat), but they can recreate a new body in their spirit form.

Examples: Sauron from Lord of the Rings, Ganondorf from Legend of Zelda, Darkseid from DC Comics, various Greater Daemons from Warhammer 40K.

Type 3: Immortality through regeneration

Where the user can be maimed, blown to peices, reduced to a pool of blood and still regenerate from death. Normally only higher types of regeneration qualify for this level of immortality.

Examples: Dante from Devil May Cry, Wolverineand Deadpool pool from Marvel, Alucard from Hellsing, Dark Schneider from Bastard!!, Lobo from DC Comics, Jedah Dohma from Darkstalkers.

Type 4: Immortality through godhood or protection via deity

This type of immortality is granted by a god or by sheer virtue of godhood.

Examples: Lucifer Morningstar from DC Comics, Juggernaut from Marvel, Kharn the Betrayer from Warhammer 40K, Shendu with the Dog Talisman from Jackie Chan Adventures.

Type 5: Perfect Immortality

Cannot die by any means whatsoever. Normally only omnipotents and high tier cosmic beings fit this category.

Examples: One-Above-Allfrom Marvel, The Presencefrom DC Comics,Vishnufrom Hindiusm andAbrahamic God

Type 6: Parasitic Immortality

Can be physically destroyed but can live on by latching onto another body for survival.

Examples: Orochimaru from Naruto, Venom from Marvel, Violator from Image Comics, Darth Sidious from Star Wars, Lucius the Eternal from Warhammer 40K.

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Washington Nationals: Hiatus could keep Starlin Castro from 3000 hits – Call to the Pen

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Over his career, Starlin Castro has been a steady, albeit somewhat unspectacular, player. A member of the Cubs, Yankees, and Marlins, he has been a four time All Star, but only received MVP votes once, doing so in 2011. That year, he led the National League with 207 hits and 674 at bats as a 21 year old, and appeared on the cusp of stardom.

While Castro never reached those heights again, he has been a steady hitter. Even in his down seasons with the Marlins, Castro still collected hits while showing a bit of pop, leading the Washington Nationals to sign him to a two year deal, presumably replacing Anthony Rendon at third.

Over his decade in the majors, those hits have continued to add up. At this point, he has collected 1617 hits during his 20s, an impressive number, and one that currently ranks 22nd amongst active players. Should he continue to play at a solid level for another decade and avoid injury, it is possible that Castro could find himself chasing down the 3000 hit plateau.

However, there is a major problem with that projection. With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, Major League Baseball has postponed the season. While there have been plenty of discussions and rumors surrounding when games will begin again, there does not appear to be an end in sight to that delay.

Castro, who turned 30 in March, is still in the midst of his hypothetical prime. Even though he appeared lost at the plate throughout much of the first half of 2019, he turned his season around, putting together the type of season one would have expected. Yet, he needs to play in order to continue to rack up the hits, making this delay a major setback to his quest.

With the exception of the PED players Rafael Palmeiro and Alex Rodriguez the 3000 hit club is a ticket to immortality. Every eligible player, excluding Palmeiro, to reach that benchmark has been enshrined in Cooperstown. While Castro may not be considered a future Hall of Fame player, his march to 3000 hits would warrant discussion as his career continues.

But the games have to be played first. For Washington Nationals infielder Starlin Castro, this delay could cost him his chance at immortality.

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How to live forever: Every single way you can achieve immortality – GQ India

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Ten years ago, you couldve been forgiven for expecting a satire of silicon valley fantasies when you clicked on that header. But its 2017 and things have changed. We no longer balk at the idea of fighting death, or dismiss it as an esoteric pursuit. Nearly 66 years after the Welsh bard Dylan Thomas famously implored: Do not go gentle into that good night, scientists are finally saying, do not go at all!. But theres only so much that hope and promise of future can do, and many still take sciences grand plans for human immortality with a pinch of salt. While it may be true that scientific efforts towards defeating death or even delaying it are yet to come anywhere close to fruition, there has never before been more promise in ageing research than now.Before we get to how (or whether at all) defeat ageing and live forever, we need to ponder a little on a question historically dismissed as an inevitability:

Weve known for quite sometime the answer to the first question we die because we age. And we age for the same reason an everyday appliance like your TV or smartphone does wear and tear. As to the question of whether we have to die well, as far as nature is concerned, we dont really die at all! Its understandable if that sounds a little cryptic. However, while we mull mostly upon our individual lives, science since the time of Darwin is in agreement that nature looks at humanity as a species wherein we feature merely as a conduit for information to be passed on through procreation. A prime reason for ageing, scientists have argued is the focus in human biology on reproduction and the amount of resources our body demarcates for procreation instead of regeneration. In the face of advancements in science, reproduction no longer needs such massive resources leading some scientists to the conclusion that death isnt a natural inevitability, but rather a surmountable challenge.

Health and medication:

Pursuit of immortality or escape from death has historically revolved around some kind magical/mythical element or herb or elixir that when consumed will grant immortality. Indian mythology prominently features the eternal amrutor nectar, while western esotericism has obsessed for centuries over the alchemic myth of the philosophers stone and elixir of life. But is it conceivable in 2017 that simply popping a pill or taking a sip of some concoction could cure death? Sure it is, just ask Centre for Ageing Researchs Dr Nir Barzilai, who has spent over three decades researching a single well known diabetes medication that he thinks is the cure for ageing. In fact, while Barzilais research aims at stalling ageing and depletion of youth rather than longevity, it has already found many takers in the scientific community. The fairly common pill called Metformin, which sells for a surprisingly cheap 3 a pop is subject of much controversy, but it is also the subject of one of the best known ongoing researches in the field of ageing.

Genetics and chromosomes:

At a cellular level, scientists have long argued that ageing takes place because of a certain chromosomal constituent known as telomeres. As cells undergo division, the telomeres present at the edge of chromosomes consistently start eroding and subsequently lead to cell death. Whereas our bodies have the inherent capacity to sustain our cells for much longer, telomeres act as a self-imposed kill-switch to fight tumour-formation. But just as any switch, it comes with it the possibility of being reversed. While telomeres-based research has been in focus for quite some time, science has in recent years witnessed several breakthroughs that are more than just promising. Just this week, in a research conducted by US-based Houston Methodist Research Institute that was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, scientists have concluded that reversing telomere-erosion can slow down or tackle a number of problems associated with ageing specifically diseases such as progeria, which causes increased ageing in children.

