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For every year the average human ages, billionaire Bryan Johnson claims he only ages seven and a half months.

His ultimate goal is to have an entire chronological year pass without biologically ageing at all, through something he has dubbed the 'Blueprint Protocol'.

The man who wants to live forever.

And while he may be yet to achieve ageing stasis, the tech mogul claims he has the 'best biomarkers of anyone on the planet'.

He knows this from the fastidious, some might say, obsessive self-testing he undergoes, measuring everything from complete blood counts, advanced lipid profiles, comprehensive metabolic panels, hormonal insights, epigenetic biomarkers and sleep quality metrics.

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Johnson's day is managed down to the minute.

He stops eating by 11am each day, never drinks alcohol, avoids sunlight, takes a list of supplements longer than most people's weekly shopping list, strictly maintains his sleep schedule (8:30pm, alone, every night without exception), and experiments with much more controversial methods, like having plasma transfusions from his teenage son and trialling a range of experimental drugs and supplements.

Bryan Johnson's goal — and also the name of his book and Netflix documentary — is this: Don't Die.

And while his approach and resulting publicity might have drawn its fair share of critics (a common refrain is to question why one would choose to willingly extend a life devoid of pizza, alcohol or a double-digit bedtime), he has his share of devotees, too.

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The Aussie woman catapulting Johnson's brand.

One such person is 27-year-old Aussie woman Kate Tolo, who, after hearing about Johnson's efforts when she was just 21 years old, decided to align her mission with his, emailing him incessantly — with no response — for years.

Finally, Johnson hired her as an assistant.

She has now become his co-founder, chief marketing officer and the second person — and first woman — to try the Blueprint Protocol, putting her body on the line as a secondary guinea pig in a shared mission to reverse ageing for the masses.

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Longevity is trending.

And while it might be a deliberately provocative invitation, the idea that we can meaningfully slow the ageing process is one that has well and truly gripped the planet in the past few years.

Ice baths. Blood glucose monitors. Saunas. Supplements. Fasting. Peptides. Podcasts.

(So. Many. Podcasts.) 

Search traffic for the term 'longevity' has nearly doubled in a decade. There are over 1.5 million videos under the #antiageing hashtag on TikTok.

Globally, the business of living longer is predicted to be worth nearly $100 billion (US 63 billion) by 2035, with each scientific discovery and innovation prompting a new cohort of acolytes to the cause.

"There's no single factor [to the current longevity obsession], it's a zeitgeist," explains Harvard Professor of Genetics and author of Lifespan: Why We Age — and Why We Don't Have To David A. Sinclair, A.O., Ph.D.

"Scientific innovation has accelerated, especially in understanding how ageing works at the molecular level. At the same time, there's growing public awareness that healthspan — not just lifespan — is within our control."

Sinclair's book might have a lot to do with that awareness.

"It came out as the pandemic hit and everyone on the planet was forced to deal with the possibility they might die," he says.

The book details, amongst other things, his revolutionary discovery that age-related blindness could be reversed in mice, and potentially in humans, too.

"It wasn't just about restoring vision," he says. "It proved that ageing is not a one-way street.

"We turned back the clock in complex tissues without causing cancer, which lent credence to The Information Theory of Ageing, the idea that the body ages due to a loss of youthful information, which can be reinstalled, like software. So, if we learn to reboot this software safely, ageing may be reversible in humans too.

"Social media has amplified the conversation, for better or worse. But fundamentally, the world is waking up to the idea that ageing is not immutable and is the root cause of most age-related diseases."

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The human urge to defy morality.

Of course, the desire to live forever is nothing new.

Greek mythology speaks about ambrosia — the food of the gods — being the key to living forever. Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang famously sought elixirs of life and patronised alchemists in his quest to achieve immortality, while Italian nobleman Luigi Cornaro popularised the theory that living a healthy, simple life with a moderate diet could extend lifespan.

In more modern times, research discovering so-called 'blue zone' regions — where inhabitants of certain geographical areas live longer than average lives with lower-than-average instances of chronic disease — identified specific factors that can influence longevity, namely diet, social connections, and robust physical activity.

The major shift over the past decade, however, has been the accessibility of testing. For the first time, we're able to properly test and quantify the way different interventions impact not just our lifespan, but our health span.

In other words, we now have the ability to watch ourselves age badly in cold hard numbers, as well as the tools to turn things around.

"There have been three major breakthroughs relevant to everyday people," Sinclair explains. 

"First, the ability to measure biological age using DNA methylation as a blood sample or a cheek swab. Second, the discovery that certain genes and molecules, like sirtuins and NAD boosters, can slow ageing in animals and potentially in people. Third, the realisation that simple lifestyle changes like fasting, lower animal protein diets, exercise, saunas and stress reduction can meaningfully impact the ageing process."

And while the popularity of anti-ageing and so-called biohacking amongst the ultrarich tech community has drawn its fair share of skeptics, Dr Sinclair points out that much of the research findings can be implemented by everyday people too. 

"You don't need millions to benefit from longevity science," he says. 

"The foundational interventions — eating less frequently, exercising regularly, reducing stress, prioritising sleep — are available to nearly everyone. The real luxury is knowledge, not money. This is why I give talks and have a podcast.

"While advanced tools will trickle down over time, we already have enough science to make meaningful, cost-effective changes that add healthy years to our lives."

Watch: The official trailer for Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever. Post continues after video.

Adding healthy years — chunks of time we not only get to spend with the people we love, but in which we are healthy and mobile and present enough to show up in the way we want to — might be made possible by tech and science, but it's an entirely emotional pursuit.

Sinclair himself admits the reason he got into this particular field of research was because of the love he has for his family. 

"Early in life, I watched close family members suffer and die from diseases we often accept as part of ageing," he says.

"It never made sense to me that we treat ageing as inevitable when, biologically, it's a process like any other, one we should be able to understand and potentially slow or reverse.

"That realisation, combined with a deep fascination with genetics and cell biology, led me to commit my life to uncovering how and why we age-and what we can do about it." 

According to Sinclair, the next decade is going to see even more jaw-dropping innovations and discoveries in terms of the science of living longer and better lives, with many of the predictions made in his book already proving prophetic. 

"Health tools and wearables will be widely used in 10 years, but the real leap will be personalisation," says Sinclair. 

"We're moving toward a world where a person's health trajectory can be mapped and modulated early in life and throughout life. AI will help interpret real-time health data, body scans, and bloodwork to detect early signs of decline or cancer, and recommend interventions years before disease sets in."

In spite of the fact that the world seems increasingly uncertain on a global scale, it seems reasonable, for the first time in history, that we might be part of the cohort that will live well past 100. 

And while that reality might make you apprehensively want to check in on your super balance, it's also pretty damn exciting, too. 

For a deeper dive into the science of why we age, and the groundbreaking interventions aimed at slowing or even reversing the process, be on the lookout for the new season of Dr. Sinclair's top-rated podcast, Lifespan, launching mid-year. In the meantime, you can catch up on the first season now.

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