Category Archives: Immortality

CardioNerds(Amit Goyal,Daniel Ambinder) and Dr. Mark Belkin, (CardioNerds Correspondent) and Dr. Shirlene Obuobi (CardioNerds Ambassador) from University of Chicago are honored to bring to you the Dr. Milton Packer perspective on the evolution of the neurohormonal hypothesis as part of The CardioNerds Heart Success Series.

In part 6 Dr. Packer reflects on a conversation he had with Dr. Eugene Braunwald about mentorship and its role in immortality. This episode is particularly meaningful to the CardioNerds team as mentorship and sponsorship is such an important part of the CardioNerds mission.

Check out theCardioNerdsHeart Failure Success Series Pagefor more heart success episodes and content!

This is a non CME episode. Disclosures: Milton Packer reports receiving consulting fees fromAbbvie, Actavis,Amgen, Amarin,AstraZeneca,Boehringer Ingelheim,Bristol Myers Squibb, Casana, CSL Behring,Cytokinetics,Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc., Eli Lilly and Company,Moderna, Novartis, ParatusRx, Pfizer, Relypsa, Salamandra, Synthetic Biologics,Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.and Theravance Biopharma Inc.

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This CardioNerdsHeart Failure Success Series was created in memory of Dr. David Taylor. We thank our partners at the Heart Failure Soci

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151. The Evolution Of The Neurohormonal Hypothesis With Dr. Milton Packer: Part 6 Mentorship & The Secret to Immortality - DocWire News

Artist Heidi Mrazs latest work, Aerodynamics by Entomology, uses 1,000 butterflies to portray the metamorphosis of Porsches 917 from an unstable monster to an immortal race car, according to the news release about the works unveiling this past weekend.

While Mraz chose butterflies, which undergo a transformation in their development, to illustrate the cars evolution in her 4 x 6-foot work, it was another insect, gnats, that actually led to the cars success.

The little-known account of John Horsmans epiphany and how he modified the 917 inspired me on so many levels that I felt the need to share the story through my art. Mraz is quoted in the news release.

Using butterflies as the medium was a natural choice. Symbolically, butterflies draw a variety of parallels to the 917s story. They are an insect like the dead gnats that covered the car; both the 917 and the butterfly are lightweight, and each needed to undergo a metamorphosis in order to mature. Both are also symbols of immortality despite having short life cycles.

The news release shares the story of Horsmans discovery:

In 1969, following a lethal crash at Le Mans, Porsches engineers and Works drivers took the dangerously unstable 917 out to the Osterreichring racetrack in Austria to see if they could determine why it tended to lift off the track at high speed. An excerpt from Gulf 917 by Jay Gillotti stated, In hindsight, the handling problems that the drivers initially complained about with the 917 can be seen as rooted in the aerodynamics. It is also important to remember that aerodynamics for racing cars was still something of a black art in 1969. Formula One cars had only just sprouted primitive wings and ground-effect tunnels were still years away.

When the car returned to the pit, Porsches JWAE team manager and engineer, John Horsman, noticed dead gnats covering the car except on the rear spoilers. Horsman realized that this meant there was little or no airflow to the tail and therefore insufficient downforce to keep the car on the track at speed. Horsman quickly modified the car with aluminum sheets and duct tape and, on the next test drive, the Works driver was able to race around the circuit at record speed while keeping the 917 on the asphalt.

Now its a racing car! driver Brian Redman reportedly proclaimed.

And indeed it was. The 917 posted Porsches first overall victory at Le Mans in 1970 and won again in 1971 and, as the Mraz news release notes, continues to be celebrated as one of the greatest racing legends of all time, despite a racing career cut short due to evolving FIA regulations. The 917 also was the car featured in Steve McQueens movie, Le Mans, and the car comprised of butterflies in Mrazs artwork is done in the famed blue and orange Gulf Oil colors.

This extraordinary piece of art is made from approximately 1000 paper butterflies and other insects that match the iconic Gulf cars blue and orange racing livery, the news release points out. Hand-cut, placed and pinned, the butterflies add poignant dimension and illusion of movement to the artistic portrayal of the 917.