SENS and Silicon Valleys quest for immortality:

So youve made your billions, and then some. But no matter the depth of your coffers, there comes a point at which even abject profligacy wouldnt exhaust your wealth before you run out of time to spend it. This is the daunting challenge facing the likes of Googles Sergey Brin and Larry Page and Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg. And one that theyre keen on taking head-on through the Silicon Valley-funded research effort SENS or Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence. While research done at SENS hasnt made much news in recent years, the fact remains that it is one of the most well-funded efforts for defeating ageing.

Merging man and machine:

Talk sci-tech today and it becomes almost impossible to leave out Silicon Valley trailblazer Elon Musk and his projects. While universities around the world are researching ways using machines to enhance our lives, Musk is going a step further by trying to put a machine directly in out brains through his project Neuralink. Unlike his flagship Tesla or SpaceX, Musks Neuralink has been kept largely away from the public eye save for a hints through his Twitter feed. Musk himself has confessed that his aim for the company is to achieve Neuralace a primary linkage between our minds and computers to enhance our memory and cognitive capabilities. But while this might seem more rooted in AI than in ageing research, it constitutes what many feel is the first step towards the kind of man-machine interface that weve seen in countless pop-culture references such as Black Mirrors highly rated episode San Junipero or Johnny Depps vastly underrated sci-fi flick transcendence where our consciousness exists without even a body as a computer program.

But regardless of how we achieve it, or whether we achieve it at all, it is a testament to sheer human optimism that we now aim to outlive our own modern, scientific civilisation, which from its dawn in the industrial revolution barely circumscribes four centuries. The goal, it would seem, isnt as forever as forever goes but rather juststretch it until it breaks (and keep hoping it doesnt).

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How to live forever: Every single way you can achieve immortality - GQ India

Immortality | RuneScape Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia

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Immortality is an ultimate Defence ability that requires a shield to use. When activated, melee, magic, ranged, and soft typeless damage the user receives is reduced by 25% for 30 seconds. If the user dies while the ability is in effect, they are returned to life, immediately cancelling Immortality. Immortality has a 30 second timer on the Buffs and debuffs bar.

When the user dies, an ethereal, blue hand appears and grabs the user, preventing them from falling down, immediately healing them for 40% of their maximum life points. While this animation is playing, the user becomes immune to all damage, similar to the effect of a short-lasting Barricade.

Upon being revived, the player receives the message "In a heroic stand you gain a second wind."

If a player wears a sign of life or sign of death or their variants while Immortality is active and they die, Immortality is consumed instead of the sign or portent.

Several bosses can bypass Immortality's effects; Vorago's push mechanic, Telos' instant kill anima bomb in encounters of 1000%+ enrage, Nex: Angel of Death's elemental instant kill attack and losing Solak during phase 4 of the fight.

In PvP, Immortality removes the Teleport Block spell upon resurrecting the player.

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Neutralize COVID-19 hysteria with faith and kindness toward neighbors – Washington Times

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ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Ray Comfort, in his bookSpurgeon Gold: Pure and Refined, describes Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the 19th-century preacher who ministered in the streets of London during the cholera pandemic of 1854. Spurgeons words, says Mr. Comfort, were pure and refined. They were rhetorical and theological gold. Spurgeon, had the ability to take the hammer of eloquence and nail a particular truth, to pull back the veil of the eternal and give us a fleeting glance.

Mr. Comfort continues. Gold holds its market value. Heavens everlasting streets are paved with it Gold is not meant to sit on the shelf of a rich man. If it does, then it becomes worthless. Its real value will be seen in its being spent on the cause of the Kingdom.In other words, the gold of truth earns its value only through the spoken word and the active life of men of virtue and valor. The gold of integrity must be spent. It cannot be hoarded. It only earns its value if it is invested.

As COVID-19 hysteria sweeps across our nation, the tens of millions of us who still claim to be followers of Christ might do well to consider, not only these words from Ray Comfort, but also the words and actions of Charles Spurgeon of some 150 years past.

They are so good.

They are so faithful.

They are so pertinent and so prophetic.

They are gold.

One can almost hear Spurgeon bellowing from the podiums of New York City and Washington, D.C., as he did from his pulpit in Essex England Christians take heart! Be not afraid! Your Savior and your God, is with you! Be steadfast and immovable! Be strong and courageous! Be not afraid! Always abound in the work of the Lord!

If you listen carefully, this man, known as the Prince of Preachers, a man with a golden tongue and a refined soul, is shouting Never let a crisis go to waste. Run toward the storm, not away from it. Embrace this calamity. Have courage! This is your time. This is your destiny. This is your opportunity. Shine with the light of salvation and the love of your Redeemer. Be the Church, for Jesus, himself, has told you the gates of hell will not prevail against you! Put your trust in God, not in yourselves, and not in government. Believe in His sovereignty. Walk in His grace. March with confidence in your King!

But enough of the dross of my speculation. Hear the exact words of Spurgeon:

At first, I gave myself up with youthful ardor to the visitation of the sick, and was sent for from all corners of the district by persons of all ranks and religions; but, soon, I became weary in body and sick at heart. My friends seemed falling one by one, and I felt or fancied that I was sickening like those around me. A little more work and weeping would have laid me low among the rest; I felt that my burden was heavier than I could bear, and I was ready to sink under it.

I was returning mournfully home from a funeral, when, as God would have it, my curiosity led me to read a paper which was wafered up in a shoemakers window on the Great Dover Road. It did not look like a trade announcement, nor was it, for it bore, in good bold handwriting, these words: Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

The effect upon my heart was immediate. Faith appropriated the passage as her own. I felt secure, refreshed, girt with immortality. I went on with my visitation of the dying, in a calm and peaceful spirit; I felt no fear of evil, and I suffered no harm.

The Providence which moved the tradesman to place those verses in his window, I gratefully acknowledge; and in the remembrance of its marvelous power, I adore the Lord my God.

Let me repeat Faith appropriated. I felt secure, refreshed, girt with immortality. I went on in a calm and peaceful spirit; I felt no fear of evil, and I suffered no harm!

This is gold. Pure gold. Refined gold.

Whether it be a bad market or a bad disease, lovers of Christ should be the first to show the world that our security is not in hand sanitizers but in our Savior.

