CAN YOU LIVE FOREVER?

Based upon the direction and advancements in neuroscience, medicine, and other related fields discussed within this book, it is the opinion of Dr. Reese, that sufficient credible data, evidence, and insights exists to recognize the possibility of greatly extending human life well beyond the death of a normal life span. This book will ponder the potential reality and explore the scientific pathway that may one day avail to humanity the possibility of extending, and maintaining human self-awareness into the realm of proportional, if not near total continued existence. Human awareness, absent the body, and without physical life, may indeed reside on the fringes of continue, unabated existence. Our human flesh will remain the anchor that stifles the freedom of our self-awareness to break free of its dependence upon the body, even if we are only referring to the brain in order to continue its existence. This discussion is solidly based on truth, relevant facts, data, and scientifically based speculation, pertaining to future possibilities, and expectations, involving extended life and continued awareness, as interpreted and extrapolated from the review, and analysis of many scientifically based peer reviewed articles, including the extensive background of Dr. Reese in dealing with much of the same subject matter. What was once portrayed as pure science fiction now falls more into the realm of scientific fact, and reality, or at least qualified scientific speculation regarding the more advanced thinking of extending life, and, self-awareness. The focus of this book attempts to lay the historic foundation, current precepts, qualified future speculations, and understanding that lends credence, and support for the journey toward, and the ultimate arrival of, a time in the foreseeable future when death is not, necessarily a foregone conclusion, at least not as pertains to your extended life and continued awareness. Dr. Reese concludes that it may not be necessary that your conscious awareness must inevitability surrender to an abnormality, or failure of a vital body function, or disease. Awareness, life extension, and the aging process are the predominant terms, and ultimate focus throughout this book. Dr. Reese presents his opinions, speculations, predictions, and conclusions on near, and distant future expected scientific achievements toward these subjects based upon his current interpretations of relevant advancements in medical science research, applicable medical and bio-medical engineering fields, and those of other highly vested entities. There are three primary time periods that focus on the progress and processes involving extending life and awareness: 1. Current Endeavors,, 2. Near Future Expectations, and 3. Distant Future Speculations. As medical science reaches the maximum capabilities, and limitations of extending human life to the furthest limits of current human life expectancy, medical scientists has, and will continue to increase, their emphasis beyond these limitations to unprecedented scientific research achievements, and thinking, that has hitherto been relegated to the realm of science fiction. In this respect, Dr. Reese has focused upon the implications to achieve extended human life, and awareness beyond the maximum limitations of life expectancy, to involve the following possibilities: 1. Brain Transplants to Another Human Body, 2. Brain Transplants into an AI Humanoid Robot, 3. Body to Head Transplant, 4. AI and Humanoid Robots, 5. Human Consciousness Uploading/Downloading to a Computer or Artificial Brain, and 6. Implantable Brain Chips. The Brain: Most individuals have little, or no appreciation for the enormous, and unfathomable capability of the human brain to store information (e.g. memory capacity), for ultimate retrieval. The human brain has the ability to retain an almost unlimited amount of information for as long as the brain continues to function. Thinking is the process that is initiated from our awareness, and our awareness is governed by the incredible processing ability of our brain to formulate decisions, and initiate our perceived and, appropriate actions or reactions. Astonishing details, and data, illustrating the incredible capabilities of the brain, including the minds own inability to comprehend its capacity and ability, are discussed in detail. Memory: The memories we retain involve an overly complex process with the capability of storing an enormous amount of information, and yet still avails additional capacity without any apparent limitations, unlike most computers. Understanding the essence of our memory remains somewhat a mystery to science. None-the-less, our memories define who we are, and to a significant extent, defines our life. The human brain has the innate, and incredible ability of being receptive to coherent, cognitive input,and storage. To a large extent the ultimate quality and potential to effectively coordinate one's life on a daily basis will be dependent upon the source of the stored memories, the level of cognitive retention of stored information, and the ability to effectively retrieve appropriate information at the time needed. We ultimately become who we are by the exposure we have to other individuals, and circumstances, starting at the earliest time of life, as infants when we absorb our environment, and the input we receive from those who care for us, especially our mothers, and usually to a lesser extent by our fathers, and other family members. Unfortunately, our memory stores information received from individuals with whom we had no ability to censor, or select, as most qualified, and appropriate to provide the most advantageous information for storage and retrieval. This is not the world we live in, never has been, and most likely, never will be. Throughout the entirety of our lives, especially during our younger years, we have functioned like memory recording devices subjected to a continued, nonstop, and often unwanted input of information being installed in our memory. From family members, teachers, friends, employers, even TV (e.g., the good, the bad, and the ugly), we take it all in, and store these unfiltered experiences into our memory. Thus , the input of information that floods from our life experiences is not provided, for the most part, with a screening mechanism that could sift out undesirable information and events. The younger we are, the more readily we absorb, and store all incoming information that eventually produces the uniqueness of who we turn out to be. This fascinating topic is also discussed in detail within this book. Immortality: Is Achieving Immortality A Realistic Or Worthy Expectation? Immortality is not the continuation of physical life, but rather the continuation of human self-awareness. The term cannot exist within the concept of an immortal physical existence, at least not within the earthly realm. Death pertains to the living entity only, thus there cannot be human life after death in the sense that death effectively terminates with our understanding of life. For example, no matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes in the future, especially as pertains to an existing human awareness within an AI Humanoid Robot, or artificial housing, it cannot be referred to as something that is alive. Software and hardware can never produce, nor be defined as something that is alive, other than in a metaphoric sense. Let us assume that at some future time scientists have indeed opened the door to immortality for continued human awareness, and consciousness to the extent that qualified candidates could apply for the transcending experience from their current existence into an unknown, but anticipated immortal existence.