Were told Mraz selected chassis 917-022 for the portrait because of its iconic status, and because it was part of the Porsche 917 class at the Pebble Beach Concours dElegance, where she was able to collect primary source information about the car.

Next, she created an entomology-inspired piece, the 917 Specimen Box, that highlights each of the 917s with butterfly-shaped cut-outs created from photos shot while the cars were at Pebble Beach.

Working from a studio in Great Falls, Virginia, Mraz specializes in historic automotive projects and is in production of a feature-length documentary, Automotive Artifacts, which chronicles the behind-the-scenes work involved her artistic assemblages.

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Art reveals insects' role in the evolution of the Porsche 917 - The ClassicCars.com Journal

GREEN BAY, Wis. After losing two very close family members, Green Bay special teams coordinator Maurice Drayton decided to say with his Packers family for Sunday nights game against the San Francisco 49ers.

At the end of the day, its the family atmosphere here. We have a task at hand, Drayton said on Wednesday. I kind of live by a mantra of you have to close ranks and keep marching. Thats not to make light of anything thats going on at the time. But that mentality has always helped us to go forward. Its not about me. Its about us and we.

Drayton said a grandmother and cousin transitioned from mortality to immortality. Nonetheless, Drayton stuck with the team for its 30-28 victory over the 49ers, a triumph made possible by Mason Crosbys 51-yard field goal as time expired.

Draytons units made mostly positive contributions to the outcome. Crosby made three field goals to win his eighth NFC Special Teams Player of the Week Award. Corey Bojorquez battled NFC Special Teams Player of the Month Mitch Wishnowsky to a draw in a battle of top punters.

The only blemish and it was a big one was the 68-yard kickoff return by Trenton Cannon late in the first half that lit the 49ers fuse to rally from a 17-0 deficit. Ty Summers was blocked inside and Kylin Hill was blocked outside to form a huge alley. The other five kickoffs resulted in three touchbacks and the Niners taking possession at their 17 and 19.

Kickoff is like riding a motorcycle without a helmet, Drayton said. You make one mistake, it can be pretty bad for you. Literally, we had a guy get a little too far to the right and another guy that didn't get far enough to his right. Next thing you know, theyre up on Mason. Good thing Mason we talked two weeks ago about Mason making tackles so we got him on the ground. They wound up scoring, which is not good. I promise you, were going to get it right.

Hill made one understated play that helped the Packers win the game. And that play wasnt made on Sunday. Rather, it was made last Monday. His 41-yard return against the Detroit Lions in Week 2 was stuck in the mind of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and his special teams coordinator, Richard Hightower, on the final kickoff of the game. The 49ers could have kicked the ball to Hill in hope of burning off some of the remaining seconds on his return. Instead, they kicked the ball out of the end zone, setting up Green Bay at the 25 with the full 37 seconds to go.

We have a lot of respect for Hill, Hightower told 49ers beat reporters on Wednesday. He had a big, explosive return the week before where he got those guys to like the 50-yard line or something like that, (so) it was half a field [Green Bay Packers QB] Aaron [Rodgers] had to work with, and they went down there and scored. So, the thought process on that is basically weve got a lot of respect for the guy and make them go longer than they have to there.

After the long kickoff return, receiver Allen Lazard signed up for special-teams duty and played four snaps. And when linebacker Krys Barnes exited with a concussion, every-down linebacker DeVondre Campbell volunteered to replace him and got his first two snaps of special-teams action this season.

Anytime you have people who are so selfless, man, thats awesome, Drayton said. Thats what you look for, what youre trying to breed in a team.

It was selfless play, much like that demonstrated by their coordinator who was leading with a heavy heart.

We were able to deal with it because of this organization, because of the family atmosphere that we have in the locker room, Drayton said. At the end of the day, its not about me. Its always about us and we and, because of that, were able to put one foot in front of the other. When guys ask me all the time, How are you doing? Putting one foot in front of the other, right, left. As long we were doing that, were going forward. So, were going to be fine.