Dont let this crisis go to waste! shouts Spurgeon.

Show the world what love, joy and peace, truly look like.

Show your neighbor, your city and your nation that even though we walk through dark valleys, fear has lost its victory and death has lost its sting.

Everett Piper, former president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, is a columnist for The Washington Times and author of Not A Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth (Regnery 2017).

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Talking Death and God With Zoey Deutch – The Cut

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Photo: Emma McIntyre/BAFTA LA/Contour by Getty Images

Zoey Deutch is fixing me with a soft stare that does not match the intensity of the questions she just asked me, which are: Do you believe in an afterlife? Do you believe in reincarnation? What do you believe in? Were nursing pots of black tea at the Plaza Hotel across from Central Park, and shes been interviewing me for nearly two hours.

I dont think its fair for a writer to come and look me up and me not look them up, she says, explaining that shed Googled me extensively; I read all your stuff, looked through your things. And she had, including a small novel on immortality; apparently, now, she wanted to get her moneys worth by asking me about death and God and other things I wasnt prepared to talk about at high tea.

Shes barefaced today, with her hair in a tiny ponytail and a minimalist, designer outfit; its focal point is a Kenzo coat covered in Illuminati eyes. I call it my conversation piece, I could talk about it all the time. I wear it so much that I have my lines I got eyes everywhere, I got eyes everywhere! she hoots, throwing out finger guns.

The bit reminds me a little of Peg Dahl, the fast-talking heroine of Deutchs new movie Buffaloed. The film is sort of like a blue collar Big Short, with Peg as its charismatic center; she dreams of a college education and financial freedom, but ends up in prison after scalping Buffalo Bills tickets. Eventually, she starts running her own debt-collection business in Buffalo, New York; mafia-style shenanigans with a rival business ensue.

Like Peg, Deutch speaks in quick, full paragraphs, dad jokes on hand. But her in-person demeanor is more like Harper Moore, her character in the 2018 Netflix romcom Set It Up, a 20-something intern trying to figure it out in New York. Deutch, who is 25 now, has the same kind of intense, self-deprecating moxie that makes Harper so charming.

Photo: Emma McIntyre/BAFTA LA/Contour by Getty Images

As we talk, Deutch, who calls herself a connection junkie continues to turn on me with her what about you? refrain. I havent been a journalist for long, but one thing I have experienced when speaking with celebrities is that they mostly know the bare minimum about whom theyre speaking with; who you write for, your name, maybe. I was bewildered by Deutch, who knew things about me that are hard to find on the internet. But wed had some Champagne, so I explained to this woman Id just met my thoughts on death and God. That I was raised in a mixed-race, Sikh household that was religious and fractious and isolated. Probably, as a result, Im extremely not religious.

Deutch nods thoughtfully. She starts to tell me about her approach to spirituality, which she qualifies comes from a place of privilege. She recalls, fondly, her Bat Mitzvah, and how religion for her is all about being a part of something greater and asking questions and being curious. Given this sort of liberal spiritual oeuvre, I wonder why she passed on palm reading, the activity Id suggested in lieu of fancy tea. Well what if I found something scary? she shudders. Her grandmother, Deutch says, was a psychic, and her mom, actress Lea Thomspon (Back to The Future) is a little bit too. Ill get scared about something and Ill be like, What if Im psychic? she says of her own intuition, but itll be so wrong.

Inevitably, she faces charges of nepotism her father is director Howard Deutch (Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful) but critics agree on her talent, labeling her with terms like powerhouse, force of nature, scene-stealer, and virtuoso in reviews. And her work is good, and versatile: she recently starred as a baby-voiced victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy in The Politician and a late-aughts Paris Hilton composite in Zombieland: Double Tap. I loved her most as a high-school mean-turned-nice-girl in Before I Fall, a sort of YA Russian Doll. For the most part, like the real-life Deutch, her characters are smart, funny women who are more complicated than they first seem.

Deutch lives in Chinatown now, where she says no one recognizes her. But it may not always be that way. I dont know. I dont really know anything at all, she says of whats up next. But acting, she says, is what shes always wanted to do. Her tattoos including a giant YES to remind her to stay optimistic are all ankle-down so she doesnt have to spend too much time in makeup. I would love to know. Literally right before we met I was on a call, like trying to figure out that question, whats in the future.

She gazes at a neighboring table; her expression one that I recognize in myself and my peers. Those decisions are hard, but I havent made them yet. Theyre fine right now, because Im here having tea with you. What about you?

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Stressed Pooches, Global Outbreak, and Immortality: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week – Gizmodo

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Clockwise from top left: Angelica Alzona (Gizmodo); Josh Plueger/U.S. Air Force; Elena Scotti (Photos: Getty Images, AP, Shutterstock); Getty

With all this talk about the spread of COVID-19, I would blame you if youre considering staying inside and away from people (more than usual, at least) until all this blows over. I know I am. Thankfully, if voluntary house arrest is in your future, the good folks at Gizmodo have plenty of amazing coverage to keep you busy in the meantime.

As part of Forever Week, reporters dove into the subject of eternal life both in terms of your human flesh bag and the entirely digital impression you leave online. We also covered how libraries could be e-book repositories if publishers didnt gum up the works, the best Star Wars moments of the Disney era, how this novel coronavirus outbreak has tanked global oil demand, and why your dog is probably more stressed than you think they are.

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A time-travelling musical comedy with lots of flying – Insane Animals arrives at HOME – Manchester Evening News

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They say there's nothing new under the sun, and this week's big opening somehow both proves and disproves the theory.

Insane Animals takes its inspiration from the Epic of Gilgamesh - an ancient poem from Mesopotamia that is widely regarded as the oldest great work of literature yet discovered.

It was written around 1800BC and deals with some pretty weighty themes, not the least of which is immortality. And given we're still talking about Gilgamesh right now, you could say he's gone some way to reaching that goal.

Insane Animals is brought to us by cult cabaret duo and leading lights of the UKs alternative performance scene Bourgeois and Maurice, otherwise known as George Heyworth and Liv Morris. As you can imagine, their work is about as a la mode as it's possible to be.

George said of the subject matter: "It just felt really current. It's a story about survival and attempting to outlive your human body. Its central character and a lot of the themes that it explores feel like they really chime with what's going on in the world at the moment and the people that are running the world at the moment, so we were kind of drawn to it for that reason."

So what can we expect? George again: "Well, we've written quite a lot in this script about things flying in, so that'll be happening.

"Just generally it's a bigger cast. It's us with a cast of eight. The music is bigger, the storytelling is much bigger, just the spectacle of the thing is much bigger.

"We've got some really exciting creatives on the show. Our director is Phillip McMahon, who has just got an amazing vision and ability to see the story.

"So we're going Gothic and we're going big and we're going camp and we're going showbiz."

Liv adds: "It is our biggest show that we have ever made. It's a musical adventure, through the telling of the story of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and looking forward to the future and the idea of some of the themes around survival and immortality that this ancient ancient poem talks about, and these ideas of future tech and transhumanism that we are talking about now.

"All with some funny rhymes and songs."

Insane Animals is an outrageous larger-than-life time-travelling musical comedy in which two hyper-glam aliens arrive from a faraway galaxy to rescue present-day earth from impending political, environmental, and social doom. This epic joyride from the dawn of civilisation to the sequinned near future sees Bourgeois and Maurice on hand to help the human race live forever.

HOME / homemcr.org / 0161 200 1500 / Friday, February 2 to Saturday March 14 / 13-27

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A time-travelling musical comedy with lots of flying - Insane Animals arrives at HOME - Manchester Evening News

Futurologist says super-rich will ‘live forever’ with brains in robots – Metro.co.uk

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Transferring your brain to a robot in the future itll be no big deal (Getty Images/Digital Vision)

In the future, ultra rich individuals will be able to transplant their brains into lifelike robots and achieve a level of immortality

Thats according to noted futurist Dr. Ian Pearson who explained that these billionaires will be able to fund special silicone-based robots with special abilities straight out of what we consider science fiction.

There would be no need for human cloning, we can create Westworld-style androids with rigid skeletons, he told the Daily Star.

These would have muscle-like fibres grown to human flesh, and they would be 10-15 times stronger than human muscle.

Arguing his point further, Dr. Pearson says his predictions are built on the current level of technology we see in the world today. Retina implants and microchips beneath the skin are already here, so its feasible we may be able to back up our thoughts and memories to a computer.

Think of it as like adding an extension to the brain, similar to adding a conservatory to a house, he said.

Dr. Pearson believes that in the next 40 years these predictions will come true: By 2060, this could become more mainstream, he told the Star.

Furthermore, some of this delicious immortal technology may have trickled down from the ultra rich folk to be available to mere mortals.

You could even get to live as a pet cat if the android was created.

While we wait for the future to catch up to these, ahem, interesting ideas you can get some sense of what itd be like thanks to Netflix. The streaming service has an original series called Altered Carbon where humans can transfer their consciousnesses to new bodies called sleeves.

So far, nobody appears to have adopted a cat sleeve, though.

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The science of senolytics: breakthroughs in the future of ageing – Health Europa

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Rich Quelch, guest contributor, delves into the world of growing old, anti-ageing research and senotherapy.

Senotherapy is an emerging scientific field and based on recent estimates it could be widely available within the next decade. Approaching ageing from a cellular level, scientists the world over are investigating how to stop the process of senescence through medicinal means. But were still a long way off commercialisation and there are unanswered questions around what this means for the human race.

Life expectancy is rising in most of the developed world, with people in England and Wales now living almost 25 years longer than they did a century ago. The ONS predicts the UKs population of over-65-year-olds will increase by 8.6 million in the next 50 years.

How to help people age healthily and lessen the growing burden of old age on global healthcare systems and economies is one of the most pressing questions currently faced by civilisation.

The leading causes of death worldwide are age-related illnesses like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. If this trend can be reversed and people can live healthier for longer without the need for clinical care, the impact would be huge.

Technology has an especially important role to play here. So much so, Agetech is being met with the same level of excitement as fintech in the mid-2010s, with many Silicon Valley giants like Facebook and Alphabet investing billions. As an industry, its already estimated to be worth 179.91bn* globally.

The opportunities for pharma in tackling mortality and increasing the human lifespan are also not to be understated. However, the complex cellular and molecular processes that underlie age-related diseases have continued to elude us in their pathology. However, the tide seems to be turning and scientists may have just unlocked the key to slowing ageing.

Enter senolytics, the next big thing in anti-ageing research. Cellular senescence, leading to tissue dysfunction, is widely accepted as contributing to ageing and the development of debilitating age-related diseases. This is because, as we get older, an increasing number of the bodys cells enter a state known as senescence which results in the loss of a cells power to divide and grow.

Surrounding cells then start to become affected and as more and more enter this state, the bodys ability to repair tissue, control inflammation and protect against the risk of age-related diseases is compromised. The more senescent cells a person accumulates, it seems the faster their biological clock ticks.

Increasingly, the scientific community is exploring whether the process of senescence can be therapeutically targeted to help to slow or even halt it. As the median age for cancer, Alzheimers, Parkinsons and other age-related diseases are high (60+), understanding their pathology can reveal new insights into what mechanisms also cause ageing.

For example, neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) share cellular and molecular mechanisms commonly seen in ageing cells such as inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidation stress.

We recently had a first glimpse of what might be possible in senotherapy. In the first in-human trial of senolytics, the results were promising; these drugs were successful in removing senescent cells in the same way in people as in mice. Specifically, the administration of senolytics improved the physical function in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a fatal senescence-associated disease where the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult.

By 2100, its estimated 25% of the worlds population will be aged 60 or above, so the potential of senolytics to transform geriatric medicine and help people to age healthily is immense.

But, its important to understand the multidimensional challenges senotherapy may present the pharma industry, healthcare systems, governments and individuals if, or indeed when, we reach the stage of commercialisation.

The longevity industry is highly complex; a space where many industries overlap and intersect, requiring synergy and collaboration between pharma, technology, finance, health and social care, government departments, bodies and agencies, and political parties.

In this diverse and dynamic field, creating concrete understanding amongst all partners and making accurate forecasts will be hugely challenging particularly given the rapid pace at which Agetech is evolving.

At present, there exists a severe shortage of geriatricians with the clinical understanding and experience to lead the first round of clinical trials to determine if these emerging interventions are effective and safe. Until this skills gap is closed, clinical geriatricians, scientists trained in the biology of ageing, and investigators with experience in early phase clinical trials and drug regulatory systems will need to join forces and work together to prove or disprove the effectiveness of senotherapy.