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Not About Me as Drayton Coaches with Heavy Heart - Sports Illustrated

How long you live and how well you age rests on many factors beyond your control, but the discovery that gut microbes play a key role means what you eat can make a difference

By Scott Anderson

Gretchen Rehrs

WHY do we age? As youngsters, we seem invincible. We climb trees, frolic in the dirt and blithely share alarming quantities of mucus. At college, we can thrive on a diet of ramen and beer, party all night and still sit an exam the next day. But in our 30s, we start to wind down. It becomes harder to maintain muscle tone and avoid illness. Our joints start to ache and our memory begins to dim. And it is mostly downhill from there.

People have long attempted to stop or reverse this process. But fountains of youth and secrets of immortality remain firmly in the realms of fiction. Our bodies wear out, even if we no longer do the back-breaking physical labour our ancestors did. And the world seems determined to grind us down with a plethora of disease-causing microbes. To help fend off these pathogens, our bodies recruit other microbes, vast numbers of which reside in our intestines, where we feed them in exchange for their services. But, as we age, this gut microbiota becomes less effective at fighting diseases too.

This raises an intriguing possibility. Perhaps the secret of longevity lies not in the body itself, but in our gut microbes. We still have much to learn about this complex assemblage of bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea, yet it turns out that people who achieve a healthy old age often have a distinctive gut flora. Whats more, we are finding ways to manipulate this world inside us. As strange as it seems, there is gathering evidence that we can increase our lifespan by changing our gut microbes.

Gretchen Rehrs

Even

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Secrets of a long and healthy life reside in your gut microbiome - New Scientist

Keanu Reeves

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves is known as an action star and the "internet's boyfriend," but now the actor is adding comic book writer to his extensive rsum.

The John Wick star sat down virtually with PEOPLE to talk about his upcoming new comic book, BRZRKR, co-written by Matt Kindt, which Reeves describes as "sensationalistic."

"We are looking at violence in the impulse of violence and how it's used, and how it tries to be controlled," Reeves, 57, tells PEOPLE of the project. "And trying to understand the character that we might not be able to relate to it, being immortal, but we relate to the idea of wanting to be immortal."

The comic book follows an immortal warrior, known as Berzerker, a half-mortal, half-God, who is cursed and compelled toward violenceat the cost of his sanity. After wandering the world for centuries, Berzerker finds himself working for the U.S. government in exchange for the truth of his blood-soaked existence and how he may end the gruesome cycle.

RELATED: The Matrix: Resurrections Trailer Sees Keanu Reeves Reunite with Carrie-Anne Moss

Reeves says, "We can relate to the idea of the imagination of what [immortality] would be like. We have vampiric stories that speak about that. But that's part of the human condition, whether it's the living condition of our mortality or human wish-fulfillment that we don't have mortality."

BRZRKR Keanu Reeevs

BOOM! Studios

He adds, "In the context of violence, which is everywhere, it's survival, it's conquest, it's eating. So it plays everywhere, and we're trying to look at it from different... It's an examination of it."

Reeves and Kindt wrote the story together with artist Ron Garney providing the bloody depictions on the page. This is The Matrix star's comic book writing debut.

The story took "at least two years" to write and see completed, says Kindt, with the trio working remotely during the COVID-19 lockdown.

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When asked how Reeves found the time to squeeze in writing a comic book series while working on the upcoming The Matrix Resurrections and John Wick: Chapter 4, the actor says they "had groundwork and things to do."

"But how do we find the time? Because we love it," he says. "That was what we did. We love it."

BRZRKR Vol. 1 collects #1 - 4 and is available in bookstores on Oct. 5.

Continued here:

Keanu Reeves Explores 'the Impulse of Violence' in His First Comic Book BRZRKR : 'It's Everywhere' - Yahoo Entertainment

Jeff Bezos has done it again!