At this early stage, we are also unclear about the potential side effects of senolytic drugs or whether such observable changes at the cellular level are permanent. Only time will tell as larger-scale and more granular testing is carried out in a clinical setting on human patients.

On an ethical level, there are also important questions to consider and debate about intervening in one of lifes most fundamental and inevitable processes death.

Rich Quelch Global Head of MarketingOrigin

*Estimated at the time of conversion

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The science of senolytics: breakthroughs in the future of ageing - Health Europa

The Holy Mountain review inside the mind of a visionary provocateur – The Guardian

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Alejandro Jodorowskys 1973 film is now revived in UK cinemas: a plumply overripe fruit of the counterculture, dripping with the juices of spiritual rebellion, semi-comic posturing, consciousness-raising and all-around freakiness. Hardly a moment passes in this movie without a situationist display of outrageousness; it is a dream tableau of the weird and occasionally wonderful.

Unlike his celebrated breakthrough El Topo, this is less like a spaghetti-LSD western and is more urban, notionally more political, and more satirical. But the key Jodorowsky tropes are still there: the absurdism, the hedonism, the tarot mysticism. Some of the group-nudity scenes reminded me of the stoned hippy in David Lodges novel Changing Places talking about establishing a socialism of the emotions.

For all that this entirely bizarre film is pre-eminently of its time, some of the more cultish scenes may put you in mind of the Ayahuasca ceremony in Noah Baumbachs 2014 movie While Were Young, with middle-aged people wearing white robes and earnestly vomiting up their demons. The tone is very different in Jodorowsky of course: not deadly serious, exactly, but certainly without 21st-century irony and disillusion.

Jodorowsky himself plays a mysterious alchemist who purports to hold the secret of turning base metals into gold and achieving immortality. He receives nine supplicants, each associated with a different planet, and leads them all on a bizarre pilgrimage to enlightenment, up the fabled holy mountain.

There are countless images of superlative weirdness, some of which I can never forget such as the creepy old guy in the street making conversation with the pert child prostitute and then taking out his glass eye to give to her. One woman, making the spiritual ascent, is told: Rub your clitoris against the mountain! and she duly does, making the climb considerably more hazardous.

As with El Topo, some of the contrivances look a bit dated, but this is a key work of cinemas great showman-provocateur, battling against conformity and dullness.

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The Holy Mountain review inside the mind of a visionary provocateur - The Guardian

What the future will bring, or won’t – San Mateo Daily Journal

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What if you woke up one day to realize you no longer had a grasp on time, that it was slipping through your fingers like a handful of loose beach sand?

Well, this was the reality faced by none other than Julius Caesar after he noticed that the 355-day Roman calendar no longer matched up with the seasons. Convinced of the superiority of the Egyptian solar calendar, Caesar adopted this 365-day year and proclaimed that every year divisible by four would warrant an extra day in February.

However, by the 16th century, the Romans were once again faced with a loss of time, and Caesars calendar proved to be 11 minutes too long, accumulating over the decades. The solution? Astronomers during the time of Pope Gregory XII concluded that a century year would only be a leap year if it was divisible by 400.

So, following suit, 2100 will not be a leap year which begs the question (or slightly hints at to provide a good segue), what else wont we have in 2100?

According to a study conducted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in March of 2018, we wont have San Francisco. While only portions of the city are predicted to disappear, rising sea levels coupled with sinking land spell nothing but trouble, especially for those resting on the engineered landfill along the coast.

The New York Times projected that, by 2100, San Francisco International Airport could lose half of its runways to flooding. In addition, anywhere from 48 to 166 square miles of land throughout the Bay Area could end up submerged.

Its important to note that the report cited in The New York Times article, More of the Bay Area Could Be Underwater in 2100 Than Previously Expected, compares the worst with the best-case scenario assuming countries follow the 2015 Paris agreement for emissions reduction. However, the United States pulled out of the accord in 2017; whether a lack of support from the president has had an impact on efforts to reduce climate change has yet to be determined.

So what else could see a partial demise in 80 years? Teachers.

It is common knowledge that, as we advance technologically, many workers are at risk of being replaced by artificial intelligence, just as hand-labor was replaced by machinery during the industrial revolution. Yet, there is much debate on whether teachers are interchangeable with robots.

Though most arent as persistent about the rise of AI teachers as British education expert Anthony Seldon, who claims robots will replace teachers by 2027, companies have already begun to experiment with various types of bot-teachers.

A report published by the Australian Journal of Educational Technology examined the use of bot-teachers in hybrid massive open online courses (MOOCs) and concluded that the use of bot-teachers is very helpful in increasing interaction within a learning community and can be used as an assistant during the teaching/learning process.

While the bot-teachers were ultimately ineffective in providing other components of teaching presence such as direct instruction, design and organization, the report also noted that the technology is still in its infancy and that the potential of its adolescence and adulthood are unknown but promising.

Additionally, it is possible that AI teachers could help solve the worldwide education crisis.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization put forth the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, which highlighted an initiative to provide everyone equal access to quality education in an effort to decrease poverty rates worldwide.

The report claims that children do not attend school due to a lack of potable water or electricity and, among other things, a lack of properly trained teachers. Potentially, AI teachers could act as assistants or temporary replacements for the nearly 20.1 million positions that need to be filled to educate the worlds population of children.

While robots in classrooms may seem far-fetched at the moment, much of education is already automated, from SMART boards to online courses and test prep sites.

Besides big portions of coastal land and teachers unaided by AI, what else will we part with by 2100?

According to NBC News, 2100 could see the disappearance of coral reefs altogether which would produce a devastating impact on the ecosystems of the ocean; coral reefs are only one of many natural habitats on both land and in water that may be merely spoken of in the past tense by the turn of the century.

Despite this dire outlook, the ability to take action rests in our hands. While we cant yet predict whether 2100 brings immortality, the colonization of Mars, or (finally) flying cars, we can act now.

Though I plan to will myself to live past 100 years of age if for no other reason than to say I lived through two centuries I must admit that I dont know what life has in store for me. So, for those of us who wont break the 122-year record for the longest human life, we must consider whether we really want our children and grandchildren living in underwater dwellings in the lost city of San Francisco, swimming to an AI-integrated school to learn how to combat the problems we left behind.

Its up to us to pick up the pieces before they fall too far out of reach.

Veronica Roseborough is a senior at Carlmont High School in Belmont. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.

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What the future will bring, or won't - San Mateo Daily Journal

Lucifer recap: What happened to Cain and Abel? Will they return for season 5? – Express

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In the season three finale, Cain lured Lucifer and Chloe into a trap and tried to kill them both.

Believing Cain had killed Chloe, in a fit of rage Lucifer killed Cain, stabbing him to death with one of Mazes (Lesley Ann-Brandt) demon blades.

Cain originally believed he would be going to heaven, confessing he has no regrets.

However, Lucifer knew Cain regretted killing Charlotte and as a result he will torture himself with guilt in hell for eternity, alongisde his brother.

As Lucifer returned to Hell at the end of season four, a Cain and Lucifer reunion could well be on the cards.

Unfortunately, Welling has not confirmed whether he would reprise his role as Cain in the fifth series.

Welling is currently starring in the Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths as Clark Kent/Superman from Smallville.

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Lucifer recap: What happened to Cain and Abel? Will they return for season 5? - Express

Insane team kill proves Baptiste is Overwatch’s most overpowered hero – Dexerto

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Overwatch Twitch streamer mL7 is well-known for his incredible Ana play, but that hasnt stopped the grandmaster player from experimenting with other supports and maximizing their kit. Thats exactly what he did in a game on Ilios where he dominated the enemy team.

Baptiste is believed to be the most ridiculous support and even potentially the most overpowered hero in Overwatch at the moment, thanks to its incredible damage, strong healing, a fast-charging ultimate, Immortality Field and the ability to access high ground with ease.

The Romanian support specialist made use of every aspect of Baptistes kit with great success to carry his team in one of the most impactful plays on the hero weve seen yet.

With the score tied at one, mL7 needed to keep Well in his teams possession to earn the victory. To start things off, the Twitch streamer used Baptistes boots to jump into the air and take aim at an enemy Pharah.

His superb accuracy prevailed, shooting down the flying rocket menace. Soon thereafter, he placed down Amplification Matrix and with doubled damage, got kills onto a Torbjorn, Wrecking Ball and fellow Baptiste player.

Swiftly, he noticed a Zenyatta flanking behind him and placed his Immortality Field down to survive the Orbs of Destruction coming from behind. After leaping away and doing some healing, he got additional final blows onto a Sigma and the Zenyatta who had been giving him trouble.

To top it all off, the Pharah, who mL7 killed to begin the play, was once again shot out of the sky as the streamers team reached 100 percent of the objective and claimed victory all in a mere 30 seconds.

The dynamic performance was met with shock and awe by members of the Overwatch community including fellow streamer Fran who tweeted, "I was in this game!!! PogU" after mL7 uploaded the footage to Twitter.

Additionally, the play was uploaded to the Competitive Overwatch subreddit where it was upvoted over 1,000 times.

It will be very interesting to see what happens with Baptiste in the future as the support is widely regarded as being overpowered and a better version of Soldier 76.

Fellow Twitch streamer Seagull has gone on record saying he wishes that the Haitian hero to be reworked with Immortality Field changed to an ultimate ability instead of a standard skill. Only time will tell if Blizzard chooses to act and make changes to Baptistes kit.

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Insane team kill proves Baptiste is Overwatch's most overpowered hero - Dexerto

How Hollywood Became Obsessed With De-aging Its Stars – The Atlantic

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Still, thats an oversimplification of the process, which took about 500 artists and two years to perfect. When it comes to de-aging, visual-effects artists aim not to re-create or copy the image of an actors younger self, but to interpret the character being played. In Smiths case, his clone in Gemini Man was trained as an assassin, so he couldnt have the lanky build of Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. On top of that, effects of this caliber require compromise: As much as dark lighting, long takes, and clever costuming help hide flaws in Juniors presentation, the film couldnt conceivably be told under such circumstances in every scene.

Lee admitted that the end result isnt perfectthe final, daylight-drenched scene looked goofy, he told mebut the film operated almost like a guinea pig for the cutting-edge technology he wanted to implement. As a director, Lee often pushes filmmaking boundaries, so the idea of furthering de-aging by building a full digital human sounded appealing. We are in a digital era, he explained, so to me its only logical to [de-age an actor] right in front of your eyes through digital effort.

Indeed, de-aging actors digitally is becoming the new normal in Hollywood. Though the practice of manipulating an actors look rather than casting age-appropriate performers has been around since the mid-2000sThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button being a prime examplevisual-effects artists have worked overtime on it this year. In March, the 90s-set Captain Marvel toyed with Samuel L. Jacksons appearance, erasing decades off his face. Marvel deployed the technique again in April, incorporating an estimated 200 aging and de-aging shots of various actors throughout Avengers: Endgame. Five months later, the horror sequel It Chapter Two de-aged its young cast members so that they would match their preteen looks from the first film. (Thanks, puberty!) And Martin Scorseses gangster epic The Irishman, released at the end of November, dialed back the ages of its stars, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesciall in their 70sto portray the lives of mobsters across entire lifetimes.

At a time when Hollywoods population of box-office-busting movie stars is dwindling, de-aging allows existing ones to be rebornor, at the very least, to ensure their longevity. For an industry that relies on rebooting franchises, its only logical that filmmakers would want to do the same to its bold-faced names. Consider the news that James Dean could be digitally resurrected to star in a new movie; taken to its bleakest, most Black Mirroresque extreme, the notion of re-creating deceased actors via visual-effects has implications that could pave the way for a new era of moviemaking.

Its a form of immortality, if you think about it, Olcun Tan, a visual-effects supervisor based in Los Angeles, told me. He pointed to Mickey Mouse as the optimal version of a movie star with staying power, a type of fictional character turned brand. To achieve everlasting fame, stars would go through the reverse, from being a household name to becoming a digitally reusable character, another tool in a filmmakers toolbox. Im not saying this is what the future will bring, because this is a little dark, but if you can imagine it, there is a likelihood it can happen, Tan said. Because if the film industry is trying to reverse current actors ages because it makes them money, you have to consider there is a likelihood theyll license their appearance at some point, even after those people are gone.