From time immortal, the human race has been in a quest of sorts to find a way to arrest ageing, reverse ageing, thus reach immortality. The Egyptians were the first that dabbled in their quest to turn themselves into timeless beauties; we have all heard of Cleopatra and her weird beauty regimes, right from crushing red beetles to lend the right red tint to her cheeks and mouth to bathing in milk and salt sea as a scrub. Her beauty regime was in tandem with wanting her appearance to exude beauty and the quest to arrest ageing.

Cut to 2021; the fact is that if one dwells deeper into Cleopatras beauty regime, most of the ingredients she used are still sought and used as part of ingredients in almost all cosmetic skin companies.

The latest to join this quest is Amazons founder, now retired, and Blue Origins founder Jeff Bezos; he indeed comes out with unique ideas and concepts and takes a plunge into the unknown.

His latest venture and investment is in an anti-ageing research company working on reprogramming human cells.

It has been rumoured that Jeff Bezos has a fairly long-standing interest in longevity research; at 57 years, some say that it might just be a case of a mid-life crisis, or maybe he realized that he has too immense a fortune that he can spend in this lifetime.

After all, he has tasted immense success with Amazon. He also wears the tag of either the richest or the second richest man in the world, has a $ 200 billion fortune and has also achieved his long-standing dream of venturing into space.

Hence, it is only natural that his interest should take him to exciting ventures, and if that venture is about reversing the process of ageing he can have his cake and enjoy it too!

If he tastes success, it would put him in an even more dominating/ formidable space and thus, participating in the creation of a startup with fellow billionaires makes sense indeed.

However, this is not the first time that Jeff Bezos has invested in anti-ageing research; he had in 2018 financed a similar company Unity Technologies which is still working on making anti-ageing therapies.

Introducing Altos Labs

Research-based company Altos Labs, founded in 2021, has claimed to have Jeff Bezos on board as one of their investors. The foundation of Altos Labs is fascinating in itself.

The name Altos Labs is a derivative from the Palo Alto mansion of a Russian investor and also a tech mogul Yuri Milner and the interesting bit is the fact that Altos Labs was first theorized here after a twoday conference.

The target of the company is to understand how biotechnology can be used to make people younger.

What Altos Labs intends to do?

The startup is looking to recruit some of the best university scientists to research how cells age and how to reverse the ageing process. Scientist Shinya Yamanaka first introduced the reprogramming technique in 2012, for which he had also won the Nobel Prize after he demonstrated the method in mice.

Taking it further from here, Altos Labs research would work on reprogramming which would involve adding proteins to a cell that essentially instruct it to revert to a stemcell-like state.

Altos is said to be pursuing biological reprogramming technology, a way to rejuvenate cells in the lab that the recruited scientists think could be extended to revitalize entire animal bodies, ultimately helping in prolonging human life.

However, no official announcement has been made by Altos yet, but it has been incorporated this year in Delaware and as per the securities disclosure filed in California this year in June indicates that the company has raised approximately $270 million.

Apart from Bezos and Milner, it said that the company has also recruited other wealthy tech figures and venture capitalists as investors.

Who is Yuri Milner?

Now that we know that it was in Yuri Milners mansion in the Los Altos Hills above Palo Alto where the startup was conceptualized, Milner is a Russian born billionaire who made a fortune on Facebook and Mail.ru. He is also known for starting the extravagant black-tie Breakthrough Prizes $3 million awards given to outstanding mathematicians, physicists, and biologists each year.

Competitors in the Field

The quest for discovering anti-ageing is not new, and a number of startups have been dotting the scene that are pursuing reprogramming technology.

Some of the more prominent are Life Biosciences, Turn Biotechnologies, AgeX Therapeutics and Shift Bioscience in the UK. Although none of them have struck gold in this field, nor have they ventured on to any treatments tested on people in clinical trials.

What is the opinion of the medical and scientific community?

If one comes to think of it, one may question it is as if the most serious concern that the world is facing is old age itself, but are we?

Suppose one was to ask a local practitioner or the common man himself. In that case, one may find that their immediate concern is not old age but diseases Cancer, AIDS, Multiple sclerosis, Mental Illness and even Covid -19.