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Archaeologists Have Discovered the Worlds Oldest Illustrated Book in an Ancient Egyptian Burial Site – artnet News

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Egyptologists have discovered the oldest copy of what is being called the worlds first illustrated book, a 4,000-year-old edition of the Book of Two Ways, an ancient Egyptian guide to the afterlife considered to be a forerunner to the Book of the Dead. The text predates previously known versions by some 40 years.

The find was first published in theJournal of Egyptian Archaeologyin September by Harco Willems, a professor at the University of Leuven in Belgium.

Unlike modern books, these historic writings werent inscribed on bound pages, but on the walls of sarcophagi.They were meant to aid the deceased through the perilous journey to the underworld, during which they might be beset by demons or raging fires. If one were to cast the correct spells, he or she might achieve immortality.

Though the planks inscriptions reference a governor named Djehutynakht, Willemss research has revealed that the coffin originally held the remains of a woman named Ankh, referred to throughout the text as he. That is in keeping with Egyptian mythology, where rebirth was the purview of male deities, and dead women adopted male pronouns to be more like Osiris, god of death.

Coffin fragments bearing the earliest known version of the Book of Two Ways, an ancient Egyptian text considered the worlds first illustrated book. Photo courtesy of Harco Willems.

To me, whats funny is the idea that how you survive in the netherworld is expressed in male terms, Willems told the New York Times.

The Egyptologist has overseen digs at the Coptic necropolis ofDayr al-Barsha, used as a cemetery during the Middle Kingdom period, from about 2055 to 1650 B.C, since 2001. He excavated the ancient coffin fragments about 20 feet down a burial shaft at the complex of an ancient Egyptian provincial governor, ornomarch, named Ahanakhtin, in 2012.

The fragile state of the artifacts, repeatedly ransacked by looters long ago, prevented them from being studied until now.

This image of Pharoah Mentuhotep II was found at the site of Deir el-Bahri in Egypt. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

The planks of wood bear carved ink inscriptions and painted illustrations meant to ensure successful passage through the netherworld to Rostau, the realm of Osiris. (The text is called the Book of Two Ways because it offers instructions on how to travel either by land or by water.)

The pigments, however, have faded with time, and the faint markings are visible largely thanks to high resolution imageryprocessed with DStretch software.

Based on inscriptions on other tomb artifacts referencing Pharaoh Mentuhotep II, who reigned until 2010 B.C., Willems believes this newly identified Book of Two Ways is at least four decades older than any of the two dozen previously known versions of the text.

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Slow march on the path to immortality – Rawlins Review

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Is it possible to extend lifespans to, say, 120 years, or longer, asks Devangshu Datta.

IMAGE: The average person can now expect to live longer, and maintain better health than in any previous era. Photograph: Kind courtesy Alexis Len/ There have been many stunning advances in the biosciences but the process of ageing remains mysterious.

Life expectancy has increased in most places due to better nutrition, improved hygiene and healthcare, buttressed by new medicines and genetic research that tackles previously incurable diseases and conditions.

The average person can expect to live longer, and maintain better health than in any previous era.

But can the longevity of the species itself increase?

Every historical era has produced the odd individual who lived 80-90 years, or longer, in times when average life expectancy was less than 40.

We can certainly hope that more people will attain longer lifespans.

Life expectancy across the EU exceeds 80 years, and Japan, Singapore and Switzerland are 85-plus.(India is 69).

But is it possible to extend lifespans to, say, 120 years, or longer?

Some people think so.

There are therefore, two related but different goals, for researchers and policymakers.

One is to create a policy environment where more people live longer, and remain healthier.

The other, more ambitious goal is to understand ageing, and reverse its effects to extend potential lifespan.

There are around 500,000 people aged 100plus at the moment.

This number will roughly double in every future decade.

A in Science journal suggests there may be no obvious limit to lifespan.

Italian demographers Elisabetta Barbi and Francesco Lagona, and the Italian National Institute of Statistics, looked at the records of 3,836 people, aged 105 or older in Italy, between 2009 and 2015.

As we know, intuitively, as well as statistically, the risk of dying increases for every adult.

That is, a 21-year-old is slightly more likely to die in the next 12 months, than a 20-year-old, and that risk continues to rise with every year.

Oddly, this study indicates that the risk plateaus after 105 the risk of dying in any given 12 month period seems to stay at around 50 per cent after the age of 105.

This could be a statistical, or methodological quirk, or it could indicate some biological phenomenon where cell-repair processes balance off ageing effects.

The convergence of genome sequencing, AI and cellular medicine will enable breakthroughs that will make 100 years old, the new 60.

The XPRIZE Foundation, which has supported space research and robotics, among other things, recently became interested in longevity research.

One of the XPRIZE Board members, Sergey Young, has raised $ 100 million for a Longevity Vision Fund.

This will invest in biotech startups, researching longevity-related areas.

Young believes lifespans can be increased to 200 years and that the technologies to enable this can be made available to over 1 billion people.

X-PRIZE founder, Peter Diamandis is more measured but upbeat in saying, Adding 20 to 30 healthy years on a persons life is likely to be the largest market opportunity on Earth.

The convergence of genome sequencing, AI and cellular medicine will enable breakthroughs that will make 100 years old, the new 60.

XPRIZE recently held a longevity conference and released a road map, which listed 12 areas, where breakthroughs or improvements could promote better health and increased life expectancy.

According to The Lancet, over 70 per cent of deaths are due to chronic age-related diseases.

The list includes cancer, Alzheimers, heart disease, liver disease, etc.

The 12 listed breakthrough areas include:

These are ambitious but understandable areas for study.

The three science fiction objectives are: First, arresting ageing by completely stopping the ageing process for at least one year.

This would have to be demonstrated first on mammals and then on humans.

The second is creating a model of the human body which is detailed and accurate enough to replace experimentation with human subjects.

This could circumvent current restrictions on research, which could be of potential benefit but likely to be dangerous to the subject.

The third is ageing circumvented: A method to move the brain with or without the entire head of one person to the body of another, or to a non-human vessel, for over a year, while maintaining conscious thought or (in the case of cryonics) demonstrating that consciousness can be recovered after a time.

Achieving this would effectively mean immortality.

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Slow march on the path to immortality - Rawlins Review

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 10 Most Hated Supporting Characters – Screen Rant

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Unlike other television series focused on teens,Buffy the Vampire Slayerwas well-written, had witty dialogue, and didn't insult the intelligence of its demographic. It also boasted competent acting chops from its young cast, who were expected to treat silicone masks and fake blood like they were the makings of real vampires and demons. From the late '90s to the early '00s, Joss Whedon's coming of age chronicle of a teenage girl chosen to protect her hometown from the forces of evil was a huge hit.

RELATED:5 Characters We Hope To See In The Buffy The Vampire Slayer Reboot (And 5 Who Can Stay Away)

As much as fans loved the principle cast of Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), her friends, her love interests, and even her villains, there were always those particular characters that were as well-received asgarlic fries at a vampire cookout. Whether they were poorly written, terribly acted, or just plain boring, they lessened thequalityof a timeless supernatural show. Here are the 10 most hated supporting characters onBuffy the Vampire Slayer.

The first love of Spikes human persona, William the Bloody (so named for his bloody awful poetry) was Drusilla, a beguiling vampire that lured him into her embrace with the promise of immortality for himself and his sick mother. She kept him devoted to her and on a tight leash, insanely jealous of anyone else that took his fancy.

He was then enslaved to her for decades, connected by their blood bond, and forced to endure her mad ramblings as her mind became further eroded. By the time Drusilla was back in Spikes life in Sunnydale, she had lost much of her charisma and become cloying, annoying, and a nuisance.

After Drusilla, Spike became attached to Harmony, or rather Harmony became attached to him. She started off as one of Cordelia's minions, but ended up one of the most air-headed vampires youd ever meet in Sunnydale. Nothing about her was a cold, methodical killer, or even very interesting. Her storylines involved pining for Spike and trying to make him jealous.

Loud, abrasive, and extremely unintelligent, she spent her days making up nauseating pet names for Spike and forcing him to play games with her like 20 Questions. While we could feel sorry for the dismissive way he treated her, we cant blame him for wanting her out of his unlife as soon as possible.

In the fifth season, Buffy Summers inexplicably gained a kid sister. It was never explained how it happened, and no one seemed the least bit perturbed by it. Only that Dawn was the vessel for which the key (a mystical entity) could be housed and hidden from those that would seek to exploit it.

By living under the same roof as The Slayer, she was sure to be protected from Glory, a goddess from Hell who arrived in Sunnydale to open the Hellmouth. Dawn may have been important, but she was a whiny, petulant teenager with no character arc that managed to get everyone close to her hurt.

Riley was one of the most normal boyfriends that Buffy ever had, and one of the only human ones. By day, he was just like Buffy, a carefree college student just trying to stay on top of his grades, hang out with friends, and occasionally have a night out at the Bronze.

RELATED:Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 5 Relationships Fans Were Behind (And 5 They Rejected)

By night, he was a super soldier recruited to take down supernatural threats in Sunnydale. His organization was hunting an experiment, a cyborg humanoid named Adam, through the streets of Sunnydale when he and Buffy became an item. Riley was wholesome but boring, and never really pushed Buffy into complex story arcs the way Spike and Angel did.

Veruca, the self-absorbed werewolf woman that stole Oz's heart was bound to be one of the most annoying characters on the show, if Willow fans didn't outright hate her guts. She lured Oz into a relationship that wasn't half as meaningful as what he had with Willow, and all for her own selfish gains.

Besides destroying one of the cutest couples in the Buffyverse, Veruca also didn't have much of a point in Season 4, instead dragging out a storyline of being the leader singer of a band at the Bronze and gloating over victory. Buffy fans weren't sad to see her killed off, but they were mad her end forced Oz to break his no killing rule.

One of the popular mean girls at Sunnydale High, Cordelia was a Queen B who constantly picked on people like Xander and Willow while marginally tolerating Buffy. She only cared about herself and whatever was trendy, and loathed the Scooby Gang.

While she helped the Scoobies on occasion, she wasn't much more than a researcher until she finally staked a vampire on Graduation Day. She would go on to help Angel infinitely more down at his supernatural law firm in Los Angeles, helping him found Angel Investigations. She had a few good one-liners, but her constant staging of popularity contests made her a tiresome character.

Andrew was one third of The Trio, a group of uber nerds from Sunnydale High that decided they would band together to be supervillains. At first, they just built hyper realistic robots and used them to commit silly crimes, but soon their ambitions grew, and they sought to confront The Slayer herself.

Their delusions of grandeur eventually got the better of them, and left the leader Warren flayed, and fellow member Jonathan dead. Andrew was the only surviving one who fled to the Slayers sanctuary for protection. Andrew was mousy, annoying, and took too long to develop a backbone by the time he could help the Scoobies. He was ultimately responsible for a lot of innocent deaths by being a coward.

Warren was the leader of The Trio, the group of super nerds that tried to take down the Slayer and her Scooby Gang. Entitled, self-centered, and a bully to the other two members Andrew and Jonathan, he fantasized about being as powerful as the Galactic Empire in Star Wars and gaining the admiration of hot chicks everywhere.

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Warrens pursuit of power ended up corrupting him entirely, and he went after Buffy alone when the trio abandoned him. He got his just comeuppance, but not before causing the ultimate tragedy for the Scoobies. Was he a worthy Big Bad for Season 6? Only because we got Dark Willow, but he proved to be a pathetic adversary when she got her revenge.

As if hunting vampires and demons wasn't interfering with Buffy's school load enough, she had to contend with one of the most annoying roommates in UC Sunnydale history. Kathy Newman was obsessed with Celine Dion, was endlessly perky, had a weird habit of clipping her toenails at inconvenient times, and was a control freak about labeling her eggs.

She put Buffy in jeopardy on more than one occasion by randomly surprising her while on patrol, insisting on "share time", and keeping her off her game by rummaging through her things. Thankfully, she turned out to be a demon, which Buffy was more than capable of handling.

To deal with the heartache of losing her girlfriend Tara, Willow went a little crazy. And by a little, we mean a lot. She turned into a dark witch and almost destroyed Sunnydale if not the entire world. That being said, we'll forgive her for not being in her right state of mind when she chose to begin a relationship with Kennedy.

Kennedy was a potential Slayer who found Willow attractive, and was just aggressive and arrogant enough to make the first move. She came off as entitled, vain, and condescending, the exact opposite of the kind and compassionate Tara. It was torturous to see her and Willow together and we were happy when their fling ended.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 10 Most Hated Supporting Characters - Screen Rant