For a commoner, the thought of immortality makes little sense if he is not able to sustain himself and his family through tough times of financial despair, disease, stress and so on.

Hence, immortality is perhaps a thought engaging enough for those who have accumulated wealth that they cannot even think of spending entirely in this lifetime alone. Bezos understands that science has already succeeded in rejuvenating old mice, and thus if he were to invest in research of the same and if it were actually to work, he would perhaps be the first in line to try the same for himself.

Also, while preserving life is fundamental, rejuvenating is hugely personal. Think about it we have enough data around us that shows that people and not just celebrities and influencers but ordinary people like you and me who may not shy away from cosmetic procedures to take a few years of the face or the body. Some may even attain a completely new face since they do not like what they see in the mirror.

We have already reached the age where if we dont like something, we have the resources to change, modify, or improve via a plastic surgeon, botox, fillers, etc.

Though what is stopping Jeff Bezos from trying any of these available fix-ups, just that it is accessible to people, and he may want to not disguise by surgery but rather go further and obliterate ageing for himself.

However, my questions only seem to grow in number

Perhaps, we may have to build rockets that orbit Earth as living pods while Earth goes through its motions, though the question still is its for the super-rich; what happens to the commoner?

Some researchers question whether reprogramming is a technology that can benefit from hundreds of millions in commercial investment.

Some experts also say investment in anti-ageing techniques is something government funding agencies cannot do quickly enough; hence, for now, it remains in the hands of those who have the wealth to invest in the same.

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Billionaires Now Seek To Unravel The Mystery Of Anti-ageing; Jeff Bezos, In The Forefront, Funds Anti-ageing Biotech Startup Altos Labs In 2021. -...

Each Monday, this column turns a page in history to explore the discoveries, events and people that continue to affect the history being made today.

Ironically, it was a quest for immortality that led to the invention of the deadliest weapon before the arrival of the atomic bomb.

Experimenting with life-lengthening elixirs around A.D. 850, Chinese alchemists instead discovered gunpowder. Their explosive invention would become the basis for almost every weapon used in war from that point on, from fiery arrows to rifles, cannons and grenades.

Gunpowder made warfare all over the world very different, affecting the way battles were fought and borders were drawn throughout the Middle Ages.

Flying fire

Chinese scientists had been playing with saltpeter a common name for the powerful oxidizing agent potassium nitrate in medical compounds for centuries when one industrious individual thought to mix it with sulfur and charcoal.

The result was a mysterious powder from which, observers remarked in a text dated from the mid-9th century, "smoke and flames result, so that [the scientists'] hands and faces have been burnt, and even the whole house where they were working burned down."

Gunpowder was quickly put to use by the reigning Sung dynasty against the Mongols, whose constant invasions into the country plagued the Chinese throughout the period. The Mongols were the first to be subject to flying fire an arrow fixed with a tube of gunpowder that ignited and would propel itself across enemy lines. More gunpowder-based weapons were invented by the Chinese and perfected against the Mongols in the next centuries, including the first cannons and grenades.

The psychological effect alone of the mystifying new technology likely helped the Chinese win battles against the Mongols, historians believe.

Explosive trade

Gunpowder somehow remained a monopoly of the Chinese until the 13th century, when the science was passed along the ancient silk trade route to Europe and the Islamic world, where it became a deciding factor in many Middle Age skirmishes.

By 1350, rudimentary gunpowder cannons were commonplace in the English and French militaries, which used the technology against each other during the Hundred Years' War. The Ottoman Turks also employed gunpowder cannons with abandon during their successful siege of Constantinople in 1453. The powerful new weapon essentially rendered the traditional walled fortification of Europe, impregnable for centuries, weak and defenseless.

The next important step for gunpowder came when it was inserted into the barrel of a handgun, which first appeared in the mid-15th century and was essentially a cannon shrunk down to portable size. Guns literally put weaponry into the hands of the individual, creating a new class of soldier infantry and giving birth to the modern army.

Gunpowder is still the basis for many modern weapons, including guns, though it's certainly no longer the most explosive force available to armies.

Need to celebrate a victory in battle, though? Gunpowder is there for you. The powder is also at the heart of the fireworks that make the Fourth of July and other holidays so special. To produce the aerial spray of reds, golds and blues, pyrotechnicians pack a tube with gunpowder, colorizing chemicals and small pellets that create the shape and shimmer of the firework.

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How Gunpowder Changed the World | Live Science

From Thor through Avengers: Endgame, Chris Hemsworths immortal character brought something unique to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU is full of vital, interesting characters, from the sardonic, brilliant Iron Man/Tony Stark to the naive charm of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. But few characters have earned more fan acclaim than the character of Thor.

The legendary comic book character was brought to life in the MCU by Hemsworth has appeared in some of the most influential movies in the franchise. With another Thor-centric film on the horizon, some fans discussed how hes contributed in unique ways.

Thor, the mythical son of Odin, debuted in the 2011 film of the same name. Impulsive and a bit reckless, Thor follows his heart. He makes several rash decisions in the film that lead to his exile to earth by his father. It is on earth that Thor meets scientist Jane Foster, and experiences his first encounter with SHIELD. Over the films that follow, Thor joins up with the Avengers Initiative. He becomes one of the most vital and powerful members of the elite group.

By Avengers: Endgame, Thor has matured a great deal. His gravity and sense of purpose add much to the Avengers. Thor never loses his compassion and big heart. However, the deaths of some of his friends and close family do a great deal of emotional damage to the Asgardian. Most notably, the loss of his brother Loki, the unpredictable and tenacious god of mischief, causes him great sadness.

In Avengers: Endgame, viewers see that Thors experiences in Infinity War have changed him. Those experiences lead to his struggles with PTSD in the film.

Interestingly, Thor wasnt always presented as an immortal being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, in the movie Thor, he is introduced as the god of thunder. But hes never actually described as being immortal. However, in recent years, Marvel has changed up Thors status a bit, describing Thors relationship with the concept of time as being closer to what an immortal deity would experience.

According to Screen Rant, making Thor immortal doesnt take away any of the trauma that the character experienced, however. Rather, those experiences became heightened. Thor defines himself by the tragic deaths of his father, mother, and brother, as well as the loss of his homeworld and comrades. It is no wonder, therefore, that the formerly powerful god would be such a tragic figure when audiences see him in Avengers: Endgame: depressed, overweight, and reclusive.

Viewers can see the next phase of Thors arc when Thor: Love and Thunder, debuts in May 2022. While few details about the storyline have been revealed, many fans believe that the film will be Chris Hemsworths swan song in the MCU. The movie could set up a story arc that would involve Jane Foster wielding Thors mighty hammer.

For now, Marvel executives and those involved continue to keep specifics under wraps. So it could be several months before fans get any real answers about what the MCU holds for Thor.

RELATED:Fans Upset Over Natalie Portmans Casting as Lady Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder: See Why

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How Thor's Immortality Adds Depth to the Entire MCU Story and His PTSD at the End of 'Avengers: Endgame' - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

There is a new culture arising between (wo)man and machine. The digital afterlife avatars we created throughout the years, photos and accounts we accumulated, contacts and messages we exchanged is challenging our assumptions about life and death.

The new frontiers we try to establish between the real and the virtual, between past memory, current experience, and futuristic vision are blurry. Who owns all the data we leave behind? How will we be remembered in this modern-day collective consciousness? Do we need a digital will? And how does this impact the grieving process of those we leave behind?

We know that todays data is increasingly interwoven with individual life stories. The internet even jumps in to substitute spiritual remembrance practices where theyve lost meaning.

And its true: the internet, as the most modern version of a hereafter, will outlast us all. The traces you leave there will outlast you and remain present and tangible for those mourning and remembering you.

Your smartphone, often worn on the body like a piece of jewelry and filled to the brim with experiences, memories, thoughts, and feelings, will take a central place in their mourning process.

So are parts of us becoming immortal thanks to digitization? Is survival possible in this materialized collective memory?

A wide variety of new developments can be observed that make use of these hopes, which are essentially as old as humanity, and yet come in a new guise.

What might have sounded like science fiction material only a short while ago is already a reality today with Kanye West gifting Kim Kardashian a hologram of her late father for her 40th birthday something that everyone can achieve thanks to providers such as the Dutch company Here we Holo.

When we spoke to its CEO, Desmond Frencken, explained the core of this idea: Being able to give a speech at your own funeral has been on my bucket list. Now we made it possible. Its a very personal message and better than a film. You can stand there, the projection is so crisp and clear, as if it was you.

There are also other forms of digital resurrections, such as a much-discussed example of a South Korean company using artificial intelligence to allow a mother to meet her deceased daughter one last time in virtual reality. That way she was available to say a proper goodbye, an opportunity she hadnt been granted in real life.

So the real question isnt whether well live on in the digital realm after our deaths, but how

It seems that we want to remember our dead exactly the way we experiencedthem while they were alive which includes the internet. But what do we want for our own afterlives?

Do we limit ourselves by trying to freeze ourselves for digital eternity? But arent we much more than avatars or bots? So will the real question be around what the limitations of AI in creating our digital souls are?

As we experiment with increasingly sophisticated methods of digitally bringing the dead back to life, there are both risks and benefits, and the question remains how we reconcile our offline and online selves after weve passed.

Some of us will never be content with interacting with a memorial page, speaking into a void that never responds. Others will rage against the dying light and build magical and monstrous manifestations of the afterlife, refusing to let the dead stay dead. We believe that we will need to find a balance between digital recollection and emotional release.

And we believe we should not let our future be dictated by technology instead, we should develop technology for the future we want to have. And for the way we want to be remembered.

If youre curious to know more about the digital transformation of death and get some practical tips on your own digital legacy, check out our talk at TNW2021. Well be joined by 150+ other great speakers who are experts on every facet of tech imaginable.

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You need to start planning for immortality in the metaverse - The Next Web

The Old Guard 2 is one of the most anticipated releases set to premiere on Netflix in 2022. The sequel will return fans of the first film to a world where an elite immortal force intervene in the globes affairs to keep the planet on the right track.

The ending of The Old Guard, however, put several things in stark perspective for Andy, Nick, Joe, Nile, and Booker from the reveal that Andy is no longer immortal to the twist that her partner, Quynh is alive. Not to mention they still have the problem of their secret potentially getting out if they cant help keep people safe and stay hidden.

Copley has been brought into the fold to assist the team in covering their tracks and helping to direct which missions to take in order to have a greater impact in the world.

But what can fans expect from The Old Guard 2s plot? Heres what we know!

There isnt an official synopsis for the sequel, however, we do have an inkling of what its in store for the audience. The second volume in the comic book series that the movies are adapted from has the following plot:

When youve waged war as long as Andy and her squad, youve gotten your hands more than bloody. Now, the day has come to confront the sins of the past. But as Nile struggles to make peace with the team, the last person Andy expected ever to see again returns to challenge not only what Andy believes in, but what the team is willing to fight for.

While we dont expect The Old Guard 2 will follow the comic books narrative to the letter, we do believe Andy and Quynh will be reunited which is sure to ripple through the group. As will Andys mortality as she leads with the reality of death very firmly in the forefront of her and everyone elses minds.

During a TUDUM panel with fellow Netflix action heroines, Charlize Theron teased that her character Andy is once again warring over the things that she cannot change in her life. In the first movie, shed grown bone wearily tired of living. Immortality had taken its toll, and she wished it was possible for her to die.

Now, however, Theron says Andy will struggle with her mortality. As we saw in The Old Guard, it made her a liability and hindered her ability to lead. Obviously, that will continue to be an issue for her and the team.

What will this mean for Andy now? Will she be out of the field? Will she become the woman behind the computer screen? Well have to wait and see, but were definitely intrigued by where this sequel is set to go especially with Andy wanting her immortality back.

Stay tuned to Netflix Life for more The Old Guard 2 news and coverage.

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Andy struggles with her mortality in The Old Guard 2 - Netflix Life